Становлення авіаційної освіти в Україні на початку XX ст.

Abstract

У статті здійснена спроба узагальнити історичний досвід підготовки авіаційних фахівців у закладах вищої освіти на теренах України з початку формування центрів вищої авіаційної освіти у першому десятиріччі ХХ століття до завершення Першої світової війни. Значна увага приділяється передісторії процесу становлення вітчизняної системи підготовки фахівців з вищою авіаційною технічною освітою, навчальній та науковій діяльності освітніх закладів у досліджуваний період. The history of formation of aviation education in Ukraine can rightfully be regarded as a continuous process of scientific research – finding a solution to a complex problem – how to create a training system that would form tomorrow a specialist who can successfully cope with the tasks that will arise the day after tomorrow. This problem is not only a high school problem – design bureaus, scientific institutions, production are interested in the success of its solution since they best realize what tasks, in the conditions of rapid development of aviation, may appear in the nearest future. The success of the system created in the early 20th century in the Russian and Austro- Hungarian empires, which included Ukraine, was proved in practice in the following decades. To forget the experience gained, to leave it unattended would be a waste. The history of aviation education has its specific aspects of examining that reflect the feature of aviation as an advanced and highly sophisticated branch of science and technology, which plays an important role in ensuring the country’s defense: connection of specialized education with the history of aviation industry; connection with the history of higher education (the history of aviation education in the context of history of higher education); the history of individual higher education institutions (HEI), which trained core specialists; the history of the country’s policy in the field of aviation education; the connection of aviation education with public consciousness (what place aviation and education took in the ideas of people of the past), etc. Education determines the future of many aspects of the life of many states. In the 21st century the level of education of the people becomes one of the most important strategic resources of the country. The future level of development of science, technology, engineering, production depends directly on the quality of the activity of HEI which train specialists for aviation industry. The existence of national scientific schools in the aircraft industry, educational institutions for aviation specialists’ training developed aviation and rocket and space industry significantly affects the prestige of the state, its implementation in the international arena. Historically, Ukraine was at the forefront of the development of aviation and aviation education. Currently, the factors of globalization, the development of information technologies, the formation of the educational services market put forward new requirements for graduates, create new conditions for HEI. These changes require both theoretical reflection and research on the possibilities and ways to adapt to them. Historical experience is of particular value in modern conditions of the search for ways to optimally reform the higher education of our country. The purpose of the article is to analyze the process of formation and development of the training system of our country for specialists with higher aviation education at the beginning of the 20th century based on the study and analysis of a wide range of sources. The process of evolution of aviation education was naturally associated with the development of the aviation industry of our country, which went on a difficult way from the creation of the first aircraft to the in-line production of high-class machines, which were not compromised by foreign analogues. The period under study falls on the formation of aviation education, the formation of the main areas of training. And that was accompanied by a boom in the development of aeronautics and the transformation of aviation production into one of the leading industries. In the middle of the period under consideration, two stages can be distinguished, the division into which is due to both changes in the field of training of aviation specialists and important milestones in the history of national higher education: 1) 1908 – 1913 – emergence of higher aviation education; 2) 1914–1918 – growth of aviation production and expansion of training of aviation specialists caused by the events of the First World War. Meanwhile, the period under analysis has certain integrity: during that period a lot of things were done on a personal initiative and matured in different cities independently of one another. There were no uniform standards and teaching methods, generally accepted teaching aids. The state did not exert a significant influence on the whole process. This is the period of formation, accumulation of knowledge, constant search. A pilot or an aviation engineer, despite the increase in output, was perceived as a piece of goods: he was a researcher with a broad technical outlook and a strong physical and mathematical foundation. At the end of the first period, the need to reform and systemize aviation education begins to be recognized. It is impossible to identify the internal reserves of education requested in the current period without studying the existing developments in training personnel, especially in some industries where significant results have been achieved. Moreover, today aviation HEI of our country (as well as all institutions of higher education) have tasks that a largely similar to those that were solved in the period under study: the formation of high-quality student and teacher contingents, educational process optimization, scientific training, organizing research and development, etc. The most adequate understanding and assessment of existing experience is possible only as a result of studying the process of forming a system for training specialists, external and internal reasons that determined its evolution and functioning, identifying the main stages of its development and their features. Promising is the solution of the following tasks: analysis of the prerequisites for formation of the system of higher aviation education of our country; definition and description of the main stages of development of higher aviation education in Ukraine; disclosure of the essence and features of the formation and development of aviation universities at various stages according to the main directions of their activities; demonstration of the close connection between the development of aviation science and technology, the aviation industry with specialized education, as well as the role of the state in its formation; identification of the general trends in the development of the system of higher aviation education of our country; demonstration of the main directions of the activity of higher education teaching staff and outstanding pilot and aviation engineers training scientists; the analysis of scientific, research and design activity of the students and aviation HEI personnel and identification of their role in the process of specialists’ training and science and technology development; assessment of training experience of specialists with higher aviation education in Ukraine.