Accelerated Soviet pilot training in the seventies


	Accelerated Soviet pilot training in the seventies

The size of the Soviet Tactical Air Force was greatly reduced by the beginning of the sixties in the Khrushchev era. The Air Force was unprepared of the Czechoslovak and Chinese events. Between 1968 and 1974, besides the eighteen tactical fighter/fighter-bomber and tactical bomber divisions nine new divisions were established. Eight new divisions were settled at the Chinese border and one in Czechoslovak. And besides those six new fighter-bomber air regiments formed in the northern region.

During the over half a decade the Soviet Tactical Air Force’s size was increased by 50 percent!!! Half of the new air regiments came form the Soviet Air Defence force. The rest of the units were new and needed new pilots. Therefore, the number of training schools were increased. Besides the Four existing college, two new colleges were founded (Borisoglebsk and Barnaul Higher Military Aviation College). At first, this was not enough, because the new pilots only arrived four years later from the new schools.




		Soviet 74th independent Training Air Regiment's MiG-17 'Fresco-A' at the Bagay-Baranovka airport in the seventies. Photo: Viktor Tomilov




		Soviet soldiers of the 69th independent Training Air Regiment in front og their MiG-17 ‘Fresco-A’ at Ovruch airport in 1974. Photo: Vladimir Tokarev



		Young crew of IL-28 ‘Beagle’ at the Sital-Chay south airport in 1971. Photo: Vladimir Ershov
	Accelerated pilot training in the late sixties:



	* In 1975 from the old IL-28 bomber/reconnaissance type replaced to MiG-17 fighter type

There was a big shortage of pilots, therefore, pilot training was temporarily accelerated in 1968. Four pilot training regiments (29th, 34th, 69th and 74th independent Training Air Regiment) were created. These were not colleges they only taught flying and closely related subjects. High school graduates aged between 19 and 20 came here with a DOSAAF pre-qualification * as well as young graduates from other non-military pilot colleges. They were trained here for one or two year. The young pilot learned the navigation and basic flying here. After they finished school they got their 3rd class rank at their first combat regiment.

* Between the ages of 16 and 18 they received paramilitary pre-training for MiG-15.

The three Training Air Regiments received a large number of MiG-17 ‘Fresco-A’ and MiG-15UTI ‘Midget’ fighter trainers. The 29th regiment received IL-28 ‘Beagle’ bomber/reconnaissance type at the end of the sixties.

These were replaced by Su-7 ‘Fitter-A’, MiG-21PF/PFM ‘Fishbed-D/F and the rare MiG-21S ‘Fishbed-J’, at the end of the seventies. The pilots who trained here for one year got only a low officer position, but later they could train themselves. The four regiments later received a new assignment. From the beginning of the 1980s instead of quantitative training, they switched to qualitative training but that is another story.


	Accelerated pilot training in the late seventies

69th independent Training Air Regiment at Ovruch in the seventies

74th independent Training Air Regiment at Sennoy - Bagay-Baranovka in the seventies


	Next pictures: Soviet 69th independent Training Air Regiment at Ovruch airport in in the first half of the seventies


	Photos: Vladimir Tokarev collection

Tags:
Soviet Union, USSR, Soviet Air Forces, VVS, Cold War, 29th OUTAP, Sital-Chay, IL-28 Beagle, MiG-17 Fresco, MiG-15UTI Midget, 34th OUTAP, Kirovabad, Gandzha, MiG-17 Fresco, MiG-15UTI Midget, 69th OUTAP, Ovruch, MiG-17 Fresco, MiG-15UTI Midget, 74th OUTAP, Sennoy, Bagay-Baranovka, MiG-17 Fresco, MiG-15UTI Midget, Soviet Transcaucasian Military District, 34th Tactical Air Army, Soviet Carpathian Military District, 14th Tactical Air Army, Volga Military District, Mikoyan and Gurevich

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