Introduction:

The Lebanese Air Force and its school were established on the tenth of June 1949, and their commander was Lieutenant Colonel Emil Al-Bustani who later became the Armed Forces Commander.

In the beginning, the school didn’t have an organizational structure. However, on the 22nd of August 1950, the organizational process began based on modern groundwork which was drawn on one hand from Lebanese reality and in a way that is in conformity with training methods in distinguished foreign schools on the other hand.

The school's name was changed for several times since it was established, and new branches were added, such as the technical school and it was entrusted with new missions to match with the development taking place in the world of aviation and to keep abreast with the modern techniques and technology which became basic elements in teaching and training methods. Nevertheless, the school complied with its objectives by supplying the Lebanese Air Force with officers and NCOs from different majors and of professional technical and technological levels. The school also preserved the spirit of military training with regard to graduating officers who are proficient in military sciences and capable of conducting the missions at any time and under any circumstances. Hence, the role of the Air Force School should stand out as a major supplement to the Military Academy; in fact it should be on a high level of academic training, in the field of training pilots on different types of aircrafts which are available in the Lebanese Air Force.

Thus, since its establishment until our present day, the school has been on a path of continuous development and it has kept abreast with the latest scientific and technological developments and this fact reveals itself in the major breakthrough with regard to adopting new technologies in the curriculum and training methods and we can truly say that the Air Force School is now living in the digital era. Moreover, new learning techniques were added such as self-learning CDs which contain all necessary information, and thus the student can study them by himself and test his knowledge.

This development on the level of the curriculum and the learning techniques was accompanied by a clear and positive development in the infra-structure which was necessary for the school to enter the modern age where there is a growing need for modern technical requirements and sophisticated equipment.

Logo

The Lebanese Air Force School's logo consists of the Lebanese flag and in its center we can see a book which illustrates education, knowledge and culture. On the pages of the book we observe the presence of mechanical gears which symbolizes technical training in addition to a radar which represents training on aviation control and finally we can see a helicopter dedicated to training pilots. In the logo’s background we can see a shining sun behind the flag and it symbolizes ambition and progress. The Slogan of the school is "2 B PRO" which means "To Become Professional" and it indicates the school's mission which is to provide the Lebanese air force with professional troops from all ranks and specializations.

Location

Due to the location of Rayak Air Base which is most adequate to conduct training operations, the Air Force School has been located there since its establishment until this day. However, and for different reasons, the location of the school was sometimes relocated to places such as: Astabl Airport, Qlayaat Airport, Halat Temporary Airport and Beirut International Airport.

Mission

The mission of the air force school is to educate and train the Air Force troops from different ranks and specializations in addition to other missions which the Army Command or the Air Force Command might charge the school with. Here are examples of some of these missions:

Moreover, the Air Force school conducts all the operational and combat missions which it is charged with. It is worth mentioning that the school has achieved 3093 hours of flying during the three years 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Students’ life at school

The cadet officers spend their first year at the Military Academy, and by the end of the year, they follow the selection course and according to which the successful students are chosen. On the basis of the selection results, they are transferred to the Air Force School in Rayak to continue their second and third years. There, they take military courses, flight techniques, and engage in around 200 hours of practice in various flight trainings.

Furthermore, the students carry out different kinds of activities and diverse work within the school and in its premises. They don’t hesitate in carrying out useful and entertaining activities which reinforce the spirit of fraternity and team work during their free time.

The Common Traditions preserved at the School

the school and the Air Base since the requirements of aviation and its customs differ from the other army units, taking into consideration that the mutual trust between the instructor and his student form an essential pillar to train successful pilots and making them acquire the desired level without any hesitation or fear.

Obviously, the most beautiful memory which that the cadet pilot keeps in his mind, is his first solo flight. After this flight the new pilots’ comrades organize a ceremony in the occasion. This event is considered as the "Gateway" to enter the world of aviation which the pilot has always dreamed of and longed for.



Though the tradition of the school necessitate to take special interest in taking good care of the cadets who are the purpose of its existence, the school also devotes its attention to and gives the necessary instructions to the technicians who are supposed to maintain the aircrafts and take care of them in order to create the bond of brotherhood and mutual trust to better serve the interests of the country.

