The Republic of China Air Force Academy (CAFA; ) is the

service academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

for the

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

of the

Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, and is located in

Gangshan District Gangshan District (, Hakka: Kông-sân-khî), is a suburban district in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. It has 95,128 inhabitants in 2022. The township is part of the suburbs of Kaohsiung City which encompass 10 cities (or townships) out of 18 i ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

History

Mainland China

The Republic of China Air Force Academy was initially established in 1928 in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

as the Central Army Academy's Aviation Corps, then reorganized as the Central Army Academy's Aviation Class in 1929. In 1931, it was moved from Dajiaochang Airport to Jianqiao Airport in

Jianggan Jianggan District was one of ten urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, East China. The district was located in the northeast of Hangzhou and on the northern (left) bank of the Qiantang Rive ...

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

. A year later in 1932, the name was changed to Central Aviation School. And in 1938, it was finally changed to Air Force Academy. During the War of Resistance-WWII, following the

Battle of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai () was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan The also ...

and the Battle of Nanjing, the Air Force Academy was relocated to the Kunming Wujiaba airbase

Taiwan

After the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

in 1949, the academy was stationed in

Gangshan Gangshan District (, Hakka: Kông-sân-khî), is a suburban district in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. It has 95,128 inhabitants in 2022. The township is part of the suburbs of Kaohsiung City which encompass 10 cities (or townships) out of 18 i ...

. In September 1960, the academy was reorganized with a four-year university system.

Academics

Memorial Group Portrait of Republic of China Air Force Academy Cadets in Hangar 20170812

Faculties

Education in the academy is divided into two major fields, which are the general field and military field. General field consists of five departments, namely Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Department of Avionic Engineering, Department of Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering, Department of Aviation Management, and Department of Applied Foreign Languages. The military field consists of four categories, namely Basic Theory, Joint Warfare, Military Intelligence and Specialized Knowledge.

Teaching facilities

The academy is equipped with various classrooms and laboratories to support the academic activities. Classrooms in the academy are Aircraft System Models, Astronomy, Joint Warfare, Military Intelligence Analysis and Weapon Introduction. Laboratories in the academy are Flight Simulator, Multimedia Studio and Wind Tunnel Research.

Libraries and digital resources

In 2014, the academy library joined the Taiwan Academic E-book and Database Consortium. As of December 2015, the academy has a collection of 24,700 volumes of e-books.

Student life

The school consists of 12 student clubs, ranging from academic, arts and recreational fields.

Notable alumni

Feng Shih-kuan Feng Shih-kuan (; born 25 November 1945) is a Taiwanese politician. He served in the Republic of China Air Force from 1967 to 2006, retiring with the rank of General before assuming the post of Minister of National Defense in 2016. Feng stepped ...

Minister of National Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

(2016–2018) *

Gao Youxin Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...

, flying ace of the War of Resistance-World War II * Hua Hsi-chun, pilot, general, and founder of Taiwan aeronautical industry *

Shen Yi-ming Shen Yi-ming (; 30 March 1957 – 2 January 2020) was a Taiwanese military officer who served as a Republic of China Air Force general and the Chief of the General Staff, Deputy Minister of National Defense for Policy, and Commander of the ROC ...

, Chief of the General Staff (2019–2020) *

Tang Fei Tang Fei (; born 15 March 1932) is a retired ROC Air Force general. He served as the premier of the Republic of China between May 20 and October 6, 2000, under the Chen Shui-bian government of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), even thoug ...

, Premier (2000) *

Yen Ming Yen Ming (; born 14 November 1949) was the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 8 August 2013 to 30 January 2015. Education Yen graduated from the Republic of China Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung. Early career ...

, Minister of National Defense (2013 – 2015) *

Yue Yiqin Yue Yiqin (or Yue Yi-chin, ; November 11, 1914 – December 3, 1937) was a flying ace of the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He achieved five confirmed aerial victories until his death in combat during the Battle of Nanking ...

, flying ace of the War of Resistance-World War II

Transport

The academy is accessible West from Gangshan South Station of the

Kaohsiung MRT Kaohsiung Metro () is a rapid transit and light rail system covering the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Its rapid transit network is known as Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit or Kaohsiung MRT. Construction of the MRT started in October 200 ...

or Gangshan Station of the Taiwan Railways.

References

External links

* {{Military of the Republic of China 1928 establishments in China 1949 establishments in Taiwan Air force academies Educational institutions established in 1928 Military academies of Taiwan Republic of China Air Force Universities and colleges in Kaohsiung