Baghdad (NINA) – The Iraqi Air Force marked another milestone as new Iraqi pilots graduated from the second rotary wing and fifth fixed wing classes at the Iraqi Flight Training School in Kirkuk.
A statement by the US Army cited on February 3 “The 17 new pilots completed rigorous training that included classroom time, simulator sorties and practical exercises in flying training devices. Four of the fixed wing graduates also qualified for T-6 training because they scored higher than 80 percent on the American Language Course Placement Test.”
“These outstanding young officers will have wings pinned to their chests and will make the transition from student to operational pilot,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott M. Hanson, Coalition Air Force Transition Team commanding general, noting that “These new airmen will arrive at their units at a time of rapid growth as the Iraqi Air Force increases operations across the country in support of all Iraqi Security Forces, taking full responsibility for the protection of the Iraqi people.”
The Iraqi Air Force began with five Iraqi pilots who trained in Britain in 1931, and grew to what was once the sixth largest air force in the world. It was nearly depleted during the 1991 Gulf War, and was grounded after the U.S., Britain and France seized control over Iraq’s airspace in the 1990s.
With every graduation of newly-trained pilots, Iraq’s Air Force takes a step forward in the rebuilding process. /End/
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