The name Aquila, Latin or Italian for "eagle", in Afrikaans an "arend," and in Xhosa, "uKhozi," is synonymous with the characteristics which we endeavour to pass on to our learners or students. 

The eagle is well known for its excellent eyesight (observation skills) and can see prey while soaring and gliding high above their quarry. It is believed that an eagle can identify a moving rabbit up to nearly 2 kilometers away!  The eagle uses its large wingspan to spread its wings over air currents and thermals to soar (techniques that work under stress) and conserve energy for when (timing to act) it needs to use it.  As in all birds of prey, the females are generally slightly larger (to us this means greater emphasis must be given to training females) than the males.

"Since ancient times the eagle has been used as a symbol of strength and courage. This large bird of prey has been admired for its powerful appearance and majestic, soaring flight. The Sumerians chose it as their emblem of power 5,000 years ago. So did imperial Rome many centuries later. Today the bald eagle is the national bird of the United States."  Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The Aquila Training Academy has grown out of 25 years of research, development and experience around the tactical use of firearms and other defensive equipment in a variety of situations. Because of this background, the Aquila Training Academy has been and is able to share information, knowledge and skills with individuals and corporations that recognise the need to take responsiblity for their personal safety and that of their personnel.

Vision

Our vision is to have the Aquila Training Academy set the benchmark for the standard of quality defensive and other training, integrity and loyalty to learners in order that they may develop into productive and useful members of society.

Mission

Our mission is to create change in the knowledge, skills and attitude of all learners who enter any of the Aquila Training Academy training programmes by providing quality training material, committed facilitators and excellent courses in a variety of disciplines.

Background

Chris Evans, the Academy Director, started farming in the Sundays River Valley in the late 1960s and felt the need to somehow give something back to the community in which he lived, in service. He joined the South African Police as a Reservist Officer in 1982 and developed a passion to assist officers in learning better and more effective skills to reduce both their personal risk to serious danger and therefore provide a better service to those they were sworn to serve and protect.

As a part time law-enforcement officer, it became apparent to him that to some extent front line operational officers were being neglected when it came to inservice ongoing training to assist them provide a better community service by equipping them with knowledge and skills to handle approaching potentially dangerous situations during their tours of duty.  He made an effort to make contact with individuals and overseas organisations who trained and prepared law-enforcement officers for duty in a variety of disciplines and began acquiring information and skill methods which he passed on to these public servants wherever he could.