by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: FVG governor, Massimiliano Fedriga
Thirteen students aged 17 and 18 at an aviation academy in northeastern Italy have earned private pilot licenses — and in some cases instrument flight certifications — a rare achievement for teenagers that has drawn attention from regional officials and educators alike.
The students attend the Nobile Aviation College in Fagagna, a technical high school specializing in aeronautical training for careers in both civilian and military aviation. During a visit on Sunday to the regional government headquarters in Trieste, the governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Massimiliano Fedriga, formally recognized their accomplishment.
The students completed their flight training in the summer of 2025, obtaining licenses that allow them to fly aircraft independently. Several also qualified for instrument flight, which permits pilots to navigate using cockpit instruments rather than visual reference — a more advanced certification typically pursued later in professional aviation careers.
Six of the students are residents of Friuli Venezia Giulia, while the others come from the neighboring regions of Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, as well as from Switzerland. Those from outside the region live in Friuli Venezia Giulia during the academic year in order to attend the school.
The Nobile Aviation College is one of Italy’s few secondary-level institutions that integrates academic coursework with flight training, giving students the opportunity to earn pilot credentials before completing high school. Supporters of the program say it offers a direct pathway into aviation at a time when airlines and military services across Europe face long-term pilot shortages.
Mr. Fedriga presented each student with a certificate of recognition from the regional government, acknowledging what he described as a demanding and highly specialized educational path. He also thanked the families who, he said, had supported the students through the intensive training required to qualify as pilots.
The ceremony highlighted a broader effort by regional authorities to promote technical education and skills-based training as a way of strengthening Italy’s workforce in strategic sectors such as aerospace, engineering and transportation.
For the students, many of whom plan to continue toward commercial or military aviation careers, the licenses mark an early but significant milestone — one that places them among a small group of European teenagers already qualified to command an aircraft in the cockpit.
