The Air Forces of the Romanian Army announced that new F-16 pilots, 3 in number, were assigned to the 86th Air Base, they are graduates of the Air Force Academy of recent promotions, and before switching to F-16 aircraft they flew including the old MiG 21, or IAR-99 Soim.
New F-16 pilots for the Romanian Air Force.
Three young pilots assigned to the 86th Air Force Base went for a spin on the F-16 this week.
They are graduates of the Air Force Academy from recent promotions, and before switching to the F-16 they flew in the country on aircraft such as Cessna 172, IAK 52, IAR-99 standard, IAR-99 Soim or MiG 21, and in the courses of The United States conquered the skies with Tecnam, T-6 Texan II, T-38C and Diamond 20 aircraft.
"The family was always by my side and supported me when I needed it most. The F is very easy to maneuver and stable, it responds very well to commands. The fly by wire system, however, feels unlike anything I've flown before. During today's simple flight I saw the result of years of training. It is a very pleasing device to the eye, and the feeling of sitting in the lineup so close to your teammate is accompanied by many emotions.
So far the most difficult thing has been to adapt to the new landing position and to prepare for all emergencies on board" one of them shared with us.
"Of all the aircraft so far, the F-16 is by far the most capable plane I've flown. The simple premium came as an expected result on the back of the last five years of work.
In terms of future plans, I intend to continue my training to become an operational pilot on this type of aircraft, and in a larger perspective, I hope to be one of the first F-35 pilots.
What else I would share is the idea of believing and working for what you really want. Because regardless of the obstacles, with determination and resilience, you will get where you want to be," added the second colleague.
"The whole process was difficult, but it was worth it. I had no emotions in the flight, only joy that I had reached this threshold. But I'm aware that it's only the first stage and there's still a lot to learn," added the third pilot.
For the evaluation exam, each of them flew in formation with their instructor. Thus, commanders Cătălin Micloș, Mihăiță Marin and Constantin Andrei, from the first generation of Romanian pilots who tamed the F-16 Fighting Falcon, had the satisfaction of passing on the baton.
The training of the freshest Romanian F-16 pilots will continue with the Basic Fighter Maneuvers and Air Intercept air combat training stage.
After landing, they took part in the baptism of the flight, with a surprise from the military firefighters, to the applause of their colleagues.
They have currently achieved their first goal, hence the future is full of opportunities for them.
Congratulations and good luck!
