Absorbing and Developing Qualified Fighter Pilots: The Role of the Advanced Simulator

by Marken, Richard S.; Taylor, William W.; Ausink, John A.; Hanser, Lawrence M.; Anderegg, C. R.

• ISBN13: 9780833041548
• ISBN10: 0833041541
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 9/16/2007
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

What qualifications determine whether a fighter pilot is experienced? Surveys of expert pilots revealed that, while flying time is an element of the experience needed for both combat and staff jobs, other things are also important. The Air Force needs to measure and credit different types of experience-including time spent in advanced simulator systems-when revising its definitions of pilot experience.

Table of Contents

Preface
Figures
Tables
Summary
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction	p. 1
The Role of the Operational Training Environment	p. 3
Training Basics	p. 4
Demands That Can Degrade Training Quality	p. 5
Contingency Operations	p. 5
Requirements for Adversary Aircraft	p. 6
Historical Fluctuations in the Effectiveness of the Training Environment	p. 7
The Role of RDTM	p. 7
Aircraft Utilization and Training Quantity	p. 9
Additional Training Environment Improvements	p. 10
Post-Gulf War Training Environment	p. 12
Experience and Qualifications	p. 14
What Does This Mean?	p. 15
The Production of New Pilots and Overmanning Issues	p. 17
High-Fidelity Simulators with Mission Training Centers	p. 21
The Potential Benefits of DMO-Capable Systems	p. 24
Shortcomings of Simulator Systems	p. 28
Inherent Lack of Fidelity	p. 28
Airmanship	p. 29
The Role of DMO-Capable Simulators in Operational Fighter Units	p. 32
Additional Concerns and Caveats	p. 33
Funding	p. 33
Scheduling and Supervision	p. 34
Impending Issues	p. 35
Experience and Development Surveys	p. 37
The F-15 Survey	p. 38
Goals	p. 38
The Survey	p. 39
The Respondent Pool	p. 39
Methods	p. 39
Findings from the F-15 Survey	p. 42
Readiness for a Staff Position	p. 42
Readiness for Combat	p. 45
Type of Training and Experience	p. 49
Optimal and Minimal Training Sorties	p. 50
Insights into the Meaning of Pilot Experience	p. 52
Conclusions and Recommendations	p. 55
What Is Experience?	p. 56
Developing Qualified Pilots	p. 57
Survey results from F-16 Pilots at Hill AFB	p. 59
References	p. 67
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