The Air Force Academy (AFA) is the
Sri Lanka Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major r ...
's training and education academy which provides initial training to all SLAF personnel who are preparing to be
commissioned officers. AFA also provides initial training to Officer Cadets of the general duties pilot branch. The Air Force Academy is based at
SLAF China Bay in
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...
. The Commandant of the academy is an officer of the rank of
Air Commodore
Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...
.
The academy offers a two-year program of basic flight training and a variety of specialized courses. Flight training is carried out by the 1 Flying Training Wing which is attached to the academy.
History
When the
Royal Ceylon Air Force was formed in 1951, the No 1 Flight was formed with
de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunks to train RCyAF pilots on 1 September 1951 at
RAF Negombo. In 1963 the Flying Training School was shifted to
SLAF China Bay and was absorbed into the Air Force Academy when it was established in 1976 as the No. 1 Flying Training Wing. The Flying Training Wing shifted to
SLAF Anuradhapura in 1988 with the escalation of the
Sri Lankan Civil War and shifted back in 2009 at the end of the war.
Organization
The Air Force Academy is made up of four units;
*
No. 1 Flying Training Wing
* Ground Training Wing
*
Junior Command & Staff College
* NCO Management School
* No 06 Air Defence Radar Squadron
Degrees conducted by the AFA
These degrees are accredited to the
University of Kelaniya;
*
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in Aeronautics
See also
*
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
*
Sri Lanka Military Academy
*
Naval and Maritime Academy
References
External links
Sri Lanka Air Force
{{Coord missing, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Air Force
Military academies of Sri Lanka
Air force academies
Military education and training in Sri Lanka
Educational institutions established in 1976
Education in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
1976 establishments in Sri Lanka