Balbo was a common term in the late 1930s and early 1940s to describe any large formation of aircraft.
[citation needed] It was named after the Italian fascist flying ace Italo Balbo who led a series of large aircraft formations in record-breaking flights to promote Italian aviation in the 1930s.
[1][2] During the Battle of Britain the term was used for the Big Wings that were based at RAF Duxford.
[3][4][5] The term is used today in the UK for a mass fly-by at the end of an airshow.