Balgarianovinite.com The hot climate in Tucson, Arizona (US), and the need to absorb a vast amount of information are the main challenges facing Bulgarian pilots training on the F-16, pilots Captain Svetoslav Angelov and First Lieutenant Dimitar Tashev shared with BTA. Both are currently in the active phase of their fighter jet training and are expected to return to Bulgaria in August and November.
Angelov graduated from the Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force Academy in Dolna Mitropoliya, North Central Bulgaria, in 2017. A year later, he joined a one-year US-funded programme for T-6 training in Columbus, Mississippi. In 2024, he returned to the US for F-16 training. Unlike his colleagues, Angelov began his training directly on the T-38. Although it is also a training aircraft, its avionics allow for the simulation of combat missions. At Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, Angelov completed a transition course to fly actual combat fighters.
Tashev graduated from the Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force Academy in 2021. Three years later, he arrived in the US, where his training began with a three-month English language course. At Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, he trained on the T-6. He logged 90 hours on the T-38 and began applying what he had learned at Randolph Air Force Base. “There, we started to place more emphasis on the combat use of the aircraft. After each phase of training, we took an exam – a written, an oral, and a flight test,” the pilot said.
Every pilot also undergoes centrifuge training. To continue the course, a pilot must be able to withstand a 9G load for 15 seconds.
F-16 training takes place at the Arizona Air National Guard base in Tucson. The fighter jet training course lasts eight months, with the first two months consisting mainly of lectures and simulations. Training begins with basic aircraft operations – takeoffs and landings – and gradually progresses to the execution of combat missions, Angelov said. Pilots conduct dogfights in various formations, intercept missions, night flights, and strikes against ground targets. Finally, an exam is administered, after which the pilot is technically qualified to fly the F-16. Due to Arizona’s desert climate, the workday at the air base begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.
According to Angelov, aviation is the same everywhere, and the training is similar, but in the US, a lot more people go through the course at the same time, and unlike in Bulgaria, the approach there is not as personalized. He added: “The F-16 offers more possibilities. For me, this is the first radar-equipped aircraft I have flown. It is different in terms of the information it provides, and its engine is much more powerful.”
Angelov noted that in the US, more time is spent on briefings and debriefings. “During the briefing, every aspect of the flight is discussed – takeoff, flying to the area, the mission to be carried out, and the return. The same applies after the flight – what we wanted to achieve, what we did, and how to improve for the next flight. This process is different from what we do in Bulgaria, and I think that’s an area where we can improve,” he added.
Tashev shared that training in the US is more intensive, while in Bulgaria, a great deal of individual attention is given to each student. He also cited the training programme being conducted in English as an additional challenge. In the US, a pilot’s daily routine is different, because everyone has a strictly defined role and is not burdened with additional responsibilities, he noted.
Living in another country, making new friends, and experiencing a different climate are invaluable experiences, the two pilots concluded. Arizona Heat among Biggest Challenges Faced by Bulgarian Pilots During F-16 Training 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-25 07:29:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law