Brazilian Air Force Academy
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| File:Logo AFA.gif | |
| 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 |
| Academy air view | |
Under construction...
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 Brazilian Army would only have its Military Aviation School after the Great War. On January 15, 1919, by Federal Decree, was opened a credit for establishing a Military Aviation Service. The service has been provided with infrastructure by acquiring aircraft and other necessary materials, and for the school staff, teachers and other workers for maintenance were hired.
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".
For many years, military aviation was shared between Navy and Army. However, the creation of a new and independent Force formed part of the idealistic musings of Major Augustus Lysias Rodrigues, Military Aviator and one of the first in the Ministry of Aeronautics in Brazil. Major Lysias, however, enthusiastically raised his voice at a time when both the Military and Naval Aviation had not yet reached full development, getting his ideas kept for many years, coming to realize at the outbreak of World War II.
The Ministry of Aeronautics was established by Federal Decree 2961 of January 20, 1941, and shortly after its creation, the new military force felt the need to intensify staff training. The Air Force, at imminent expansion because of the exigencies of war, that was almost reaching brazilian lands, has led to an immediate program to accelerate the training pace of navigators and specialists. Moreover, the new Ministry had just inherit, from Army and Navy aviations, two training centers which, for obvious reasons, should be homogenized. Therefore, both Military Aviation School and Naval Aviation School were extincted, as it was created in Afonsos AFB the School of Aeronautics, on 25 March 1941, which would centralize all training of aviator officers . On the tip of the Galleon Airport, for training of maintenance personnel, was established the Escola de Especialistas da Aeronáutica (School of Aeronautics Expert) on the premises of the former Naval Aviation School.
The Academy
On January 23, 1942, was designated an official commission of aviator officers with the purpose of choosing a new location, free from the limitations of the Afonsos AFB, for the construction of a new School of Aeronautics. Among the places mooted, was selected the State of São Paulo, especially the cities of Campinas, Pirassununga, Rio Claro and Ribeirao Preto. The choice of Pirassununga resulted from exceptional topographical features offered in the area (the place was called the Upper Field, east of town). The construction of the first hangars of the new School of Aeronautics was iniciated in 1942, even though the war was not yet over. In 1949, the Ministry of Aeronautics appointed a new group of officers to present the project of the new School, which resulted in the Study and Construction of the School of Aeronautics, with the proposal of updating the School project, arranging and supervising the construction. On July 17, 1956, another commission was named to prepare the final draft of the School, which should meet the two phases. Firstly, moving to Pirassununga the last year of the Aviator Officer Formation Course and posteriorly the establishment of the Pirassununga Facilities as the new School of Aeronautics.
On October 17, 1960, opened the Precursor Aeronautical Detachment, during the festivities of the Wing Week, in the presence of his Excellency Mr. Minister of Aeronautics and Commander of Brazilian Air Force, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Francisco de Assis Correa de Mello, the Governor of the State of São Paulo and other senior officials. The new School first commander was Aviator Major Aloysio Otter Netto. The buildings were few and poor, with only two hangars. The accommodations and infrastructure facilities were mostly concentrated in the old Support Division building. The runways were grassy and much more shorter than current runways.
The year 1968 was crowned with the arrival of jet aircraft T-37C, which would mark the beginning of a new era. On September 9, was made the first flight instruction of cadets in that aircraft. On July 10, 1969, the School of Aeronautics was renamed the Academia da Força Aérea (Air Force Academy) also well known in Brazil just by the acronym AFA. In 1971, the Air Force Academy was definitely transferred from Afonsos AFB to Pirassununga, as its first commander was Air Brigadier Geraldo Labarthe Lebre. At that time, the Air Force Cadets Corps had already been removed from the Support Division, which today is the accommodation of staff sergeants and subofficers, to the the Fourth Cadets Squadron building , where were the fourth year cadets.
AFA's facilities were built according to a project (Master Plan), which can be modified in accordance with any requirements if approved by the competent authorities. The Academy has a building area of 215,246 m², with 141,800 square feet of administrative area and 73,246 square feet of residential area. For its operation, AFA has a water treatment station with a water network spanning approximately 15km and maintaining a capacity / day to 6,000,000 liters, using the waters of the Rio Mogi Guaçu; has, in electric power system, 41km of overhead and underground voltage network, and a 50 km of roads and a telephone network with about 23 km.
Academics
The Air Force Academy offers three diferent graduation courses, Aviator Officer Formation Course (Curso de Formação de Oficial Aviador - CFOAv), Intendancy Officer Formation Course (Curso de Formação de Oficial Itendente - CFOInt) and Infantry Officer Formation Course (Curso de Formação de Oficial de Infantaria - CFOInf). Concomitantly, at all the three courses is taught Public Administration, recognised by the Ministry of Educations, wich is very similar to business school. The courses have a duration of 4 years in boarding and dedication. At the end of the CFO the graduated cadets are declared Officer Aspirants.
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 Embraer EMB-312 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, Barrel Roll, Looping, Split-S, 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).
Secondary Examinations
Adaptation Stage
Air Cadets Preparatory School (EPCAr)
The Brazilian Air Force, looking for a previously good formation for their cadets after war, created the CPCAR (Air Cadets Preparatory Course), what is a previously course of Air Force School (at Campo dos Afonos, also know as "cradle of military brazilian aviation"), in 1949. In May, 21 of 1949, the president created at the Ministery of Aeronautic the decree 26.514, establishing the CPCAR.
The EPCAr (Air Cadets Preparatory School) is situated at Barbacena-MG, Brazil. The school works like a highschool, but not an ordinary one. During the three years of course, the student (treated as 3º. sergeant) learn at the geral field the same disciplines of normal highschool, but in the military field they learn how to valorize their career and ideal, how to act like a military-man, as well how to lead their conducts with the country's interests.
After the three years, the health studentes guarante the acess to Military Pilot Course, at AFA (CFOAv in brazilian acronym).
Every year, EPCAr opens 215 vacancies for the CPCAR. The EPCAr's students are one the best students of Brazilian schools, as Colegio Naval's students (Navy School). The graduated students go to AFA with all need military, human and life knowledge to become an Air Force cadet.