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Interview

``The Gendarmerie Aviation School Command has successfully trained and graduated 35% of the Pilots and 51% of the Technicians who are presently serving within the Gendarmerie Aviation Department``

We are pleased to share the interview we conducted with Gendarmerie Pilot Colonel Haydar YILDIZ, who serves as the Commander of the Gendarmerie Aviation School. In this interview, we delve into the current training activities at the Aviation School Command, the selection process of pilot candidates, the training curriculum, the role of simulators in training programs, and the requirement for new training helicopters and aircraft. Joining us during the interview on July 17, 2023, was Gendarmerie Pilot Colonel Türker TÜRKÜCÜ, who heads the Maintenance Section.

Date: Issue 125 - August 2023 Update: December 06, 2024

Defence Turkey: Could you provide information on the founding purpose of the Gendarmerie Aviation School Command, the historical evolution of pilot and technician training, and the current organizational structure of the Command?

Colonel Haydar YILDIZ: Initially, the Gendarmerie Aviation School Command was a unit at the level of Training Directorate, operating under the umbrella of the Gendarmerie Aviation Command in 2000. Yet, the burgeoning demand for training personnel due to advancements in aviation technologies and the introduction of new aircraft into the national inventory prompted a proactive initiative to establish a dedicated Aviation School Command. As a culmination of these considerations, in the year 2013, the Training Directorate's teaching staff was revised and subsequently evolved into what is now recognized as the Gendarmerie Aviation School Command.