Early years

The idea for the Brazilian Air Force dates back to World War I, when fitted to the Brazilian Navy to take the initiative to organize the first military aviation core in Brazil. On 23 August 1916, then President Wenceslao Braz, founded the Naval Aviation School, while the Navy Minister, Admiral Alencar Faria of Alexandria, began negotiations for the acquisition of the first Brazilian military aircraft in order to equip an aviation school. There were three Curtiss Model F acquired from the United States.

The Brazilian Army would only have its Military Aviation School after the Great War. On 15 January 1919, by Federal Decree, was opened a credit for establishing a Military Aviation Service. The service has been provided with infrastructure by acquiring aircraft and other necessary materials, and for the school staff, teachers and other workers for maintenance were hired.

The official opening of the Military Aviation School took place on 10 July 1919, and Lieutenant Colonel Stanislaus Vieira Pamplona was its first commander. The School planes which came to Brazil in 1919 and 1920, were French, from World War I, the Nieuport and Spad 84 "Herbermont".

For many years, military aviation was shared between Navy and Army. However, the creation of a new and independent Force formed part of the idealistic musings of Major Augustus Lysias Rodrigues, Military Aviator and one of the first in the Ministry of Aeronautics in Brazil. Major Lysias, however, enthusiastically raised his voice at a time when both the Military and Naval Aviation had not yet reached full development, getting his ideas kept for many years, coming to realize at the outbreak of World War II.

The Ministry of Aeronautics was established by Federal Decree 2961 January 20, 1941, and shortly after its creation, the new military force felt the need to intensify staff training. The Air Force, at imminent expansion because of the exigencies of war, that was almost reaching Brazilian lands, has led to an immediate program to accelerate the training pace of navigators and specialists. Moreover, the new Ministry had just inherit, from Army and Navy aviations, two training centers which, for obvious reasons, should be homogenized. Therefore, both Military Aviation School and Naval Aviation School were closed down, as it was created in Afonsos AFB the School of Aeronautics, on 25 March 1941, which would centralize all training of aviator officers . On the tip of the Galleon Airport, for training of maintenance personnel, was established the Escola de Especialistas da Aeronáutica (School of Aeronautics Expert) on the premises of the former Naval Aviation School.

The Academy

One of the buildings in 2015

On 23 January 1942, was designated an official commission of aviator officers with the purpose of choosing a new location, free from the limitations of the Afonsos AFB, for the construction of a new School of Aeronautics. Among the places mooted, was selected the State of São Paulo, especially the cities of Campinas, Pirassununga, Rio Claro and Ribeirao Preto. The choice of Pirassununga resulted from exceptional topographical features offered in the area (the place was called the Upper Field, east of town). The construction of the first hangars of the new School of Aeronautics was initiated in 1942, even though the war was not yet over. In 1949, the Ministry of Aeronautics appointed a new group of officers to present the project of the new School, which resulted in the Study and Construction of the School of Aeronautics, with the proposal of updating the School project, arranging and supervising the construction. On 17 July 1956, another commission was named to prepare the final draft of the School, which should meet the two phases. Firstly, moving to Pirassununga the last year of the Aviator Officer Formation Course and later the establishment of the Pirassununga Facilities as the new School of Aeronautics. On 17 October 1960, opened the Precursor Aeronautical Detachment, during the festivities of the Wing Week, in the presence of his Excellency Mr. Minister of Aeronautics and Commander of Brazilian Air Force, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Francisco de Assis Correa de Mello, the Governor of the State of São Paulo and other senior officials. The new School first commander was Aviator Major Aloysio Otter Netto. The buildings were few and poor, with only two hangars. The accommodations and infrastructure facilities were mostly concentrated in the old Support Division building. The runways were grassy and much more shorter than current runways.

The year 1968 was crowned with the arrival of jet aircraft T-37C, which would mark the beginning of a new era. On 9 September, was made the first flight instruction of cadets in that aircraft. On 10 July 1969, the School of Aeronautics was renamed the Academia da Força Aérea (Air Force Academy) also well known in Brazil just by the acronym AFA. In 1971, the Air Force Academy was definitely transferred from Afonsos AFB to Pirassununga, as its first commander was Air Brigadier Geraldo Labarthe Lebre. At that time, the Air Force Cadets Corps had already been removed from the Support Division, which today is the accommodation of staff sergeants and subofficers, to the Fourth Cadets Squadron building, where were the fourth year cadets.

AFA's facilities were built according to a project (Master Plan), which can be modified in accordance with any requirements if approved by the competent authorities. The academy has a building area of 215,246 m², with 141,800 square feet (13,170 m²) of administrative area and 73,246 square feet (6,804.8 m²) of residential area. For its operation, AFA has a water treatment station with a water network spanning approximately 15 km and maintaining a capacity / day to 6,000,000 liters, using the waters of the Rio Mogi Guaçu; has, in electric power system, 41 km of overhead and underground voltage network, and a 50 km of roads and a telephone network with about 23 km.

