About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (November 29, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govejny0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congre s&onaI Resedrch Sern anfrming Ih Ieg ilaive dIebate sin o 1914 November 29, 2022 U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Transformation U.S. military leaders have made the case to Congress that the U.S. Air Force is not producing enough pilots to meet its authorized personnel requirements (i.e., end strength). In July 2022, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David Allvin testified to the House Armed Services Committee that the national pilot shortage we discussed last year continues to challenge our Air Force. He also stated that the Air Force was 1,650 pilots short of its 21,000 pilot- requirement to meet global mission demands. The FY2023 Air Force budget request included $779.6 million for flight training programs, including $15.3 million for its Pilot Training Transformation. Pilot Training Transformation is an effort to evolve training and produce pilots more quickly through advanced technology and modern instructional techniques. This In Focus provides an overview of the Air Force pilot shortage, describes efforts to streamline pilot training, and poses select questions for Congress. Background In 2017, then-Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein informed Congress of a growing pilot shortage. At the end of FY2017, the Air Force was 1,947 pilots short of its authorized end strength. The Air Force has two mechanisms to sustain the required number of pilots: (1) retain current pilots, and (2) recruit and train new pilots. In response to retention concerns, the Air Force initiated monetary and nonmonetary incentive programs, such as increases to the Aviator Bonus and several quality-of-life initiatives (for more information, see CRS Insight IN10776, U.S. Air Force Pilot Shortage). In FY2021, the pilot shortage had decreased to 1,650. However, going forward, senior Air Force officials expect civilian airline hiring to return to prepandemic rates and draw military pilots away from the service (in 2019, approximately 30% of the civilian airline pilot cadre was former military). The Air Force has increased production of new pilots gradually since FY2017, when it trained approximately 1,160 pilots. General Allvin stated that in FY2021, UPT programs produced 1,381 pilots-118 more than the year prior, but still 119 pilots short of the 1,500 goal. Retention issues complicate the production issue, since training new pilots requires experienced instructor pilots-the same ones civilian airlines are recruiting. The Air Force has trained aviators via Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) since 1992. SUPT is a three-phase, 55-week program consisting of classroom academics, simulator training, and flight instruction. SUPT trains students to achieve proficiency in the military aviation skills required for operational fixed and rotary- wing aircraft. Candidates first learn basic aviation skills and spend 18 flight hours operating the DA-3 aircraft in the initial flight training (IFT) course in Pueblo, CO. Following IFT, candidates move to one of the primary SUPT bases and accumulate roughly 87 flying hours and 47 simulator hours operating the T-6A, a high-performance training aircraft. After basic SUPT, candidates are divided into four training tracks for advanced SUPT: fighter/bomber track, heavy (cargo/tanker) track, heavy propeller (C-130) track, and rotary wing track. Advanced SUPT flight time varies based on the track, but each track receives 75-105 flight hours and at least 35 simulator hours. The primary SUPT bases are Vance Air Force Base, OK; Laughlin Air Force Base, TX; Columbus Air Force Base, MS; and Sheppard Air Force Base, TX. Sheppard Air Force Base is home to European-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) and runs a slightly different variation of SUPT to accommodate foreign pilot candidates. Pilot Training Next In 2018, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) launched the Pilot Training Next (PTN) program in an attempt to produce more pilots in less time at a reduced cost. Located at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, PTN explores technological and instructional innovations that may lead to changes in SUPT. In addition to experimentation, PTN and its host unit, Detachment 24, trains small groups of students using experimental syllabi. In 2018, the first class of 13 students graduated from an experimental, 24-week syllabus. Like their counterparts in SUPT, graduates receive a basic aeronautical rating and go to follow-on training in airframes like the F-35 fighter aircraft, F-16 fighter aircraft, and C-17 cargo aircraft. After three classes and 41 graduates from PTN, AETC launched Pilot Training 2.5 at the three major SUPT bases in 2022. Pilot Training 2.5 incorporated some of the technology and learning innovations developed at PTN, representing an incremental step toward the eventual replacement of SUPT with Pilot Training 3.0. In FY2021, the Air Force launched Helicopter Training Next, which trains helicopter pilots in a separate training pipeline and does not require fixed-wing flight time. This allows more fixed-wing candidates to enter SUPT and may lead to increases in overall pilot production. Through early experimentation at PTN, senior AETC leaders have identified several core concepts that continue to guide the pilot training transformation: student-centered learning, increased student access to training content, advanced and immersive training technology, and human performance factors. Student-Centered Learning Former SUPT syllabi were designed for groups of students (or classes) to train on the same timeline. PTN uses a learner-centric model, enabling students to progress at different rates and allowing individualized instruction in skills for which students exhibit deficiencies. This concept

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most