Return to sender: Italian-born pilot flies home

ITALY

10.21.2015

Courtesy Story

USS Kearsarge (LHD 3)

ITALY - The jet rolls into position on the flight deck with its engine screaming. The pilot gets a signal from the flight deck handlers who are lined up along the foul line. The scream turns into a roar as a plume of black smoke appears, then, with a burst of speed, the jet bolts down the runway and into the sky.

Lt. Cosimo Manica, a Marina Militare pilot and Monteiasi, Italy native, currently assigned to the “Ace of Spades” Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 231, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, took off from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Oct. 21, on a return flight to Italy.

This was not his first time flying home from Kearsarge. In the spring of 2013, Manica was the landing signal officer for a small crew of Italian pilots on board.

“It was the first time we were bringing an Italian jet back from a problem maintenance inspection from Fleet Readiness Center Cherry Point,” said Manica. “I was actually happy to come back here because I already knew the ship, and the people here have always been friendly.”

For the past three years, Manica has been part of the Pilot Exchange Program. The program is part of a Department of Defense strategy to maximize war-fighting capabilities with other countries on a global scale.

This time, the aircraft is going home to Italy after an extensive overhaul to extend its life span.

“They did a lot of deep maintenance, similar to restoring a muscle car, and then the most cost effective way to get [Manica] back to Italy is to ride across with us while we’re on deployment,” said U.S. Marine Maj. Geoff Palmer, an AV-8B maintenance officer, currently assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced) based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

While at Cherry Point, Manica taught American and allied pilots as an instructor to improve their joint warfighting capabilities.

“Americans and Italians both learn from each other,” said Manica. “It’s cooperation between the two nations, and it’s a learning curve where lessons are learned from both nations. I’m actually working with the Marines, so right now we’re exchanging tactics and improvements and lessons learned on how to do things.”

Manica said the Kearsarge crew has been just as welcoming and friendly as he remembers them to be.

“The crew has always been really friendly and they accommodate you in anything that you need help with,” said Manica “They don’t hold back.”

As the harrier flies off into the sky and completes its journey home, it’s not the end for Manica and his stay in America. Later, he will return to Cherry Point for another year to continue training and improving the combat capabilities of U.S. Marine harrier pilots.

Kearsarge, deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe.
For more news from Expeditionary Strike Group 2, visit www.navy.mil/local/esg2/.

• Date Taken: 10.21.2015
• Date Posted: 10.24.2015 03:33
• Story ID: 179814
• Location: IT