ALEPPO / Syria/, July 1. / TASS /. Some 50 cadets at the Aleppo military flight school, reopened in 2018, are preparing for graduation, while Russian specialists are assisting in their training, the school’s deputy head, General Yousef Ahmad Hassan, told TASS on Thursday.
"Our task is to train high-class pilots for our army. They will continue to fight against militants. There are territories occupied by terrorists where it is more effective to use aviation. We know how your [Russian] pilots work, we learn from them. We need to raise our level of training to be that effective," the flight school’s deputy head stated.
According to Hassan, currently, the only educational institution in Syria, which trains personnel for the country's air force, is expected to be re-equipped. The pilots still fly here on L-39 training aircraft, which are more than half a century old. However, the Syrian authorities have already purchased modern training simulators for the school.
Apart from the actual profession of pilots, cadets are trained here as mechanics due to a lack of personnel. Future pilots repair their aircraft themselves and monitor their technical condition.
The Aleppo flight school was established in 1947. During the war, militants tried to capture this strategic facility.