The testers select the most qualified and promising military pilots, and besides young ones - up to 32 years old. To get into the air elite, they have to pass more than one exam and learn a lot. And, of course, a lot of flying.
The Center for training test pilots of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation turns 50 years old. On the eve of the anniversary, the head of the center, Major General Radik Bariev, told Krasnaya Zvezda about how elite pilots are selected and trained for military aviation.
- The test center accepts pilots and navigators of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, serving under contract, with higher professional military education and full military-special training. Candidates are considered no older than 32 years old (with the qualification of a pilot of the first class) or 30 years old (second class), with a flight of at least 500 hours, fit for health reasons, successfully completed advanced training courses at the State Flight Test Center of the Ministry of Defense and suitable for a number of criteria," the general said.
Candidates take exams in one of three directions: airplane, helicopter, navigator. To assess the level of flight training, flights are conducted under the guidance of the most experienced pilots and navigators of the GLITZ. The listener needs to perform several flights on a mastered type of aircraft and a flight on an undeveloped one - to test adaptation to new aircraft.
- In order to eliminate the subjective factor, flights are conducted with different instructors, - said Bariev. The expert method is generally the basis for pilot training: the qualities of future testers are comprehensively evaluated by experienced specialists of the center.
The training lasts a year and a half - plus a two-month vacation upon completion. Over the half-century history of the center, 44 of its graduates have become Heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia, more than 70 have been awarded the titles of "Honored Pilot and Test Navigator", nine people participated in space programs.
Anton Valagin