Check out: How you can become an Austrian Army Pilot

Your dream job is to be a pilot? This dream could become true when you join the Austrian Armed Forces. The Austrian Air Force trains its future pilots on its own and is always willing to hire new blood. Your place of apprenticeship and work will be jet planes (Eurofighter and Saab105OE), helicopters (S-70 "Black Hawk", AB-212, Alouette III, OH-58 "Kiowa") or cargo, training and liaison planes like the PC-7, the PC-6 and the C-130 "Hercules".

Tasks

Besides constant training, Army pilots have to fulfill important tasks also in times of peace, with the main effort currently lying on airspace surveillance and airborne border surveillance during the assistance operation for the Interior Ministry along the eastern borderline of Austria.

In addition, our pilots also have to contribute to relief operations caused by floods, avalanches and accidents in mountainous terrain, and to perform urgent medical transports.

Prerequisites

To become an Austrian Air Force Pilot, you need to

- have completed a secondary modern school (including English) or grammar

school (including A-levels)

- be in good repute

- be under 24 years of age and

- submit an application

Selection and Training of Pilot Candidates

During a thorough medical checkup, we will find out if your physical and mental fitness is sufficient for the military pilot training. If you pass these exams, you will go through a 3 months practical course, during which you will learn aviation basics. Those who finish best will then be trained on planes like the Pilatus PC-7 in order to become a fully operational military pilot, which are some 10 to 15 trainees per year.

Basic training lasts one year. To become a fully operational pilot, you will need another one to two years of training, depending on the type of aircraft. All in all, you will need some three to five years to be able to perform your first solo flight. In addition to that, you will also have to pass an officer or NCO training.

For further information go to www.bundesheer.at