With a military ceremony at the Pilot Training Center (PTC), handover of the training center to the Army was held in the barracks “Strasho Pindzur” in Petrovec in the presence of the Defense Minister, Radmila Shekerinska, the Deputy Minister, Bashkim Hasani, the Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff, Azim Nuredin, State Secretary, Dragan Nikolicj, the General Staff Director, Major General Zoran Mileski, army generals and the Honorary Consul of Israel in the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr. Gradimir Shumkovski.
By signing the final handover minutes by the Army representatives, the General Staff Director, Major General Zoran Mileski, the Director of PTC and the representative of the Israeli company ELMAK-Elbit Systems, Mr. Yaari Shraga, officially the Israeli company handed over duties to the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia. Formally with this, in accordance with the plan for transformation of the Army and the current agreement, the PTC becomes part of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia as an integral part of the Air Force WING.
In his address, General Mileski thanked the current management for the high professionalism and successful management of the center and said: “Today the Army solemnly takes over the Pilot Training Center. It will function as a Squadron for education and training within the Operations Command Air Force Wing. As of today, this unit is responsible for applying the gained experiences and learned lessons in the field of education and new methods of training and coaching Army pilots.” He expressed confidence that further challenges will be successfully addressed, which will enable the long-term development of the Army’s Air Force capabilities supported by the modernization and equipping plan.
Summing up the activities of the PTC in the past ten years, the Director, Mr. Shraga said that in this period 27 pilots graduated from the center, 25 for the needs of the Army and the Ministry of Interior, so he, as someone directly involved in this program for educating new generations of military pilots, is especially proud.
At the ceremony, conducted in accordance with the protocol of the Commission for protection against infectious diseases and prevention of “Covid-19″spread, certificates were awarded to the cadets of the last generation who completed the pilot course.
The Pilot Training Center started operating in 2011, and according to the annex to the agreement, the obligations of ELMAK-Elbit PTC management systems finish at the end of 2020, ie the center becomes part of the Ministry of Defense and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The aim of the project was to establish an organized system for educating and training of pilots for the needs of the Army, the Ministry of Interior and other government aviation structures. The center has training facilities and infrastructure and offers selection, training and support for the transition of young helicopter pilots in one place, which allows optimizing performance and flight safety. The simulators are equipped with sophisticated aircraft and modified combat systems that enable the acquisition of knowledge that is applicable to modern military helicopters of Western origin.
So far, it has been confirmed as a highly professional system for education and training of pilots, and with the entry of our country into NATO and integration into the Army structure, PTC adapts to new national priorities with a tendency to greater involvement in NATO training programs. Given its performance, which complies with all NATO standards (concept, program, training platforms and infrastructure), the PTC can be fully competitive with centers belonging to other armies of the Alliance.
