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Updated January 18, 2023
U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Transformation (PTT)
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 $796.6 million for flight
training programs, including $15.3 million for its Pilot
Training Transformation. Pilot Training Transformation
(PTT) is an initiative aimed to modernize pilot training-
and improve both quality and quantity of pilots-through
implementing 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
[undergraduate pilot training] 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. Additionally, some Air Force
officers within Air Education and Training Command
(AETC) argue that retention challenges for contract
simulator instructors further strains the pilot training
instructor corps, forcing instructors to operate and instruct
in simulators when they could be flying with students.
The Air Force had trained aviators via Specialized
Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) since 1992. SUPT
was a three-phase, 55-week program consisting of
classroom academics, simulator training, and flight
instruction. Candidates first learned basic aviation skills and
spent 18 flight hours operating the DA-20 aircraft in the
initial flight training (IFT) course in Pueblo, CO. Following
IFT, candidates moved to one of the primary SUPT bases
and accumulated roughly 87 flying hours and 47 simulator
hours operating the T-6A, a high-performance training
aircraft. After basic SUPT, candidates separated 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 varied
based on the track, but each track received 75-105 flight
hours and at least 35 simulator hours.
The major pilot training 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
training to accommodate foreign pilot candidates.
Pilot Training Transformaon
In 2018, 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, TX,
Detachment 24-the parent unit for PTN-explored
technological and instructional innovations designed to
improve upon SUPT. As part of the program, the
detachment trained small groups of students using
experimental syllabi. In 2018, the first class of 13 students
graduated from a 24-week course. Detachment 24
ultimately trained 41 students over three different
experimental classes. Like their counterparts in SUPT,
graduates received a basic aeronautical rating and went to
follow-on training in airframes like the F-35 fighter aircraft,
F-16 fighter aircraft, and C-17 cargo aircraft. In FY2022,
AETC adopted some of the innovations tested at PTN when
it launched a new pilot training syllabus at the major pilot
training bases. The Air Force formally ended PTN
following FY2021, but Detachment 24 continues to develop
and test future training innovations under the enduring PTT
program. In FY2021, the Air Force also launched
Undergraduate Helicopter Training-Next, which trains
helicopter pilots in a separate training pipeline and does not
require fixed-wing flight time. This could allow more fixed-
wing candidates to enter pilot training and may lead to
increases in overall pilot production.
Through experimentation at PTN, senior AETC leaders
have identified several core concepts that continue to guide
PTT: student-centered learning, increased student access to](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govekha0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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