Cadets of Syrian Military Pilots Academy, Re-opened in 2018, Prepare for Graduation

Some 50 cadets of the Aleppo Military Flight School, which reopened in 2018 after remaining closed for years due to the Syrian civil war, have completed training with help from the Russian Air Force.

"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," General Yousef Ahmad Hassan, the flight school’s deputy head, was quoted as saying Russian government-owned TASS on Thursday.

The Aleppo flight school was established in 1947. It is the only facility that trains personnel for the Syrian Air Force. During the war, militants tried to capture this strategic facility.

Young pilots here fly L-39 trainers, which are more than half a century old. The Syrian authorities have purchased modern training simulators for the school.

Hassan added that it will be modernized soon.

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.