Since its establishment in April 2004, the Flight Training Center (CLV) Pardubice, a division of the state-owned enterprise LOM PRAHA, has surpassed 75,000 flight hours on military aircraft and helicopters without any accident or serious incident. This milestone was reached on the Enstrom 480B-G helicopter fuselage number 0473, piloted by a student of the University of Defence in Brno, Sergeant Pavel Prokop, who was supervised during the flight by Ing. Jiří Dědoch.

Picture: On September 3, 2020, at 1:05 pm, 75,000 flight hours have been flown on military aircraft and helicopters at CLV Pardubice, a division of the state enterprise LOM PRAHA, since its establishment in April 2004. | Flight Training Center (CLV) Pardubice

The Flight Training Center in Pardubice is part of the state enterprise LOM Prague. Since April 2004, it has been providing complete training for pilots of the Air Force of the Army of the Czech Republic. The center has training aircraft EV-97, Zlín Z-42, Zlín Z-43 and L-39C, transport machines L-410 and helicopters Enstrom 480, Mi-2, Mi-17. Their standard camouflage is highlighted by yellow accessories, while other machines have received a blue paint.

CLV services are also used by foreign parties – Poland, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria or Burkina Faso. Based on the positive experience with the training of Allied pilots, the North Atlantic Alliance approved the establishment of a helicopter training center in the Czech Republic at its summit in Chicago in May 2012. The joint project of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary and the USA is implemented within the so-called smart defence, i.e. the sharing of defence capabilities between alliance countries. The center of the Multinational Helicopter Training Center (MATC) was to be located directly in Pardubice, but due to problems with sound limits, the use of the former 23rd Helicopter Air Force Base near Přerov is planned instead.

Picture: Commander of the Air Force ACR Major General Ing. Petr Hromek handed over a certificate to the director of CLV Ing. Jaroslav Špaček with thanks for the Flight Training Center's 75,000 flight hours | Flight Training Center (CLV) Pardubice

CLV aircraft used for the training of military pilots (a total of 27 machines) are registered in the military aviation register administered by the Department of Military Aviation Authority of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Two machines intended for additional civil training (Z-142 and Z-43) are registered in the Civil Aviation Register kept by the Civil Aviation Authority (as OK-PNE, or OK-WOI). Another important fact in addition to the 75,000 flight hours is that there have been no human-caused accidents or serious incidents during the entire period of CLV's operation.