Members of the 3rd Flying Training Squadron walk to their T-1A Jayhawk aircraft at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in August 2018. The 30-year-old fleet of Jayhawks is being retired. (Tech. Sgt. Erik Cardenas/Air Force)
Military Times: Can The Airforce Train New Pilots Without Planes
Airmen are gearing up for what could be the most consequential move in military pilot training since the Air Force was created in 1947: teaching students to fly without stepping foot in a real airplane.
The new program, known as “Air Mobility Fundamentals-Simulator,” is the Air Force’s next step in a yearslong attempt to modernize pilot training without sacrificing quality.
It’s also an opportunity for the service to embrace more cost-effective technology and retire its 30-year-old fleet of T-1A Jayhawk trainer jets.
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WNU Editor: Simulators have greatly improved over the years. I have a friend who works at CAE in Montreal, and before the pandemic he put me in one to show how realistic the simulation is. I was impressed. But even with that experience, I would want to fly a real plane with an instructor to build up my confidence to fly one by myself.