Air Force of Ukraine disclosed the phase of training currently in progress for the Ukrainian pilots who temporarily set their combat missions aside in order to master F-16 multirole fighters in Ukraine's partner countries.
"The first group of pilots, who are already training today on flight simulators that fully reproduce the cockpit of an aircraft, will transfer to a real combat trainer aircraft with an instructor. This should happen in the near future," said Yurii Ihnat, spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force, during an interview hosted by the United News telethon.
Read more: Ukrainian Pilots Plan to Commence F-16 Training in Arizona Next Week
"This way, we are already at the stage of switching to a combat aircraft. For now, it [will be] flights with an instructor that will conclude with independent piloting," the official stressed.
When asked about the language barrier which may negatively affect the quality and speed of training, the spokesman asserted: "The first group of pilots, as you know, went to Belgium. These are the pilots with a passing score in the English language. The only thing they had to do is [fill in the gaps] in aviation terminology."
Since all the displays, data input and output are in English inside an F-16, the pilot needs to know terminology "like the back of their hand," Ihnat emphasizes, because "a single mistake may lead to a catastrophe."
The Air Force spokesman also points out the quickness of learning showcased by Ukrainian pilots. For a reminder from Defense Express, the first group was announced to have left for training in late August, then on October 2nd, they were already studying with flight simulators.
Side note, today's "aircraft coalition" assembled to help Ukraine transit to Western fighters consists of 12 countries committed to contribute one way or another. Four of them – the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway – besides training also agreed to send their aircraft to Ukraine as soon as the piloting course is complete. Preliminary estimates suggest about 66 to 75 aircraft will be delivered in total.
Read more: Ukrainians Don't Waste Time and Start "Piloting" F-16 in Ukraine: How the Air Force Pilots Get Acquainted with Western Fighters Without Leaving Homeland
