This September, flightsim fans in Italy will have the chance to attend "Giornata Azzurra Virtuale 2006", as part of the Giornata Azzurra air show held by the Italian Air Force. Among the highlights of the event will be the chance for attendees to try FSX courtesy of Microsoft. For details, click on Read More.
It is tradition for the Italian Air Force to open the doors of one of its airbase once a year with a spectacular airshow named "Giornata Azzurra". This event, realized to give a closer contact to people and aviation enthusiasts with the Air Force, will this year take place in Pratica di Mare AB - Rome, Sunday 17th September.
This event promises to be very special due to the affluence of people from various parts of Italy, Europe and overseas, and due to the participation of many other foreign aerobatic teams, pilots and aircrafts. All of this will render the Giornata Azzurra the most important national, and maybe European, air show of the year.
For this event we expect about 400.000 people, of which about 1000 will be high-level rank officers and authorities, both national and international, VIP's from sports and show business. National and international television and giornalists will cover this event. The official opening of the gates will be around 08:00 while the flying program will start at 11:30 and continue non-stop until 17:30 when the Frecce Tricolori will perfom the conclusive air show.
On the side of this event, always inside the air base, the non-profit association "V.I.A.F. - Virtual Italian Air Force" - www.viaf.it with the collaboration of another non-profit association "Virtual Flying Group" - www.virtualflyinggroup.it - and the Software House "Cloud9" - www.fscloud9.com have received the approval of the Italian Air Force General Staff and the permission from the 14 Wing to organize and manage the Giornata Azzurra Virtuale 2006 or G.A.V.2006 (Virtual Blue Day 2006).
V.F.G., V.I.A.F. and Cloud9 Will hold G.A.V. 2006 inside a real hangar. There will be 30/40 personal computers equipped with flight simulators and some cabins reproducing the cockpits of an Aermacchi MB339 (airplane used by the same Frecce Tricolori), an F16 (aircraft recently acquired by the Italian Air Force) and other airplanes all there to let the many visitors try the flightsim experience.
In this occasion Microsoft, the world leading software house, will present its top game for the 2006-2007 season...the natural evolution of one of its most famous games, the new Flight Simulator X that will be playable by all visitors and flight sim enthusiasts.
This hangar is situated next to the static airplanes exhibit which will be placed along the runway next to the VIP sector, at the middle of the airport, pratically in the very heart of the event itself.
Inside the shelter, other than PC's divided in areas according to the different kinds of flight simulators - from formation flight to aerobatics, from jets to liners - V.F.G and V.I.A.F. Pilots and instructors will be available to all public for flying trials and information. Gigantic screens will show the images from various PCs, films and exibitions of virtual air teams and solos. Various national and international virtual flying teams have been invited to participate to the G.A.V. 2006, according to their specialty, to extend and make this show more exciting. Everyting will be coordinated and managed by Cloud9, Virtual Flying Group and VIAF that, in order to make this event more complete, have thought of inviting other flying simulation realities, which could benefit from this exceptional and unique platform. This opportunity will show, before a great pubblic, the high levels that various groups of amateurs and specialists of the virtual reality, have reached in these years of sacrifice, study and dedication.
For V.I.A.F, Virtual Flying Group and Cloud9 the GAV2006 will be no other than a new possibility, in a season full of public events to obtain once more a wide success of public as demonstrated by the over 20.000 visitors of the past GAV2005 edition held in Rivolto Air Base - Udine last September the 4th for the 45th anniversary of the Italian Aerobatic Team the Frecce Tricolori, where over 2000 people had the possibility to fly virtually with the best Italian virtual Pilots.
