Russian Air Force 3.4

3.4. Pilot Training

3.4.1. Basic Training

In the Soviet era basic pilot training was given in the total of twelve air force academies situated in different parts of the country. After the basic training period each school provided type training to the aircraft within the type and operation category of its area of specialization, in other words to fighters, attack aircraft, strategic bombers or transports. Now the number of these schools has been dropped to seven and pilots are trained in only two of them, Armavir and Balashovo (133). Upd 6 Nov '99

Since 1991 until the beginning of 1994 the training of Navy pilots at Nitka near Saki, Crimea, was temporarily stopped because of the tension in relations between Russia and Ukraine, but since 1994 the training was started again. However, due to the shortage of the budget financing and instability of the ruble exchange rate in 1998 the training at Nitka was again postponed. (94) Upd 17 Jan '99

The students are cadets who have applied to the school and selected through tests. For instance in 1995 one school had five candidates applying for each position in the Su-24 and Su-25 pilot training program. The numbers of applicants have fallen clearly from the Soviet days, when the hopefuls usually were initiated into aviation in paramilitary DOSAAF organization. After that, in case tests were passed, followed four-year VVAUL, which provided officer, technical and basic pilot training as well as type training to combat aircraft. In the 1970s the basic pilot training included for instance 100 flying hours in Czech L-29 aircraft and 200 hours in MiG-17. One decade later, the course was passed with 230 hours in L-29 after which the best of the pilots were given type training to MiG-23 and the rest to MiG-21 (19).

In the current system, basic orientation training to aviation is given in ground school phase, after which the cadets apply to five-year VVAUL program through testing. It begins with three years of academic class room studies. Only after that the decisions will be made who will actually enter the two-year pilot training program. During this period the planned syllabus includes 200 flying hours in Czech L-39 jet trainer. After this the cadets are transferred to an operative squadron, where they are given type training to the aircraft with which they will seek combat pilot rating (19). Many schools have supplemented their training fleet with old double-seat combat aircraft (26).

In practice, the flying hours in the L-39 program were at first dropped to 150 per student due to lack of fuel and problems in spare part deliveries. The school might have had 300 students in three training units, but usually only a dozen or so aircraft of the total of 80 L-39s in a particular airbase of a training center were mission capable at any particular day. After graduation the pilots were transferred to a new airbase to one-year type training to their future aircraft type, but similar problems were ahead. For instance in the end of 1992 half of the cadets in the VVAUL graduated directly to the reserves. Fifty of the remaining ones were transferred to the Zhukovsky Academy of Engineering to be trained as aircraft maintenance officer (19). During 1992 - 1994 of the 234 students who graduated from the VVAUL 130 had not flown at all after having reported to their assigned air force units (27). In addition, the average flying time per cadet during training had dropped to 40 - 50 flying hours, which facilitates only the elementary pilot skills (26).

These days, all pilots in every regiment are split into three groups: those who can fly and who are considered the best trained specialists, those who are allowed two or three flights a season and no more, and finally, the "youngsters" who do not fly at all. Every now and then some of them are chosen to replace men from the first category who retire. Even the word "youngster" is relative; there are officers for example in Marinovsky base with three or four years of service behind them already. The last time they flew aircraft was in military school. (84)

The reduction of the personnel and other resources has affected heavily the students. In 1998, 693 officers left pilot schools before they learned to fly, due to the shortage of kerosene. During the summer of 1999 altogether 2000 men who dreamed of becoming pilots will be assigned to the ground units. (117, 118) Upd 27 March '99

The Russian Air Force has three different kinds of flying instructors: inspection pilots operating in operative regiments, type instructors providing conversion-to-type training, and VVAUL instructors giving basic training. In operative units, flight commanders and senior commanding staff have flying instructor rating for the type of aircraft they are flying. All operative regiments organize instructor courses and the flying instructors belong to class I pilots. Type instructors all have operative flight experience. The VVAUL instructors belong to the lowest caste among the flying instructors, and often it is impossible for them to change tasks. Majority of the VVAUL instructors are graduates from the pilot schools, who have directly been put to a year's instructor course and then straight to a training position without having a chance to gain any operative experience (19).

The stress and nature of work, bad conditions in training bases, like living accomodations in Yeisk, employment in Marinovsky and problems with food virtually everywhere, and poor chances to career advancement mean that the morale among flying instructors giving basic pilot training and respect towards them has dropped very low. The schools themselves have proposed that flying instructors should be selected from among class I and class II pilots employed in operative squadrons. However, for the present, the Air Force has decided to continue in the established fashion (19, 84).

For comparison's sake, let us mention that for instance in the Finnish and Israeli Air Force the flying instructors are fighter pilots with operative experience. They maintain their operative readiness and hold instructor positions for a fixed period of time.

The contents of basic pilot training have been the target of criticism since the glasnost began, and one particular case that has come up is training concerning maneuvering errors, and especially spins. When the L-39 had been introduced into the VVAUL system, the aircraft showed slackness in going to a spin and, correspondingly, problems in spin recovery in certain flying conditions. As a result, spin training was removed from the syllabus, and loss of flow in a stall situation was taken to the point of beginning stalling flutter only (19).

Many experienced pilots called this practice into question. It was said to lead to a situation in which the pilots did not utilize the full capacity of the aircraft, but because of the self-imposed safety marginal lost important part of the aircraft's maneuverability. The practice was seen as a continuum of the attitude towards full utilization of aircraft capabilities that arose in the 1960s. It was associated to thinking related to a certain high-speed attack at a high altitude. The critics stated that elimination of spin training would make the situation only worse instead of improving it. Besides making it difficult to manage unintentional loss of flow situations, effective combat would be impossible without the self-confidence given by spin training (19).

