Preparation of civil and military pilots: then and now

Who's that studied

Difficult exceeded 50 years, and they have had and 35-year-old aviation experience, not to compare past years with modernity.

The successes of the aviation industry, aviation records, the best aircraft in the world, it was all customary and unshakable in the USSR. Magazines and newspapers were full of photographs of airmen, sports pilots, civil aviation pilots, military pilots of snipers. Everything was native, domestic: factories, materiel, airfields, repair bases, spare parts and components. The DOSAAF Defense and Sport Society trained not only sportsmen in technical sports, but also trained military specialists. Of course, it is difficult for six months to master the specialty of a radio operator, a radar operator, acoustics, a heavy vehicle driver, but one should not forget that these and other specialties guys received when they were about 18 years old. And they came to the army, already having basic knowledge of military specialties, and for two years of service (in the Navy 3 years), knowledge was fixed, there was experience, and often combat experience.

As taught while ...

The system of training and the military and civil aviation experts was established, and worked as a good clockwork. No one had to be sent abroad for retraining, paying for his studies currency. There was no need to buy imported equipment, and then depend on the supply of spare parts and components depend on the foreign service, certification, prolongation of resources, and others, all of which is related to the operation of aircraft. Everything was ours, dear, and it was all done in a huge country. It was everything.

Of foreign technology, perhaps, was the only Polish machinery, Czech production, and that, more often it was the same Soviet equipment, but is produced in the CMEA countries, the countries of the socialist community.

What was the path of thousands of Soviet boys in aviation? Most often they began to study in the aero clubs of the country, which was a great set. Yak-52, Yak-50, them began to fly. Some remained in the sport aviation, addressing the competition for DOSAAF. Others continued their way into military and civil aviation colleges. The GVF schools were trained in the famous "stool" Yak-18T. The Air Force schools primary trainer aircraft were Czech L-29, and then the L-39. Moreover, L-39 «Albatros» was unified educational desk for all military pilots of the socialist countries.

Difficult fate of the Yak-18T

Yak-18T Smolensk aircraft factory produced commercially within 10 years (1973-1983). And deliver it to all the School of Civil Aviation: Aktyubinsk, Buguruslan, Kirovohrad, Krasnokutske, Sasovo. Over the years 10 536 Yak-18T was delivered.

In 1988, the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Yak-18 were removed from service, and barbaric Soviet tradition immediately disposed of. Preserved, according to various estimates, only about 200 machines. They were bought and were able to keep enthusiasts, pilots, aviators. Often sold abroad, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, during a mass sell-off in the USSR inheritance 90-x. It is unclear why dispose of the machine and stop the release of the main training aircraft of civil aviation, especially as the replacement to him at that time, nothing had happened.

The Smolensk Aircraft Plant resumed the Yak-18T small-scale production, there were attempts to upgrade and modernize the aircraft, but all these were drops in the sea (or rather, in the air). American and European light aircraft began to penetrate the country. "Russian flight desk" was forgotten and pushed into the distant hangars and parking lots. Pilots, amateur pilots began to master massively "Cessna", "Beechcraft", "Piper". They certainly did not go to any comparison with the complex and heavy Yak-18T, which was as close as possible to large passenger aircraft. "Foreigners" lighter, more simple in piloting and exploitation, gradually began to conquer the Russian sky, and the skies of the former republics of the USSR.

What are learning now ...

All these memories and nostalgia, I was prompted aviation news, I regularly seek out and view. Here are the extreme ones:

The Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA) will supply the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation (SPbGUGA) 10 single-engine piston aircraft Cessna 172S, it follows from the materials placed on the public procurement website.

As follows from the documents, UZGA (part of the Oboronprom state corporation) became the only participant in the corresponding tender. The plant's application was found to be compliant on July 26. The amount of the contract fully coincides with the initial (maximum) price announced in the terms of the tender - 534,933 million rubles.

In accordance with the terms of reference, all 10 aircraft must be delivered from the manufacturing plant and released no earlier than 2016. UZGA, as a supplier, assumes obligations for warranty maintenance of the aircraft for two years or until the expiration of 1 flight hours (depending on whether which comes first). If the repair cannot be carried out in Russia, the plant will have to send the plane abroad.

Delivery of the aircraft 10 - 15 2016 of December

July 28 2016 ATO.ru http://www.ato.ru

In March this year I read another interesting note, on training machines in Russia. According to all the same ato.ru site:

In 2015, Russian civil aviation education organizations received a total of 21 aircraft. Of these, 14 airplanes were supplied for initial training, the other seven - for graduation, the annual report on the activities of Rosaviatsiya says. 

With regard to the first type of machines, most of them got the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Institute (MI GA). His training park added 13 light single-engine plane Cessna 172S. In turn, one of its branches - Omsk Flight Technical College - received the Bell-407GX helicopter. Graduation planes took only Saint Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation (GA St. Petersburg State University). It is about seven light twin-engine Diamond Aircraft DA-42NG.

In addition, last year, Russian schools received an 31 aviation simulator. In particular, SPSU GA admitted two simulator Cessna 172, The same simulators DA-40NG and one DA-42NG. His branch - Buguruslan Flying School GA - began teaching students in four new flight simulators DA-40NG, two Cessna 172 and two DA-42NG. Yakut branch of the St. Petersburg State University GA adopted two simulator DA-40NG and one Cessna 172, Krasnoyarsk - two two types of simulator.

March 25 2016 ATO.ru

 So it became sad for me, in Cessna and Bellah with the Robinsons we study, we fly on them, but on Airbusses and Boeings.

Where a program of support and development of small aircraft? Where domestic light aircraft? Why not have them in mass production?

Our government and the aviation industry is trying to conquer the niche of medium-haul aircraft, but that aviation does not start with them, and with the initial training aircraft. And if the military schools with the national technique initial training situation is more or less, the civil aviation patriotism is no different. And why? If the line pilots still have to fly on imported machinery ...

Vereshchagin was right ...

The first plane, first solo flight, it's like first love will always be remembered. But now this memory will be foreign terms, can be a bad thing, and foreign equipment is time-tested and completely secure. Only now are increasingly comes to mind the famous phrase of a customs officer Vereshchagin: "For power offensively ...". And perhaps years from now ... dtsat, young people will know domestic airplanes for Personnel documentaries and photographs.

Overview training aircraft for the portal

Avia.pro Valery Smirnov made