Pilots to be trained like Swedes
Date: 30 October 2005
The following is a (very) rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:
The South African Air Force must change its attitude towards flight training because of the culture differences that are now part of the airforce.
An open relationship, as that in the Swedish airforce, where a tighter bond between the instructor and the student counts, is one aspect that can be successful in South Africa, Lt Genl Carlo Gagiaono, chief of the airforce, said.
The airforce has been in the firing line in the last few years over the tension between the instructors and the flight students. According to him the Swedish airforce won't just be a partner of the airfore because of the purchase of the Gripen-flighter planes.
'We can learn a lot from the Swedes and apply it to our unique circumstances in South Africa.'
Meanwhile, two young South African pilots are busy on making a small pice of history by being the first South African airforce pilots to undergo flight instructor training in the Swedish airforce. Captain Melanie Habben was previously a pilot with 21 Squadron, the airforce VIP squadron based at AFB Waterkloof in Centurion. Major Musa Mbhokota has been involved with the Gripen project in Sweden for the last two years. He was previously a Cheetah pilot with 2 Squadron at AFB Makhado in Limpopo, the squadron which, in two years, will receive the Gripen.
The two began their 14 week training in August with the Swedish airforce flight training school at Melmen. When the two pilots complete their training, they will meet with all the airfrorce instructors in South Africa to design the new training system.
No South African instructors have yet qualified as instructors on the Gripen fighter aircraft.
The first of the airforces 28 Gripens was officially handed over to Mr Alec Erwin, Minister of Public Enterprises, on Friday. An extensive flight test program will now follow.
Gagiano said yesterday that the Gripen will play an important role when South Africa joins the southern Africa rapid-deployment force.
