No. 1 Flying Training Wing currently based at

SLAF China Bay SLAF may refer to *The Sri Lanka Armed Forces, the combined military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka **The Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed ...

, carries out basic pilot training of the

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major r ...

. It is the oldest flying formation in the SLAF.

History

The roots of the Wing goes back to the formation of the

Royal Ceylon Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major role throu ...

when pilot training began with

de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk (or Chippie) is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft designed and developed by Canadian aircraft manufacturer de Havilland Canada. It was developed shortly after the Second World Wa ...

s in 1950. However the No 1 Squadron was formally established with the creation of it for pilot training and No 2 Squadron for transport in 1955. Both were base at RAF Negambo. In the 1963 the squadron became the No. 1 Flying Training School and moved to RCyAF China Bay in 1963 and in 1971 took up advanced training and later was upgraded to an Air Wing. In August 1988 the unit was moved to SLAF Anuradhapura due to the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, however it has been shifted back to

in 2009. During the early years of the Civil War, the Wing engaged in

Close Air Support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

. In March 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force the unit was presented the President’s Colours. In 2018 May, brand new six PT-6 training aircraft accepted from

AVIC The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is a Chinese state-owned publicly-traded aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Beijing. AVIC is overseen by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the ...

Hongdu in Nanchang,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. These aircraft will replace the old air frames.

Role

* Basic flying training for SLAF flight cadets * Advanced and Fighter Conversion training course * Basic Air Traffic Control course * Limited Air Defence through karakorum-8 in interceptor role

Aircraft operated

Cessna 150 The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 22-23. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. In 19 ...

Nanchang CJ-6 The Nanchang CJ-6 ( zh, c=初教6) is a Chinese basic trainer aircraft designed and built by the Nanchang Aircraft Factory (now Hongdu Aviation) for use by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Development The CJ-6 (Chu Jiao 初教 ...

* karakorum-8 * SIAI Marchetti SF.260W - Retired *

FMA IA 58 Pucará The FMA IA 58 Pucará () is an Argentine ground-attack and counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones. It is a low-wing twin-turboprop all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear, capable of operat ...

- Retired *

Boulton Paul Balliol The Boulton Paul Balliol and Sea Balliol are monoplane advanced trainer aircraft designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Boulton Paul Aircraft. On 17 May 1948, it became the world's first single-engined turboprop aircraft to ...

- Retired *

- Retired

Notable members

Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries which have historical British infl ...

E. R. Amarasekara, DFC & BAR, RCyAF - former Commander of the Air Force (1962–1970) *

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Deshamanya Deshamanya (; ; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour. It is awarded for "''highly meritorious service''", and is conventionally used as a title or prefi ...

Paddy Mendis, MBIM, IDC, psc, SLAF - former Commander of the Air Force (1971–1976) *

Harry Goonatilake, USP, ndc, psc, SLAF - former Commander of the Air Force (1976–1981) *

Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Shirantha Goonatilake, RWP, RSP, SLAF - Commanding Officer Flying Training Wing

Gallery

File:SriLanka-Independence - 4 Feb 2019 (40).jpg, A Cessna 150 over Colombo in a training flight. File:SriLanka-Independence - 4 Feb 2019 (48).jpg, SLAF K8 jets during military parade File:PT-6 aircraft.jpg, PT-6 aircraft with the Sri Lankan flag. File:SriLanka-Independence - 4 Feb 2019 (52).jpg, PT-6 aircraft fly pass in the Independence celebrations of the air force.

References

Sri Lanka Air Force Base Anuradhapura

Award of Colours to SLAF Base Anuradhapura
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 1 Wing Slaf Sri Lanka Air Force Wings Military units and formations established in 1955 1955 establishments in Ceylon