The Royal Air Force have visited the Pilot Training Next facility in Austin, Texas.
According to the US Air Force, ‘Pilot Training Next 2.0’ is the continuation of the US Air Force’s experimental training environment that they say ‘integrates various technologies to produce aviators in an accelerated, cost efficient and learning-focused manner’. Essentially, it’s supposed to be faster.
“The RAF needs to reduce the time it takes to train a pilot, as well as increase our overall pilot numbers,” said British Army Col. Paddy Logan, assistant director for flying training of the Headquarters 22 Group in a release.
“Our (RAF) chief of the air staff has given us the go–ahead to push the envelope and innovate our pilot-training pipeline. We don’t have the capacity to experiment this way, so having this partnership and having people here to learn what the (U.S. Air Force) is doing is invaluable.”
As the RAF transitions to the T-6 Texan II as their primary trainer aircraft, their goal is to incorporate PTN lessons learned into their undergraduate pilot training programme almost immediately as they transition.
“We are just now about to introduce the Texan II into our flying training program, so this is the ideal opportunity to begin weaving things learned here at PTN into the curriculum at the same time we are standing up vice incorporating them in later on,” said RAF Wing Commander Christopher Pote, Headquarters 22 Group.
“We are looking at what we can do with the resources we have and use lessons from PTN to fill in the gaps that allow us to accomplish milestones like earlier solo flights, or fewer sorties to achieve competencies, while at the same time maintaining our standards and quality.”
Transitioning to 10 Texan airframes really isn’t going to help matters.
Quite. Down from how many Tucano??
I know Fedaykin explained some time back how the MFTS system works and buying a service, availability, and all that but it seems a truly embarrassing number of aircraft.
130 delivered, 51 currently still listed as being in service. You know, at some point they’re going to say: “Our new RED.NO.AIRFR. helicopter packs the punch of an Apache, with the troop carrying capabilities of a Chinook AND the ASW capacity of a Merlin. This is a fantastic game-changer for our armed forces, and we can today announce that we will be procuring one airframe to replace our aging fleet. One helicopter is more powerful than 50 Apaches combined!!!! This demonstrates our continued resolve to give our armed forces the best equipment possible and our resolute support for British industry.”… Read more »
But I agree with the sentiment!
Lack of numbers will bite us one day, and probably already is biting by using scarce resources harder than they should be with no comparable scaling down of commitments.
I would very much argue that it is not clear yet if 10 is enough to maintain availability, there would have been a fair amount of modelling that went into picking that number. Also with the new Synthetic training aids and the increased capabilities of the Grob 120TP Prefect over the Tutor T1 in theory new trainees will cover part of the syllabus that once had to wait until Lynton Upon Ouse and now Valley. It will also in theory help wash out those not suited quicker. As I said before this has yet to be proven as an improved… Read more »
As last time, thanks again Fedaykin. I keep forgetting the better capabilities of the Grobs that you also previously mentioned.
Thought he would surface with name mentioned!
Sure someone will….!
We can’t do anything by ourselves anymore!…We are relying on the USA more and more unfortunately….it sucks.. I hate our government for doing this.
To be fair though, It’s “Governments” Cam.
At least 6 Decades of the Useless Twits.
It’s not going to get any better either.
Well I hope once this Brexit nonsense is past us and we get back to being a productive member of the EU they use some funding to set up a Research Institute in London that will have the singular role of debunking all the lies and myths that are spouted about the EU.
Myth one to be debunked that the UK spends Gazillions on membership….
Also make it difficult from an industry perspective. We’re marketing our training systems as world leading but we need to learn from the US, bit of a mixed message.
I guess like the Ass dumb Brits. lol
I recall documentary on Radio 5 one Sunday morning a few weeks back that was looking at the training of pilots for the U.K. Armed Forces. Apparently there is a huge backlog with the time to train them reaching years due to issues with the outsourcing of the training and the non-availability of suitable aircraft.
They would do well to look at what the RAAF are doing. ie starting students on the pc21 after sim work. It all happens at RAAF base East Sale in Victoria Australia.