The International Fighter Pilots’ Academy

The concept is highly innovative. The Slovak Air Force (SAF) has created a training squadron as part of its operations. You join number 55 Squadron, 5th Training Wing, SAF, for formal training on a series of aircraft including the ZLIN-142 basic trainer, the L-29 and L-39 jet trainers, and twin seat versions of the MiG-21U and the MiG-29U. The course includes transfers, accommodation, flying clothing, ground training in a variety of subjects, simulator time on various aircraft and of course actual flying time on the aircraft you choose.

I was particularly impressed with the foresight and enterprise of Tom Orsos, a successful Australian businessman based in Sydney, who created this enterprise. Tom is very self effacing about his achievements, saying that he is not a fighter pilot himself and therefore cannot lay claim to be part of this elite club. However, he has clearly been infected by the aviation bug, and is very enthusiastic about his own flight experiences in these high performance aircraft. His business will provide an opportunity for others to experience at first hand the disciplined way that professional air force pilots operate their aircraft.

There is mystery and magic associated with flying high performance combat jet aircraft. I can clearly remember the first time I saw a Mirage flying, and thinking to myself, “Tm going to do that!”. As a RAAF Academy cadet, I managed to wangle a visit to 76 Squadron where I had my first Mirage ride. Although it was almost thirty years ago, the feeling of excitement and anxiety before the first ride floods back as I think about it. The actual flight was even better than I had hoped and I can still feel the rush of adrenaline during the flight. That memory is worth a lot to me and survives the 1000 hours of Mirage time I later acquired.

The International Fighter Pilot’s Academy’s product is to provide the same memories for clients with a range of flying experience. Provided you have an acceptable level of health and can fit safely inside the cockpit, IFPA will provide you with a complete training course culminating in rides in high performance combat jet aircraft. If you have relevant flying experience, you may fly from the front seat.

There are 10 courses to choose from, carefully designed to meet the interest of a wide range of enthusiasts and for people with different degrees of aviation experience. For example, you can choose to complete the jet training component, or progress right through to the MiG-29. Some of the courses emphasise formation aerobatics, while others emphasise fighter combat. Additional flights can be added to the end of the course if you wish to repeat or extend your training. There is a degree of flexibility, providing aircraft scheduling allows. Of course, you can always return later and IFPA are working on a log book system of recording and certification for this purpose.

Training starts after your arrival in Vienna, Austria, where you are met and chauffeured across the border to Bratislava, Slovakia. From there, you are in the skilled hands of the Slovak Air Force. The peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into the Czech and Slovak Republics is one of the great diplomatic achievements of this century. Before the sepa ration, aircraft were manufactured in the Czech State and overhauled in large maintenance facilities in the Slovak State. The USSR developed extensive training facilities in Slovakia for foreign national pilots. IFPA use these facilities for their own flying training.

In Slovakia, you are transported by an SAF L-410 twin engine transport aircraft to the Air Force Academy for ground training. The Academy is a modern facility in the east of Slovakia and offers facilities much like ADFA, producing graduates for the SAF. You choose a course to match your interest and to some degree your pocket. Flying training starts in the fully aerobatic propeller driven Zlin-142, where exposure to “G” helps equip you for later flights. Then you fly the L-29 and the L-39 jet trainers to provide the link to the combat jet fighters.

The MiG base is in another part of Slovakia, approximately in the centre of the country, so it’s back to the L-410 for the move if you choose the jet fighter extension of the course. This phase includes ejection seat training, flight simulation and a run in an altitude chamber. Based on my RAAF training, each of these experiences is exciting first time, and shows the thoroughness of the approach.

After you have received all the information necessary to fly in a jet fighter, you will be scheduled for your flights. The MiG-21 comes first, and being a considerable step up in performance, will also provide a considerable boost to the excitement and adrenaline generation. You can choose to fly air-to-air or air-to-ground profiles, including formation and air combat tactics.

For the “piece de resistance”, fly the MiG-29 Fulcrum. This is the newest of the MiG fighters and is now entering the export market. I would dearly love to try my hand at this agile bird.

From my discussions with Tom, it seems that the IFPA management team have done a thorough job of creating a “world first” in aviation. Who would have thought that an air force, any air force, would show the organisational flexibility to accept external people into its day to day activities and provide disciplined and safe flying training? IFPA have made a good choice of organisation and site, since the SAF is in a stable country and have for many years trained foreign students. The aircraft used are current types and fully maintained by a national system that specialises in aircraft maintenance.

This development will be well worth watching over the coming months. The northern summer will provide the opportunity to fine tune the product. I would expect to see the operation in full swing during the next summer season in the northern hemisphere.

Australian Aviation will monitor developments and bring you further stories of this innovative Australian enterprise.