Pakistan Air Force Academy

PAF Academy Asghar Khan
پاکستان فضائیہ اکیڈمی اصغر خان
Former name
Royal Flying Corps Risalpur (1910-18)
Royal Air Force Risalpur (1918-47)
RPAF Flying Training School (1947-56)
PAF Academy (1956-2017)[1]
Mottoفقط ذوقِ پرواز ہے زندگى (Urdu)
TypeMilitary service academy
Established1910; 114 years ago (1910)
AOCAVM Shahryar Khan GD(P) SI(M) TI(M)
Administrative staff
400
Undergraduates1000 (approx.)
Postgraduates100 (approx.)
Location, ,
NicknameHome of Eagles
MascotEagle
PAF Academy Risalpur
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorPAF
LocationRisalpur, Pakistan
Elevation AMSL1,050 ft / 320 m
Coordinates34°04′52″N 071°58′21″E / 34.08111°N 71.97250°E / 34.08111; 71.97250
Map
PAF Academy is located in Pakistan
PAF Academy
PAF Academy
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09R/27L 2,769 9,085 Asphalt
09L/27R 1,780 5,840 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[2]

The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan (Urdu: پاکستان فضائیہ اکیڈمی اصغر خان) is an accredited four-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates for the Pakistan Air Force.

The eligible and selected candidates from all over Pakistan are sent to the Academy for flying training. It is located in the town of Risalpur in Nowshera District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan,[3][4] it is a premier cadet training institution of the Pakistan Air Force which offers academic professional degrees. Its role is the training of General Duty Pilots (GDP), Aeronautical and Avionics Engineers and the initial training of other Ground Branch cadets. Cadets of all branches join the academy following a recommendation by the Inter Services Selection Board (Pakistan) and the AHQ (PAF) Special Selection Board for Short Service Commission candidates. Graduates of the Academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree, and are commissioned as Flying Officers in the Pakistan Air Force.

The airfield was created in 1910 for the Royal Flying Corps and was later used by the Royal Air Force. It officially became the airfield of the RPAF on 15 August 1947, with Asghar Khan as the first Commandant of the academy. On 13 April 1948, Quaid-e-Azam elevated the school's status to that of a flying college. Field Marshal Ayub Khan upgraded the college to the status of an academy on 21 January 1967. In a ceremony held on Pakistan Day 2017, the academy was renamed to Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan, in honor of it's first Commandant.[1]

The academy has bred generations of officers for the PAF and other branches of the Pakistan Armed Forces.[5]

  1. ^ a b "PAF's academy named after Asghar Khan". 24 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Risalpur - Airport information for OPRS". World Aero Data website. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  3. ^ M. Salahuddin Khan (2010). Sikander. Karakoram Press. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-578-05288-5.
  4. ^ "HISTORY OF PAKISTAN AIR FORCE". Ministry of Defence, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ Shaheen Foundation, "The Story of Pakistan Air Force(1988–1998)".