Lieutenant Colonel Emanuele Pappolla

Chief of the Army Aviation Command plans Office Italian Army

Lieutenant Colonel Emanuele PAPPOLLA was born in BOLZANO on the 11th of January 1968. He was commissioned Officer in 1987. In 1990 he was rated pilot and initially assigned to the 3 rd Army Aviation Rgt. “Aldebaran” in MILANO as Huey pilot. In 1994 he was moved to the 1 st Army Aviation Rgt. “Antares” in VITERBO, where he became Bell 412 pilot and served ad Squadron Commander and Operational and Training Section Leader. In 2003 he was assigned to the IT Army Aviation Special Operations Helicopters Unit in VITERBO (renamed in 2014 3rd Special Operations Helicopters Regiment “Aldebaran”), in the position of Operational and Training Section Chief. In 2006 he was qualified flying instructor and assigned to the Italian Army Aviation Training Centre. In 2008 he was assigned to the NH90 Team, unit directly depending from the IT Army Aviation Command which had the responsibility of the introduction into service of the new helicopter. In 2013 he was moved to the Italian Army Aviation Command. During his military career he was committed in different NATO and UN operations: Bosnia Herzegovina 1997, Kosovo 1999-2000, Iraq 2003-2004, Afghanistan 2013. Since 2014 he has been working also as Italian Point of Contact for the European Defence Agency Rotary Wing programs HEP (Helicopter Exercise Programme) and MHTC (Multinational Helicopter Training Centre). Lt. Col. Emanuele PAPPOLLA is instructor pilot rated on aircrafts type AB47G2, AB206, AB205, AB212, AB412, NH90, with an experience of more than 3000 flight hours. He achieved two university degrees, in Law and in Management and Organizational Science

Among many, he is awarded with :

 Defence Gold Medal for Seniority of Flight;

 Defence Gold Medal for length of Command;

 Defence Gold Medal for length of Service;

 Medals for Service in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan;

 Medal for Service in National Public Calamity. Since 2019 Lieutenant Colonel Emanuele PAPPOLLA is the Plans Office Chief of the Italian Army Aviation Command and still acts as instructor pilot. He is married with Mrs. Maria Grazia and has one daughter, Giorgia.