Aerobatic group “Wings of Storm” presented with badges

Accompanied by the Commander of the 93^rd Air Force Base Lt. Col. Karol Lučan, badges were awarded by the Chief of Staff of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence, Colonel Miroslav Kovač, who said that the pilots of the aerobatic group were most recognizable promoters of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence abroad.

“Training pilots of an aerobatic team is one of the most demanding tasks carried out by the air forces, and it is the top of flight training where specially selected pilots are trained to perform the most demanding flight manoeuvres at extremely low altitudes. Therefore, the pilots who are elected have to have the best possible training, professionalism, discipline and team spirit”, Colonel Kovač said.

Although the flying program, which is performed, is the most recognizable feature of the aerobatic group “Wings of Storm”, the group members in other visual ways also present value of the Croatian pilots and Croatian Armed Forces in general, and through numerous international performances they have become a powerful promoter of Croatia in the world. With a distinctive red flying suits and helmets painted in the Croatian colours, from today the pilots will also carry a badge “Wings of Storm”. Badges and certificates of completion of training for aerobatic flying in the group were handed over to the three previous members – Colonel Miroslav Franjić, Major Diana Doboš, and Captain Saša Joković, to six active members, led by the team leader, Major Damir Barišić and new group member Captain Josip Čolak that joins the group in September this year.

Aerobatic team “Wings of Storm” was founded on 5 August 2005, on the 10^th anniversary of the “Storm” Operation. So far they had 82 appearances, 50 in Croatia and 32 abroad, where they performed in 12 countries (Romania, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, Poland and Denmark).