__NOTOC__ The German School of Army Aviation (''Heeresfliegerwaffenschule'') based at

Bückeburg Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...

, is one of the schools of the German Army and is responsible for the training and development of the

German Army Aviation Corps The German Army Aviation Corps (german: Heeresfliegertruppe) is a special unit within the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). The German Army Aviation Corps is a branch of the German Army (''Heer''), containing all its helicopter units. The German ...

' personnel and equipment. Furthermore, the basic training of helicopter pilots of the other components of the

German Armed Forces The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

also takes place at the School of Army Aviation. The School of Army Aviation was founded on 1 July 1959 and based first at

Mendig Mendig () is a small town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 6 km north-east of Mayen, and 25 km west of Koblenz. Mendig is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective ...

before being transferred on 12 January 1960 to its current location at

Bückeburg Air Base Bückeburg Air Base (German: ''Heeresflugplatz Bückeburg'', ICAO: ETHB) is a German Army base located northeast of the city of Bückeburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. British use The airfield was built in 1946 as a RAF Station, RAF Bückeburg, ser ...

, utilising the facilities of

RAF Bückeburg The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, constructed by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in 1946 and closed in the mid-1950s. In October 2011 the German

Federal Ministry of Defence The Federal Ministry of Defence (german: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ), abbreviated BMVg, is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The ministry is headquartered at ...

announced a reorganisation/reduction of the German Armed Forces. Due to the reduction of helicopter units within the German Army, some of which are to be disbanded whereas others are to be transferred to the German Air Force, and also in light of the already existing international character of training helicopter pilots, the School of Army Aviation (''Heeresfliegerwaffenschule'') will be renamed to ''International Helicopter Training Centre''. Training of helicopter pilots of the other components of the German Armed Forces (Air Force and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

) at Bückeburg started in 2011.

Organisation

The head and commanding officer the German School of Army Aviation has the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and the position of General of the Army Aviation Corps (''General der Heeresflieger''). The school is structured in: * Staff * Support Group * Technical Maintenance Department * Development Group * Instruction Group Staff of the German Armed Forces'

Central Medical Services The Joint Medical Service (german: Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr, ''short form:'' Zentraler Sanitätsdienst, ) is a part of the ''Bundeswehr'', the armed forces of Germany and serves all three armed services (Army, Navy and Air Force ...

, amongst which are a high-ranking

flight surgeon A flight surgeon is a military medical officer practicing in the clinical field of aviation medicine. Although the term "flight surgery" is considered improper by purists, it may occasionally be encountered. Flight surgeons are physicians ( MD ...

and flight psychologist, are also incorporated into the school. Apart from the actual flight training, modern high-end flight simulators are extensively used during the training of future military helicopter pilots. Together with the

French Army Light Aviation The French Army Light Aviation (french: Aviation légère de l’armée de Terre, ALAT, , Land Army Light Aviation (the army is officially called the 'Land Army' because the air force is officially called the 'Air Army')) is the Army aviation serv ...

the Franco-German Training Centre TIGER at Le Luc – Le Cannet Airport in

Le Cannet-des-Maures Le Cannet-des-Maures (; oc, Lo Canet dei Mauras) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. History The town was called "Cannet" until the French Revolution, and later "Le Cannet". Duri ...

was established, solely dedicated to provide flying instruction on the new helicopter Eurocopter Tiger.

Units

: * (disbanded on 31 December 2008)

References

External links

Official website of the German Army Aviation School (''in German'')
{{Authority control Units and formations of the German Army (1956–present) Aviation schools German army aviation Military education and training in Germany Army flying training units and formations

Organisation

Units

See also

References

Further reading

External links