The Krasnodar Higher Military School of Pilots named after Hero of the Soviet Union A. K. Serov hosted the largest graduation of pilot officers in the history of the school. 561 people received diplomas and ranks of lieutenants.
The parade ground of the only flight facility in the Russian Federation, which gave a ticket to the sky to both cosmonauts and test pilots, has seen many solemn events. In addition, since 2017, girls have been studying here, who next year will become the first military pilots in the history of Russia.
Those who once graduated from the Serov College, representatives of the clergy, city and regional administration, relatives and friends of the guys came to the graduation of the newly-made lieutenants. Also present was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the VKS for military and political work, Major General Alexander Maksimtsev.
- Among the graduates of this year there are 17 gold medalists and 69 lieutenants who received diplomas with honors, - Maksimtsev noted. - Graduates will have to improve their professional skills, many will become aces. But they must understand that they are responsible for human lives and the equipment on which they will climb into the sky. It is necessary to respect the work of engineers who prepare winged cars for departure.
Now graduates will have to pass tests in units, only after that they will sit in the cabins of combat aircraft.
- Before taking to the sky, we had practice on flight simulators, - says Lieutenant Igor Kraynyuk. - It simulated different weather conditions, turbulence, icing, simulated various types of failures. My older brother graduated from this school in 2018. I also want to make a career as a pilot, and maybe get to the general's shoulder straps.
Also on this day, pilots were released for the countries of the near and far abroad - Abkhazia, Angola, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Niger, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the South African Republic.
The ceremony ended with a solemn passage to the sounds of the famous march "Farewell of the Slavs", graduates of the military school threw coins into the air, which rolled under their feet. "It is necessary to serve not for money, but for the honor of the country," the lieutenants explained the tradition. After the construction, relatives and friends were able to congratulate the graduates and find out which planes they were assigned to.