Lawsuit to Become a Pilot?

The cadets of one of the oldest pilot-training academies, the Kharkiv Institute of Pilots, are going to file a suit for moral and material damages because they think their studies and barracks life has caused them harm. The institute has not provided its cadets with the required 120 flying hours, which in fact makes it impossible to issue them certificates of being airworthy. The graduates can only stay behind in the armed forces if they agree to serve in the rear or a headquarters, otherwise they will have to go civilian. The cause is rather trivial, with due account of the current economic situation in this country: the institute lacks the funds to purchase the fuel required for the cadets to gain the required flying hours. The suit was lodged on the advice of Vladyslav Lytvynenko, head of the regional branch of the Independent Union of Servicemen. The Ministry of Defense told The Day it viewed this as an absolutely normal thing acceptable in world practice. Still, they believe all the sides should seek an out of court solution of the problem, turning to the Ministry of Finance and other authorities in charge of this kind of issue. What can settle the conflict is 7,000 tons of fuel worth a total UAH 14 million, which a court action cannot, of course, provide. As of today, according to Ihor Khaliavynsky, Ministry of Defense press secretary (www.for-ua.com), 112 out of 130 senior cadets at the Kharkiv Air Force College have agreed to change their profile and continue their studies as ground-based specialists. From now on, their specialty will be as air force headquarters organizational support officers. They made this decision following talks with representatives of the Ukrainian Air Force command, who explained that flying practice is becoming an insoluble problem due to the shortage of fuel caused by insufficient funding of the armed forces.

Another fifteen cadets still decided to go on majoring in the subject they chose when applying to this military higher educational institution, only to be retired on graduation as lieutenants in the reserve. Three cadets went on a brief leave to seek the advice of their parents.