Brazilian Air Force Academy
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| File:AFA f01.jpg | |
| Motto | Macte animo! Generose puer sic itur ad astra |
|---|---|
| Type | Federal Brazilian Military Academy |
| Established | 1960 |
| Commandant | Brigadier Roberto Carvalho |
| Undergraduates | More than 4,000 cadets (Aviation, Intendency, Infantary) |
| Location | Pirassununga , , |
| Campus | Air Force Base, 251.246 m² |
| Nickname | AFA |
| Website | http://www.afa.aer.mil.br |
| File:Logo AFA.gif | |
History
Early Years
The idea for the Brazilian Air Force dates back to World War I, when fitted to the Brazilian Navy to take the initiative to organize the first military aviation core in Brazil. At August 23, 1916, then President Wenceslao Braz, founded the Naval Aviation School, while the Navy Minister, Admiral Alencar Faria of Alexandria, began negotiations for the acquisition of the first Brazilian Military Aircraft In order to equip an aviation school. There were three Curtiss Model F, acquired from the United States.
The army would only have its Military Aviation School after the Great War. On January 15, 1919, by Federal Decree, was opened a credit for establishingt a Military Aviation Service. The service has been provided with infrastructure, by acquiring aircraft and other necessary materials, and hiring of school teachers and other workers for maintenance.
The official opening of the Military Aviation School took place on July 10, 1919, and Lieutenant Colonel Stanislaus Vieira Pamplona was its first commander. The School planes which came to Brazil in 1919 and 1920, were french , from World War I, the Nieuport and Spad 84 "Herbermont".
The Academy
Academics
Aviator Officer
Intendancy Officer
Ifantry Officer
Military Training and Athletics
Air Instruction
The Air Cadets start flying at the second year of the course. Besides all the academic studies, the Air Cadets join the Second Aerial Instruction Squadron (Segundo Esquadrão de Instrução Aérea - EIA) and start the theoric classes of T-25 Universal basic trainer, classes about both normal and emergency procedures within the instruction area, and theory behind all pratical exercices that will be performed at the next weeks. The theoretical part of the course is extremely demanding, usually cadets have to get nothing less than 90% of correct answers at the final examinations, otherwise they practically end their chances of completing Second EIA Course and graduating as Air Force Pilots. At the end of Second EIA Course, the surviving cadets have nearly 50 flight hours accumulated.
Both T-25 and T-27 courses are subdivided in four series of exercices: Pre-Solo, Manouvers and Acrobatics, Formation Flight and Navigation. In order to select only the best pilots for military service, about one third of the original number of Air Cadets are eliminated of the Aviation, most of them during Pre-solo flights. Usually, the eliminated air cadets stay in AFA, joining the Intendency or Infantry cadets, but lots of them just leave the Academy. This Extremelly high number of losses turned the Aviator Officer Formation Course the most dificult and demanding Officer Formation Course of all Brazilian Military Forces.
At the fourth year, the surviving air cadets join the First Aerial Instruction Squadron (First EIA) and start the course of the brazilian-made turboprop EMB-314 Tucano, better known in Brazilian Air Force as T-27 Tucano. This time, the cadets fly nearly 120 hours all over the year, learning more complex acrobacy, four-aircraft Formation Flights and IFR navigation. At the end of the year, almost graduating as Aviator Officers, the top 30 pilots are designated for the Fighter Pilot Course. The rest of the them are distributed between the Helicopter and MultiEngine Aircraf Schools.
During the Academy Course, pilots learn manouvers like Stall, Spin, Lazy Eight, Tounneaux, Looping, Retournment, Chandelle, Immelmann and Cuban Eight. AFA pilots are able to sustain two and four aircraft formations as wingmen, and are also able perform nearly 2000 miles Navigations with full understading of both visual and instrumental flight rules and night flights.
Glider Club
Admission
All young man or woman, between seventeen and twenty years old, that wishes to join the Academy as cadets must firstly subscribe for the Academy Selection. Generally the submissions period take time between May and June.
Theoretical Examinations
The first step becoming an air force cadet is get a good performance at the theoretical examination. All candidates must undergo a 80 questions test, with 20 questions per subject (Maths, physics, Portuguese and English). The Dificulty level of the exams is very high for brazilian standards. But even so, the dificulty level of the AFA exams are not as high as the tests of the Instituto Militar de Engenharia (Military Institute of Engeneering) or the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (Aeronautical Institute of Tecnology).