The Educational System in the Air Force School

The curriculum is divided into four parts :

1- Theoretical Aviation Sciences: It includes ground lessons in Navigation, Meteorology, and Aerodynamics; it also includes lessons tackling aircraft systems and maintenance using the aircraft manuals of the aircrafts at hand in addition to general and special laws regulating civil and military aviation in Lebanon.

2- Applied Aviation Sciences: These applied sciences are nothing but training flights executed using the school’s aircrafts and it includes different exercises such as: Primary flights, Flights over mountainous Terrain, Flight Simulator, night Flights…

3- Military Sciences: these sciences include combat and training exercises, and training on some of the weapons used in the Army, in addition to different military courses and command methods.

4- General Sciences: this course include academic lessons in scientific and cultural courses which the soldiers need. Cadet officers especially need these courses to boost their scientific information and to widen their horizon in general knowledge. These courses are:
    - Mathematics and Physics
    - Law
    - History and Geography
    - Foreign languages etc...

The Air Force School resorts to adopting a series of modern ways and methods in teaching, thanks to:
    - Advanced Research facilities specialized in teaching foreign languages
    - Flight simulators and Air control
    - Computer software designed to display lessons and lectures
    - Halls dedicated to organizing lectures and giving classes supplied with modern equipments.
We should mention that during 2008, most training courses in the school became in digital forms (DVD –MULTIMEDIA)

Through its consistent work, The school focuses, especially with regard to training cadet officers and NCOs, on clarifying and strengthening the following issues:
    - National and moral upbringing.
    - Cooperating and working with team spirit.
    - Self discipline, honesty, and integrity.
    - Physical training aimed at allowing the candidates to face all the challenges.
    - Widening the horizon of the cadets' knowledge and developing their capacities in scientific and cultural fields by preparing researches, articles and billboards.

Flying training Methods

Prior to the year 1968, training missions were conducted using Chipmunk and Vampire aircrafts which are currently out of service. In 1968 training methods were developed and training activities were then conducted on board of the Fouga Magister and Bulldog aircrafts and Allouete II and III helicopters.





Currently, the Air Force School includes the R-44 Robinson helicopters dedicated to the elementary training of second year cadets, and UH-1H helicopters dedicated to operational and advanced training for third year cadets.



The school also include workshops and laboratories dedicated to train cadet officers, cadet NCOs and soldiers in the following sections: Mechanics, electricity, avionics, technical supply, weapons, and air traffic control.

Procedures for selecting cadet officer pilots

The conditions set to join the Air Force School are the same conditions which are adopted to join the Military Academy and the NCOs Academy in addition to special conditions regarding the abilities which are necessary to be able to join the Air Force as Pilots, technicians and Air Traffic Controllers. The Candidates should pass special exams (medical, psychological and sports) in addition to a written exam and a brief flying course at the end of which the best candidates are chosen to become cadet pilots.

Cadet Officer Pilots and specialized NCOs are chosen from cadet officers that have completed their first year in the Military Academy and in the NCO School. These candidates should meet certain intellectual, physical and health conditions. The Army Command forms a committee of officers presided by the School Commander and this committee is commissioned with the mission of performing the required tests taking into considerations the following criteria:

Test	Percentage
English language	5 %
Psychological test	5 %
Computer	5 %
Aerodynamics	5 %
A/C manual	5 %
Aviation laws	5 %
Average points of flights (10 trips)	40 %
Flight final exam	20 %
Board estimation	10 %
Total	100 %

The army Command chooses the cadet pilots who satisfy the requirements among the ones who passed the tests listed above. Those candidates are only considered pilots after successfully completing the second and third year in the Air Force School.

Museum of Aviation

Air Force School includes the museum of aviation which contains some models of aircrafts that were used or are still being used by the school and the Lebanese Air Force:

Agusta Bell 212 Engine: Pratt and Whitney
The turbine attack aircraft Hunter Manufacturer Great Britain The ejection seat which is used in emergency
The turbine aircraft: Vampire Attack aircraft: Great Britain
Fouga Magister CM 170 French training aircraft
Gazelle SA342L Engine: TurbomecaAstazou XIV H turbo shaft
Allouette 2 SA3130 Engine:TurbomecaAtouste 11C Turbo Shaft
Allouette 3 SA316B Engine: TurbomecaArtouste 111b Turbo Shaft