Italian instructor pilot reaches 5,000 hour milestone

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ava Margerison
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Italian Air Force fighter pilot has achieved a feat few ever reach, while doing it a little more than an hour at a time.

Jan. 6, 2013, was like any other day of flight training for Italian Air Force Lt. Col. Michele Minonne, 80th Flying Training Wing instructor pilot, except, upon landing in a T-38 Talon, he successfully surpassed his 5,000th hour of flying for his career.

"Being in the fighter world, and flying pretty much only jets in my life, it is pretty hard to get this many hours because the average sortie is only 1.2 hours," he said. "When you reach 5,000, you need to be quite grateful,"

Minonne has been assigned to Italian fighter aircraft such as the Fiat G91, AMX International and the Aermacchi MB339 A/CD. However, a majority of Minonne's hours have been as an instructor pilot in the T-37 Tweet and T-38. He has been teaching Airmen to fly as an instructor pilot since 1997.

"Before, I didn't know anything about flight, but afterward that was my desire, my wish, my dream," he said. And it came true."

Minonne chose Col. Lance Bunch, the 80th FTW commander, a long-time friend and colleague to fly with him on his special occasion. Bunch and Minonne were both students at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in classes only six weeks apart.

"It was awesome to be able to share such an accomplishment with him after all these years of flying together," Bunch said.

On this flight, Minonne said he experienced the best representation of an international program with a German Aircraft, a U.S. commander and an Italian pilot.

"This is what ENJJPT is all about," Bunch said. "We build international partnerships to provide the world's most qualified instructors and produce the world's best combat pilots."

Minonne's primary role is currently the Italian senior national representative at the 469th Flying Training Squadron in the ENJJPT program. As an SNR, he serves as the liaison between the ENJJPT wing and their national air staffs. He is also responsible for managing the instructor pilots and students from Italy.

The ENJJPT program is the only multi-nationally managed and manned pilot training program with a mission to produce the world's finest NATO pilots with the skills and attitude to succeed in fighter aviation.

The best part of reaching the 5,000th flying hour for Minonne was being able to share it with those who helped him to achieve it. He thanked his wife and family for supporting him through his career, the ENJJPT program as well as all of the pilots who flew with him.

"Grazie Millie! Anzi 5,000," he said which is Italian for "Thank you very much. Indeed thank you 5,000 times."

Minonne loves his job and loves being able to be an instructor pilot. While he does not hold the most hours in a fighter in the Italian Air Force, he is certainly making his way toward the top percentage.

He used the words of a fellow Italian Leonardo da Vinci to express his ongoing love for flying, saying, "'Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward.' I've tasted flight and decided, yes this is what to do with my life."