Kremenchuk flight college of National Aviation University

Soviet era

The foundations of flight training in Kremenchuk lay in the postwar period. In 1952, the Tenth Military Aviation School for ab initio training of pilots of the Air Force was established by a decision of the Kiev military district command. Some time later, in 1956, the school was reorganized as a specialized flight school, because of the great need for civil aviation pilots during the changeover of the country to a peacetime footing. On 1 July 1960 it was decided to create Kremenchug Aviation flight school by the command of the Air Force Chief at the Council of USSR Ministers Colonel General E.T. Loginov. Kremenchuk was chosen as an aviation personnel training center because during the first postwar Five-Year Plan it had become an important industrial city with a developed road, rail and river traffic infrastructure. The geographical location of the city on the Dnieper River was also considered an important factor in this choice. The Kremenchug region is mainly flat, cut through with the woods and rivers, which made it ideal for flying training. Weather conditions were also favorable: a lot of sunny days, with mild winters. Prevailing south-eastern winds made flights possible throughout the year and in all weather conditions.

Post-Ukraine independence

After the breakup of the Soviet Union the school was renamed Kremenchug Flight College in 1993. Since 2003 the college has been part of the National Aviation University along with Sloviansk college, Kryvyi Rih college, Zhytomyr military institute and other campuses.

In its more than 50-year history KFC NAU has trained more than 60,000 professionals from Ukraine and CIS countries; and approximately 7,000 aviation specialists from 73 other countries (including Australia, Bulgaria, Spain, Iran, India, Canada, China, Congo, Cuba, Laos, Libya, Mexico, Germany, Nepal, Poland, USA and Ecuador). Training and retraining of foreign specialists was and remains one of the biggest priorities of Kremenchug Flight College NAU.

KFC NAU has specialised in the field of training and retraining of helicopter personnel. Fixed-wing aircraft used include the Yakovlev Yak-18T and Antonov An-2; training helicopters used over the years include the Aerocopter AK-1-3, Kamov Ka-15, Kamov Ka-26, Mil Mi-1, Mil Mi-2, Mil Mi-4, Mil Mi-8 and Mil Mi-26.

Campuses and buildings

The infrastructure of the school includes two buildings. They consist of 79 lecture halls, studies and laboratories with total area of 9,544 m² (102,731 sq ft). Studies and laboratories are used for academic training. In addition to several laboratories for teaching science and technical subjects, there are procedures trainers for the Mi-2, Mi-8 and Mi-8MTV. Vocational subjects are taught in single-purpose studies, equipped with proper training aids. The college library total area is 392 m² (4,219 sq ft) with over 100,000 books. A library reading hall can accommodate up to 80 people.

The Campus also includes cadets’ dormitories of 6,999 m² (75,337 sq ft) that can accommodate up to 500 students; a 300-seat canteen (one of several dining facilities accommodating a total of 626 persons); a sports complex; and a training airfield with ancillary facilities.

Departments and faculties

The academic training department of the college consists of 7 departments:

12 faculties provide training:

Notable alumni

Among the tens of thousands pilot graduates are several recipients of the title Hero of the Soviet Union, including:

Awards and reputation

On 4 January 1983, the College was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, for its "great contribution in training highly skilled aviation personnel for civil aviation of the USSR and other countries and mastering new aircraft types".