AFZ trainee pilots get wings Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces President Mugabe presents wings to Kembo Junior Mohadi at the Pilot Wings presentation and commissioning parade for cadets at Thornhill Air Base in Gweru yesterday. Looking on is Air Marshal Perrance Shiri.-(Picture by Eliah Saushoma)
Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces President Mugabe presents wings to Kembo Junior Mohadi at the Pilot Wings presentation and commissioning parade for cadets at Thornhill Air Base in Gweru yesterday. Looking on is Air Marshal Perrance Shiri.-(Picture by Eliah Saushoma)

Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces President Mugabe presents wings to Kembo Junior Mohadi at the Pilot Wings presentation and commissioning parade for cadets at Thornhill Air Base in Gweru yesterday. Looking on is Air Marshal Perrance Shiri.-(Picture by Eliah Saushoma)

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent—
President Mugabe yesterday presented wings to 11 pilot cadets and commissioned 26 Basic Officers Training graduands at the 67th Pilot Training Course wings presentation and Basic Officers (Course Number One) of 2016. The ceremony was held at Thornhill Airbase in Gweru. Of the 11 pilots, three were women.

Related…….

Ten graduands on the Basic Officers Course were also women.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Head of State and Government and Commander- in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces applauded the cordial relations that exist between Zimbabwe and Nam- ibia.

President Mugabe said the military synergies between the two countries should enable them to develop and assist each other in every facet.

“Number 67 Pilot Training Course jointly managed by Zimbabwean and Namibian pilot instructors is indeed the first of its kind run by the defence forces of our two countries. It demonstrates and underlines the depth of the relationship and understanding between our two great nations.

“To our friends from the land of the brave, Namibia, I would like to say let us continue to strengthen the cordial relationship which we have nurtured in order to develop and assist each other in every facet that concerns our countries,” he said.

President Mugabe said Zimbabwe Defence Forces remained steadfast in the face of hostility by the West evidenced by the imposition of illegal sanc- tions.

“Today we are celebrating the successful completion of these two courses and indeed making recognition of the hard work and steadfastness of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, in particular, and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in general. In spite of a number of challenges among them the biting effects of sanctions imposed on our country for over a decade, the Air Force of Zimbabwe ensured that the two courses were successfully conducted,” he said.

The training course started in 2012 with 20 pilot cadets.

It had three phases – the military training, ground school and flying.

The military training phase was done at the School of Flying Training and completed on May 31 2014.

The cadets were then commissioned to the rank of Air Sub-Lieutenant.

During the same year students of the flying training course were posted to No. 6 Squadron to begin ground school training and flying.

Some of the students were sent abroad to undertake other special flying courses.

The Basic Officers Course (BOC) is an enrolment of personnel with special skills such as doctors, engineers and administrators.

They undergo training for 24 weeks.

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