Rosaviatsia initiated the development of a Russian light training aircraft – Kommersant

Vladimir Izrailev, head of the flight operation department of Rosaviatsia, said that the department had sent a proposal to the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the creation of a Russian light training aircraft. He said that the training centers of Rosaviatsia across Russia faced an acute shortage of such machines, according to Vedomosti.

Mr. Izrailev raised this topic on April 26 at the annual meeting of the Union of Aircraft Manufacturers. He clarified that all nine flight schools of the Federal Air Transport Agency use foreign Cessna 172, Diamond 40/42, L-410 aircraft, as well as Bell and Eurocopter light helicopters to train pilots. According to him, about half of these machines are out of order, and there was a problem with the supply of components, the situation is especially difficult with engines.

He drew attention to the fact that because of this, graduates of the Omsk Flight Technical College “graduate with a huge delay.” According to Vladimir Izrailev, now the solution to the problem “is not visible.” In this regard, he fears that after some time on the main aircraft, which the Russian aviation industry is currently developing, “there will be no one to fly.”

The representative of the Federal Air Transport Agency declined to comment on the information. A representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the development of a light training aircraft project is at an early stage, and the project has not yet been sent to the department.

Laura Keffer