Angelo Piscopo

Major Angelo Piscopo is an Italian Air Force officer who joined the Air Force in 1998 and who graduated as a military pilot from Sheppard AFB on 20 October 2000. His first assignment was at the 46th Air Brigade (Pisa, Italy) flying the G-222 (USAF C-27A) for six years. In that assignment, he was a copilot who flew tactical airlift and airdrop missions during multiple operations to include UN missions in Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as NATO missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. In 2006, he decided to become an instructor pilot with the sole purpose of being able to transmit his passion for flying to younger aviators and forge the next generation of military pilots. For five years, he was stationed at the 70th Wing (Latina, Italy) flying the SIAI Marchetti SF-260 for initial screening and basic instrument/aerobatic/formation training as well as the Piaggio P-166-DL3 for multicrew/multiengine training. In 2011, he moved to the United States to become an IP at Sheppard AFB for the Euro NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training. He flew the T-6 Texan II for three years in one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. He has found working shoulder to shoulder with the NATO partners has been challenging and truly inspiring. Back in Italy in 2014, he was assigned as an IP at the 61st Wing flying the MB-339 A and CD models which are two different versions of the same jet trainer; one for more basic training and the second for more advanced training, to include air-to-air refueling and live ammo range operations. In 2019, he decided to return to Sheppard AFB for another tour flying the T-6. This remains his current assignment. To this point in his career, he has accumulated almost 5,800 flying hours (more than 2,200 in the T6). He has been awarded the USAF Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, two NATO medals for air operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and four Italian medals for air operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.