Pilot today is not only a romantic profession, but also a decent income. However, 5-7 years ago the situation was different. Neither sky conquerors nor establishments where they could be prepared were needed. The Sasovo Flight School survived this difficult period civil aviation named after Hero of the Soviet Union Georgy Taran. And today it is in demand again, our planes are flying more and more often, Russian aviation More and more highly qualified pilots are required.

Evgeniy Smolnikov came to the school in 1981, four years later he became deputy director for academic affairs and worked in this position for two decades. He was among those who preserved the potential of the Sasovo Flight School in difficult times. Evgeniy Vasilyevich became director in 2005:
- IN better times they recruited five hundred cadets each, but then instead of thirty, according to plan, they recruited twenty-five. The desire to become a pilot has been declining since the late nineties - then other professions were in fashion. Yes, and civil aviation “failed”, and air transport became scarce.

A couple of years later, Russian authorities turned their attention to civilian air fleet- funding appeared. In 2009, nineteen new Yak-18 aircraft arrived in Sasovo, and a year later the twin-engine L-410 appeared. By the way, the Sasovo School is the only one that has such a “big” aircraft.
“We are a school, and the school trains pilots who must simply be able to fly,” Smolnikov explains especially for those who ask the question why there are no Boeings in Sasovo. - Training on such aircraft is a huge expense, and there is no need to study on specific aircraft at the school.

The pilot must constantly reach a “new height”: after school, come to the airline and fly on a small plane as a co-pilot, then, with more flying hours, become a commander, then move on to a larger plane, having retrained with the help of the airline, become an aircraft commander. What now?
“If we take the tenth - eleventh years, then we suddenly recruited 120 cadets from 25, last year - already 180, of which 60 were in a special program,” the director of the school cites development figures. - The figure is stabilizing at around one hundred and fifty. This is one educational institution, about a thousand are produced in the country. And to say that there is a shortage of pilots is not entirely true. There are enough pilots that we produce; there are not enough aircraft commanders. There was a failure in the nineties, and it is felt today: as they say, if there were no children, then they will not immediately become adults.

Evgeny Smolnikov argues philosophically that this process “just needs to be experienced.” There is no doubt that it will be very difficult for airlines for some time at this point.
“But they must train first pilots,” summarizes the director of the flight school. - Foreign pilots are not a solution. Besides, I’m not sure that great pilots from abroad will come to us en masse...

“An instructor should earn more than any airline pilot.”
Now 60% of Sasovo cadets already have higher education. And this is not accidental. Airline pilots have very high salaries - believe me, the contract amounts quoted to us are impressive. What about those who “send them to heaven”?
- Let's take technology - now the most painful topic. We increased his salary to 17 thousand - on the one hand, it’s normal for Sasov,” says Evgeniy Vilyevich. - But for major cities- not normal. And technicians are trained not in Sasovo, but in universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Will they go to “17 thousand” in Sasovo, roughly speaking - to the village?

According to Smolnikov, there are two options. Or raise wages, like in the North for shift workers: technicians, and this also applies to teachers, will come at least for a while to earn money.
“Or, as in the period when I arrived from Riga - distribution,” the school director draws the line. - You’ll work for three years, and then we’ll see. And until this issue is resolved, we will continue to have an incredible staff shortage.

An instructor pilot, by definition, must be the best in his profession. After all, he constantly flies with a newcomer who, unlike a full-fledged airline crew member, makes a lot of mistakes. But, unlike a pilot, for example, at Aeroflot, an instructor earns three to four times less.
“The instructor pilot either lands or takes off, and so on all day long, and these are the most dangerous elements,” Smolnikov gives an example. - This is nowhere to be found in airlines. The instructor must have extensive experience, including teaching. What about responsibility? After all, he lets the cadet fly: he stands on the ground, and he begins to take off after a certain number of hours. We have experienced ones, we have distinguished ones, but new ones are not coming. And we are forced to hire graduates from our school who do not have much experience. I believe that an instructor should be paid more than any pilot of any airline. And, if it is important for the country,
who will transport its citizens, and the best must prepare them - the state must fork out!

Traditions and dynasties
“Those who, when asked why he came to the school, answer: “To try,” simply offend me,” director Evgeniy Smolnikov is frank. - Three and a half million budget rubles - the price of a “sample” is too high. And if everything is itching for you: I am healthy, I will fly! Then come, but don’t try!

That is why today it is mainly “children of flying families” who come to the Sasovo School. In which either one or both parents are somehow connected with the sky. Boys and girls (and in Sasovo girls study to become pilots, and study successfully) know very well what the life of a pilot is - life strictly according to a schedule, without holidays and weekends.

