Israeli Air Force Flight Academy

About

The Israeli Air Force Flight Academy (Hebrew: קורס טיס; romanized: Kurs Tais; lit: flight course) trains aircrew to operate Israeli Air Force aircraft, qualifying fighter, helicopter and transport pilots as well as combat and transport navigators.

The IAF flight course is considered one of the most prestigious courses in the IDF. It lasts for three years and is held largely in the Hatzerim Airbase near Beer Sheva. Graduates of the course receive the rank of lieutenant and a BA from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. After their training, the graduates must undertake mandatory military service of seven years. In earlier times, on average, only one out of nine students completed the course successfully, but today it is closer to one out of six due to stricter selection for the course.

The first IAF flight course was completed in March 1949 in Hatzor Airbase. The first four graduates, including Mordechai Hod and Danny Shapira, had received their training in Czechoslovakia. In May 1949 12 more graduates completed the second IAF flight course, which also took place mostly in Czechoslovakia. The first flight course held entirely in Israel was held at Camp Sirkin, near Petah Tikva, and began on 14 February 1950. The first base commander was Benjamin Bune (Bunislavsky), the first chief training officer was Gideon Shochat, the first commander of the primary flight school was Pinchas Ben-Porat, and the first commander of the advanced flight school was George Lichter. Dan Tolkowsky headed the IAF's training department from 1948 to 1951. Most of the flight instructors at the time were foreign and the official language of the course was English. The course ended on 10 August 1950 and had 13 pilot graduates and four navigator graduates. In order to prepare them as fighter pilots, in December 1950 a separate operational training squadron was established, flying the Supermarine Spitfire. Until 1955 the flight courses took place at the Sirkin Airbase, before moving to the Tel Nof Airbase. In April 1966 the IAF flight course was transferred once more to Hatzerim Airbase. With the increasing need for helicopter pilots, in 1965 a helicopter flight school was established within the IAF flight school. Until then all the helicopter pilots were trained in Europe and the United States. In 2002 the structure of the flight course changed, it was extended from two years to three years, and included undergraduate academic studies. In addition, since 2002 the flight course graduates receive the rank of Lieutenant, and not the rank of Second Lieutenant.

The selection process for IAF pilots can be traced to Ezer Weizman. He emphasized the importance of air capability, arguing that ground forces could be severely compromised if they were vulnerable to attacks from above. Consequently, only individuals deemed to have the natural aptitude to excel as Israeli pilots are invited to start the training process. Among those, only the most qualified manage to complete what many consider the world's most challenging military selection course. Consequently, potential Israeli pilots are identified prior to reporting for national service at age 18, based on factors such as high grades in school and top scores on standardized tests, excellent physical condition and high technical aptitude. All recruits must also have a Medical profile of 97. Those who meet these and other criteria are invited to participate in a five-day gibush (cohesion), a selection phase involving physical, mental, and sociometric challenges. Recruits are screened not only for their ability to perform the tasks assigned, but for their attitude in performing them—such as how they take hardships and unexpected difficulties, how well they work in groups and how they approach problem solving and disaster management situations. As many as 50% of those who commence the gibush will be dropped from further consideration at its conclusion. Those who pass the gibush embark on a three-year journey to earn their wings, which includes extensive flight training, infantry training, an officer's course, and studies towards a bachelor's degree. The prospective pilots are evaluated constantly, and the vast majority of those who begin flight training do not make it through the full program. Those dropped from the course will either remain in the air force in a non-flying capacity, or transfer to an army unit. (This depends to a large degree on the stage at which they leave the course.) While in flying school, future pilots are sorted and assigned to train on different types of aircraft. Relatively few become fighter pilots (considered by many to be the most desirable assignment), while the remainder learn to fly helicopters, transport aircraft, or train as navigators. After a landmark 1994 High Court appeal by a Jewish immigrant from South Africa, Alice Miller, the Air Force was instructed to open its flight school to women. Miller passed her entrance exams, yet failed the medical tests and thus did not qualify. The first female fighter pilot, Roni Zuckerman, received her wings in 2001, although a female navigator had already graduated in 1998. While Israeli Arabs may volunteer to serve in the IDF, it is unclear whether they can seek air force training. In 2006, an Israeli Arab applied for the pilot program, but was not accepted. In 2009 the first Israeli Druze finished the course and received his wings. In early 2018, it was announced that a Bedouin candidate had been accepted into the pilot course.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.