Rekka ja hävittäjä

Air Force military drivers

Comprehensively trained in transports, military drivers of the Air Force practice for their set tasks by using versatile equipment in a varying operating environment.

In the Air Force, training for military drivers consists of instruction in the driver’s license BECE, basic-level professional driver qualifications, ADR specifications, and, for those selected to squadron driver’s, qualifications for operating in tasks of aviation fueling, decontamination and equipment servicing at an airfield. In case you have completed basic-level professional qualifications before service start, your present competences will be supplemented by continuing qualifications training. To become a military driver in the Air Force, apply to Lapland Air Wing at Rovaniemi, Satakunta Air Wing at Pirkkala, Karelia Air Wing at Kuopio, Air Force Academy at Tikkakoski, or to the Army Utti Jaeger Regiment at Utti.

Training brigade-level unit: Air Force Academy, Tikkakoski

Service location: Air Force Academy, Karelia Air Wing, Lapland Air Wing, Satakunta Air Wing, Utti Jaeger Regiment

Service duration: 347 days

Contingent: All

Service location

Military drivers selected to be trained at the Air Force start their military service at the Air Force Academy at Tikkakoski where they take the 6-week basic training phase, which involves acquiring soldier’s basic knowledge and skills as well as completing the driver’s license C as applicable. This is followed by the 10-week military driver -course at the Air Force Academy.

Military drivers selected for training at the Utti Jaeger Regiment report for service at the Army at Utti where they take the 6-week basic training phase for soldier’s basic knowledge and skills and to complete the driver’s license C as applicable. This done, the training continues at the Air Force Academy at Tikkakoski on the 10-week military driver -course.

Having completed the military driver -course, military drivers serve the remaining of the service time at the brigade-level unit that they applied to in special forces. In total, the service time duration is 347 days.

Training

Military driver training includes the following training modules:

pro-active and economic driving
vehicle loading and unloading
occupational and road safety
first responder first aid training
trucks and engine machinery
terminal functions
special transports types
off-road driving in terrain
vehicle aiding in difficult conditions
professional qualifications equal 20 hours of driving training

Admission criteria

High school graduation diploma
At least driver’s license B and risk management training completed (if the license has been issued before 1 July 2018)
At least 18 years old before the start of course
Consent to drug test and traffic offence information check
State of health must meet health requirements for category 2 (as per Driving License Act, paragraph 18) and enable handling of aviation fuel
No incidents of serious traffic offences over the previous two years
Finnish citizenship and language competence in Finnish at an adequate level

It is considered an advantage to have

Initial vocational qualification in logistics, forest machinery, or equivalent
Initial vocational qualification in bus, articulated vehicle, or lumber driving
Driver’s license C or CE, professional qualification training, and work experience in the field of expertise

Applying

Applications for the course that starts in January must be submitted by 1 September, and for the one starting in July by 1 March. Apply for the military driver course of the Air Force via the Finnish Defence Forces’ digital e-service. Fill in the application at https://asiointi.puolustusvoimat.fi/en/frontpage

To fill in the application, you need to have the grades for mathematics, first language, and English as indicated on the high school diploma, or vocational college diploma, or study register certificate if the given studies are still in-progress.

Women need to fill out the digital application and send the following forms to their own Regional Office that will then forward the documents to the Air Force Academy:

For additional information, call selection assistant at the Air Force Academy, tel. +358 299 250 223.

Selection

Based on the submitted applications, the brigade-level units will invite persons considered suitable for military driver training for an interview based on which they then make the selection decisions for the military driver training.

If you qualify for training based on your application and the interview but were not selected, you will be asked whether you are willing to serve at a brigade-level unit stated as your second or third option. This procedure presupposes you consent as well as a vacancy on the admission quota set for the given training brigade-level unit.

The applicant will receive a written notification on their selection to military driver training at least a month before service start.