The different approaches to aircraft handling skills became apparent for example when the CIC of the Finnish Air Force visited the Kubinka Airbase. The program included a flight in a MiG-29. A week earlier a Finnish squadron had visited the same airbase and its pilots had flown the same type of aircraft. In his speech the Russian host paid attention to the high standard of Finnish pilot training. He pointed out that during the squadron visit the Finnish pilots had on their very first flight with the aircraft type started doing aerobatic maneuvers, and now their commander had done the same. The Finnish party saw nothing special in the matter. Evidently the Finnish tradition to make aircraft handling instinctive over the whole maneuvering range gave rise to the Russian host's statement (25).

The reductions of the units and the lack of fuel have affected the entire cadet courses which have been recommended to search vacancies in the Army. Most of the student pilots have in those cases left the military (133). Upd 6 Nov '99

3.4.2. Advanced Training of Fighter and Attack Aircraft Pilots

Flying operations in operative squadrons are regulated by the handbook of flying operations and the combat training course handbook "Kurs boyevoi podgotovki". The first specifies the quantity and quality of sorties required for readiness pilot rating in different sortie categories ranging from instrument approach to launch profiles of different air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. The latter is a program on how new pilots should be trained to combat aircraft types and how they can achieve the readiness pilot rating. It contains over 200 different air combat, attack, formation, and so forth, sorties (19).

The pilots have traditionally been divided into three readiness categories:

Class III pilots:

To become qualified as class III pilot, the pilot has to complete one year of training after the VVAUL. The requirements are 600 sorties and 350 - 400 full flying hours. The pilot is qualified for daytime operations only and the weather minimums are cloud base at 250 meters and 2,500-meter visibility. The pilot can fly exercises ranging from small section formations to squadron formations of the maximum of sixteen aircraft. In order to acquire class III pilot rating, the normal requirement is that the pilot has completed 52 first flight program steps or exercises from the combat training course.

Class II pilots:

It can take even three to four years after graduation to achieve the class II pilot rating. The requirements are 770 sorties and 450-500 flying hours. Class II pilot is qualified for readiness duty both in daytime and at night. He has instrument flying qualifications and status to fly controlled attack and air combat exercises. The daytime weather minimums are the same as for class III pilots, and at night the minimums are cloud base 500 meters and visibility five kilometers. Class II pilot is authorized to participate in all attack missions.

Class I pilots:

To earn class I qualifications, the pilot has to have 1,200 sorties and 550 flying hours behind him. It can take six to seven years after the VVAUL before this is achieved (if pilot training is properly dimensioned, same qualifications can be achieved in two years). Class I pilot has full instrument flying qualifications and he can fly any mission given to him. The weather minimums are 150-meter cloud base and 1500-meter visibility. In order to maintain his class I rating the pilot has to fly the minimum of 50 hours per year, which includes 10 hours of instrument flying.

In addition to the categories mentioned above, both the Air Force and the Air Defense Force use even a higher rating, "sharpshooter pilot", reserved for a limited number of experienced pilots. It is not so much a formal qualification, but rather recognition of proven skills. Sharpshooter pilots have to have class I rating and the minimum flight experience of 1,500 hours (19).

In addition to pilot classification, the air force has one honorary ranking, "honored military pilot". Typically this rating is granted to the highest command and most promising regiment commanders (19).

The squadron performance is measured according to how well it can carry out the training program and how many class I pilots it can maintain. The combat training handbook specifies which are the entry requirements to each pilot class. This handbook, which is revised about every five years, is meant to provide nationwide standards for training methods and qualification procedures. However, in practice regiment commanders set their own standards thus causing variations. These, on the other hand, have given rise to much criticism at the executive level (19).

Daily flying operations are carried out according to the combat training handbook, but in readiness inspections the performance is judged on the basis of the handbook of combat methods and regulations. These two differ in many places and cause dangerous situations and accidents during inspections. Under the pressure of an inspection, the squadrons aiming at more realism in combat action start taking risks they have not learned to manage during daily routine training. The executive echelon has already proposed that the regulations be harmonized so that realistic combat situations could be practiced already during normal training. Then it would no longer be necessary to suddenly change from routine performances to risky tactical situations and back (19).

In 1990 the Russian Air Force command launched a project aiming at improving the pilot training system. More categories for pilot classification would be introduced and more efficient follow-up system for flight performances developed so that the pilots would know their tasks also in practice and "not only on paper". The conclusion behind this was that the squadrons were hurrying pilots into the class I category before they had reached stable performance level. Changes in distribution of flying hours were also proposed so that at least the aviation safety requirements would be met. Certain kind of specialization to different duties within air force units was also among the recommendations. Thus could be avoided making everything and everybody conform to average training requirements (19).

During 2003 the average time flown by a pilot continued to rise, passing the 40-hour mark. Younger pilots flew 70 - 80 hours compared with 20 - 30 hours for their more experienced collagues. Russia`s flying training programme was in 2004 planned to be restructured to reduce the operational pilot training schedule from six years to four and provide a graduate with 200 flying hours. (161) 22 Jan 2005

Back to the Russian Air Force page

Home

Russian Air Force, Chapter 3

3.4. Pilot Training