Aviator officer

The Aviator Cadets are future Air Force pilots. During four years of progress, they study subjects of administration in order to take positions of leadership in the sections of the Air Force's Institutions, either in an air Squadron, an Air Base or other Air Force's operational institution. Besides this general academic side, common to all three courses of the academy, the aviators still have technique-specific academic subjects inherent in air activity.

Aerodynamics, Jet Propulsion, Air Navigation, Air Traffic, Aviation Technical English, Aerospace Medical Sciences and Meteorology are some subjects of the specific part of Aviator's grid, who in addition to bachelors in Administration, still leave graduates in Aeronautical Sciences, also recognized by the Ministry of Educations as Superior Degree. The Aviator Officer Formation Course is extremely demanding, requires dedication and perseverance of the cadet to keep up matters of academic performance both at the General and Specific areas, besides the physical training, military activities and especially the Flying at Second and Fourth Years.

Upon graduation, Aviator Cadets are split into three Operational Specialization Squadrons. "Joker Squadron" (2nd Squadron / 5th Air Group) teaches Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano ground school and the basic skills for Fighter Pilots. The "Gavião Squadron" (11th Air Group) teaches the Eurocopter AS350 "Esquilo" Helicopter Ground school and forms all Helicopter Pilots for the Air Force. Yet, there is the "Rumba Squadron" (1st Squadron / 5th Air Group) administering the course of the Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, forming at the end of one year the new pilots for the operational squadrons of Air Transport and Air Maritime Patrol (which in Brazil is an Air Force's task).

Quartermaster officer

The Quartermaster, in Brazilian Military Forces, is responsible for the significant part of logistics, which earned it the nickname "Queen of Logistics". The Quartermaster is responsible for procurement activities (food, uniforms and equipment, fuels, weaponry, oils and lubricants; recoverables, and others), transportation of personnel and supplies. At military campaign, the quartermaster officer is responsible for facilities services, laundry, folding, parachute maintenance and burial fulfillments. When serving as leader of an Air Force Institution's section, he is generally responsible for the supplies, financial management, and internal control.

Quartermaster Cadets are prepared with both classes and practical exercises for the tasks of a surface combatant integrated with the Logistics System Air Force Command. The course provides knowledge acquisition on Logistics, Mobile Quartermaster Units, Budget Execution, Procurement, Planning, Public Management, Internal Control Management, disciplines that are part of the specialized technical field Curriculum of CFOInt.

When completed his academic studies, the graduated cadet is presented in the Military Section for which was classified, to perform administrative and operational activities as part of the Air Force Quartermaster's Board of Officers.

Infantry officer

Theoretical examinations

The first step becoming an air force cadet is get a good performance at the theoretical examination. All candidates must undergo an 80 questions test, with 20 questions per subject (Maths, physics, Portuguese Language and English Language). The difficulty level of the exams is very high for Brazilian standards. But even so, the level of exams are not as high as the examinations of the Instituto Militar de Engenharia (Military Institute of Engineering) or the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (Aeronautical Institute of Technology). Nearly 10000 candidates apply for the examinations, however only the 650 best are selected for the next phases of the Academy Admission Process.

Secondary examinations

Air Cadets Preparatory School (EPCAr)

The Brazilian Air Force, looking for a previously good formation for their cadets after war, created the CPCAR (Air Cadets Preparatory Course), what is a previously course of Air Force School (at Campo dos Afonsos, also known as "cradle of military Brazilian aviation"), in 1949. In May, 21 of 1949, the president created at the Ministry of Aeronautic the decree 26.514, establishing the CPCAR.

The school arms says: Non Multa, Sed Multum ("Not too much, but the best").

The EPCAr (Air Cadets Preparatory School) is situated at Barbacena-MG, Brazil. The school works like a high school, but not an ordinary one. During the three years of course, the student (equivalent to a 3° sergeant) learns in the general field the same disciplines of normal high school, but in the military field they learn how to valorize their career and ideal, how to act like a military-man, as well how to lead their conducts with the country's interests. After the three years, the students who passed the final academic exams, the rigorous medical exams and the pilot aptitude test, guarantee the access to Military Pilot Course, at AFA (CFOAv in Brazilian acronym).

Every year, EPCAr opens 180 vacancies for the CPCAR. Until 2015 there were vacancies open for men only, that changed in the following year when 20 vacancies were open for women (CPCAR is now made up of 160 male and 20 female students). The graduated students go to AFA with all need military, human and life knowledge to become an Air Force cadet, and later after concluding the course an Air Force officer.