Royal Starfighter Academy

The Royal Starfighter Academy was a Royal Military Academy of the Golden Empire which issued post-secondary degrees and trained officers to be commissioned into the Royal Starfighter Corps. It was established on Baes in 107 ABY.

History
The creation of the Royal Naval Academy in 98 ABY was intended to be the first in a series of creations. However, the Great Liberation began not two full years later, and the Armada focused solely on success in the war. Once the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob had been conquered and fully annexed, officers of the RSC approached Prime Legate Tariun Sakaros to request the creation of an academy for the Corps; the Royal Naval Academy had been commissioning a small number of its graduates into the Corps, but the RSC found this unsatisfactory.

Tariun agreed and presented a shortlist of acceptable worlds to his sister Rin. Some political observers in the Empire were surprised by the choice of Baes; though the world had a strong military history, it had also been a military depot of the Tetrarchy. Some analysts speculated that, in installing one of her Armada's academies on the planet, Rin was trying to bring it more tightly into her grip, while others preferred the more innocent explanation that its connection with shipbuilding and the military made it the natural choice.

Whatever the reason, the construction of the Academy began immediately, and the first class was admitted in 107 ABY.

Cadet life
Given that the Royal Starfighter Corps was much smaller than either the Army or the Navy, its Academy class was also the smallest of the three commissioning academies. It had the lowest acceptance rate of applicants, even taking into account the Spaceflight Aptitude Test required of all applicants. The acceptance rate for the Academy hovered between one and two percent. For numerous reasons, the Academy also had the highest percentage of students who were former enlisted personnel of the three academies.

Those students who were admitted were given the rank "Cadet Pilot", in keeping with the RSC's philosophy that all junior officers were trained and served as pilots. All students took numerous science and engineering courses to ensure they understood their starfighters thoroughly. Junior class military science courses focused on military structure and discipline, while upper class courses were dedicated to joint service operations and tactics. Additionally, every cadet pilot was required to spend a certain number of hours in training each class cycle. Cadets also took leadership classes, which focused largely on teamwork and quick thinking.

During seasonal breaks, Academy cadet pilots were assigned for service with units in the field. Every cadet pilot, regardless of class standing or ability, spent the first such rotation working alongside enlisted mechanics in order to foster respect for both the starfighters themselves and the enlisted personnel who cared for them. In subsequent rotations, cadet pilots spent more time with actual pilots (both enlisted and officers). The cadet pilots with the highest class standing were granted slots on the Sith Star and the Empire's other major warships, although Redblade Squadron and a few other elite squadrons refused to take cadet pilot interns. Most interning cadet pilots served aboard Charon-class escort carriers.

In their final term, cadet pilots took a seminar on joint service operations, usually including several presentations by senior RSC officers and Royal Navy officers of multiple levels. After graduation, students were commissioned to the rank of Pilot Officer and sent to individual training for their selected starfighters.