And there are many such future pilots in the vastness of Russia, from Kaliningrad to Siberia. And they go to enter the Sasovo Flight School not always after school, with a competition of five people per place. We met two guys from Novokuznetsk: Alexander Domorenko and Pavel Artemov. Both are twenty-seven years old, the cadets are far from mustacheless youths. Alexander graduated from the Novokuznetsk Pedagogical Academy, teacher of computer science and in English. All my life I dreamed of becoming a pilot, he says that “genes are to blame”:
“My father dreamed of becoming a pilot, but due to his health it didn’t work out - he worked as a technician at the airport all his life. But I succeeded.

Pavel also graduated from university, worked as a flight attendant and knows first-hand about life in aviation.
- I have long wanted to become a pilot, a chance arose, and I took advantage of it - I always wanted to follow in the footsteps of my father, a pilot. I know what awaits me: separation from my family and serious psychological stress.
By the way, Pavel has a wife and little son, they now live in the capital, but will soon come to Sasovo:
- My wife is from the “Decembrist” category. And I want my son to become a third generation pilot.

The school does everything to ensure that cadets and their families live comfortably. Behind last years Three dormitories were reconstructed, a new cadet canteen with 450 seats was put into operation, and an excellent base for sports and amateur performances was created.

“The goal is not to lose the school of the Sasovo Flight School”
- I want to introduce all new technologies into educational process- It is we who must train pilots who will be head and shoulders above those pilots who are trained in the West. And this is possible, - the director of the school, Evgeny Smolnikov, believes that there are all the prerequisites for this. - We have not completely lost the Soviet school, when the teacher worked individually with each cadet - this is on the one hand. On the other hand, take the latest computer technologies. But don’t turn the learning process into a distance learning process! I want the school to have modern aircraft. These are my tasks. And the goal is not to lose the school of the Sasovo Flight School.

And after we spent the whole day at the school, willy-nilly you will believe that this will happen. After all, there we met such people whom you remember for a long time, sometimes for the rest of your life. But this is a topic for another article. In which I would like to talk about “flights” on simulators, and about how delicious the food is in the cadet canteen, and about how well-groomed the flight school town itself is. And try your hand at English, without which there is nowhere in modern aviation - you need a fourth level. And the cadets achieve it, but of course - the sky is calling!

“Sasovo named after Hero of the Soviet Union G.A. Tarana Flight School of Civil Aviation" is a branch of the state federal educational budgetary institution of professional higher education“Ulyanovsk Aviation Higher School of Civil Aviation (Institute)” (SLU GA branch of FGBOUVPO UVAU GA (I)), in accordance with the license for the right to conduct educational activities in the field of vocational secondary education, trains specialists on a budgetary basis, as well as with 100% reimbursement to the school training costs for the following specialties:

161005 – pilot (flight operation of aircraft) – with 100% reimbursement of training costs and on a budgetary basis;

230401 – by industry (information systems) - with 100% reimbursement of training costs and on a budgetary basis.

Upon completion of training, graduates of the school are issued diplomas of vocational secondary education. Graduates of the specialty "Flight Operation of Aircraft" are issued a civil aviation pilot certificate (the qualification level "commercial pilot" is assigned).

In addition to training specialists in the main specialties, the school provides additional paid services in the field of education legal entities, to the population, in the areas of increasing qualifications, obtaining new specialties, retraining:

Professional retraining and advanced training of specialists and managers in the profile of secondary educational institutions;

Training of computer and electronic computer operators;

Driver training Vehicle in category "B".

The school has everything necessary for excellent simulator, theoretical, and flight training. Well-equipped laboratories with working diagrams and mock-ups, classrooms, simulators for developing piloting skills, and a television training center are located in three buildings.

There are three computer labs in the educational department. In rooms 13 and 29, a multimedia projector is permanently installed for theoretical and practical classes. To carry out various extracurricular activities and lessons in the educational department there is a multimedia portable projector.

One computer in computer classes is installed on the teacher’s desktop, with a scanner and printer connected to it. In room number 12 of the Cycle Commission “Computer Engineering and Informatics”, in addition to office equipment and computer equipment, there is a plotter for printing visual wall material.

The school has Internet access. The issue of satellite connection of room number 10 to the global Internet is currently being resolved, which will make it possible to conduct classes with both teachers and cadets.

But before cadets enter the airfield, they are trained in the educational department, where they begin training under the leadership of experienced teachers who have extensive experience and work experience (almost one hundred percent of teachers have the highest or first qualification category).

Deputy Director for Academic Affairs of the school Alexander Vladimirovich Yurchenkov teaches specialized subjects “Flight Operations Manual”, “Flight Safety”, and others.

The library plays a huge role in the moral development and formation of future pilots. It is both an information and leisure center. The library of the Sasovo Flight School is information center, takes part directly in the cultural and educational activities of the school, as well as in the leisure activities of cadets.

The library staff is qualified, experienced workers who constantly improve their own professional skills and use the most advanced forms of work.