Pilot receives wings at Hatzerim
Pilot receives wings at HatzerimIDF Spokesman

Today a ceremony was held in the Hatzerim Airbase, during which the ranks were awarded to the Graduates of the 177th IAF Flight Course.

The ceremony was held in the presence of the Commanding Officer of Hatzerim Airbase, Brig. Gen. Aviad Dagan, the Commanding Officer of the IAF Flight Academy, Col. Y. and in the presence of families, friends and other members of the IAF.

The ceremony concludes three years of training for the officer duties, pilot training and an BA degree from the Ben-Gurion University. The graduates received the Lieutenant rank.

Commanding Officer of the Hatzerim Airbase Brig. Gen. Aviad Dagan: "The past three years here in the Hatzerim Airbase, to which you arrived as young cadets, have shaped you. From the first hesitant steps on your reception day to your strong standing before us in this meaningful ceremony. With your standing and gaze I feel a wonderful combination of a heart full of satisfaction alongside a strong desire to break forward, excel among the excellent and realize yourselves as aircrew fighters. The thousands who are behind me on the tribunes, tens of thousands of Air Force personnel throughout Israel, and all the citizens of the country look up to you. This is a commandment to you, to take the reins, to be the future generation of the IAF, to excel and to lead. The entire Air Force will draw fresh energy and strength from your work."

Pilots celebrate receiving rank
Pilots celebrate receiving rankIDF Spokesman

Commanding Officer of the IAF Flight Academy, Col. Y.: "You are well acquainted with your role as aircrew fighters, you are now skilled professionals, pilots, navigators and flight engineers. Strong and professional, you will know how to fight in difficult conditions, lead and win. Continue to polish this skill, learn and deepen, turn the flight into a part of you, and aerial combat your art. You are standing here today, on the parade ground, and are fulfilling the dream of many who were not able to complete the long journey you have made. Keep in mind, and remember that even when your plane takes off, it's right that your feet remain grounded."

The IAF Flight Course is approximately three years long. It is held at the IDF Flight Academy at Hatzerim Airbase, near Be'er Sheva. The course consists of six stages- four six-month training courses and one year of academic studies.

The first two stages, the "preparatory" and the "basic", are intended to provide the foundations and patterns of behavior of a soldier and a combatant in the IDF. At the "preparatory" stage, they undergo their basic training and first flights on the "Snonit" aircraft.

Pilot's ceremony
Pilot's ceremonyIDF Spokesman

At the "basic" training, the emphasis is on training the officer and imparting command and leadership capabilities. During this stages, the cadets undergo infantry, escape and parachuting courses, and at its end they receive their paratrooper badge and officer's badge.
Later, in the "initial" stage, the cadets refer to the various aircrew professions, in the different flight directions according to suitability, and continue training in the direction in which they were placed:
Pilots, navigators and flight engineers in the airlift array, helicopter pilots and navigators and pilots in the combat array.

After a year and a half, the cadets are assigned to one of the academic courses that take place on the campus of the Flight Academy. The curriculum includes the following courses: Mathematics and Computer Science, Economics and Management, Information Technology Management, Politics, Government and Management. At the end of the course, the graduates are awarded with a Bachelor's Degree from Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva. At the end of the academic year, the cadets arrive at the final stage of the course, the "advanced' stage, in which they acquire advanced flying skills and fly in operational aircraft of the IAF.

When this stage concludes, after three years, the officers' ranks and the Pilot's Wings are awarded at the graduation and the "Wings Order" ceremonies. Aircrew members (men and women alike) are required for seven years of mandatory service.

Saluting new pilots
Saluting new pilotsIDF Spokesman