The makings of a warrior

Exminer.com wrote:The makings of a warrior: Training pilots to fly America's next generation fighters. Part 1

by Dave Majumdar
NY Military and Civil Aviation Examiner
March 10, 6:31 PM

As the multi-role F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) makes its way from the world of flight testing to the operational realm, Lockheed Martin has already begun to develop the training program for the future generations of aviators who will one day take this aircraft to war.

Joann Puglisi, Director of Joint Strike Fighter Training Programs, said that work on the new F-35 syllabus began as soon as Lockheed Martin won the competition for the System Development and Demonstration phase of the Joint Strike Fighter project in 2001.

The Lockheed Martin team examined legacy programs such as the F/A-18C Hornet, AV-8B Harrier II, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon programs as their starting point. Puglisi explained that her team interviewed the instructor pilots and maintainers of these three platforms that the F-35 is slated to eventually replace in order to gauge what needed to be done. A focus group of pilots and another of maintainers were created in order to determine “what worked, and what needed improvement”. Later, when the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor and V-22 Osprey training syllabuses reached operational capability, the lessons learned from those courses were also integrated into the F-35 program.

The team then had to determine what kind of simulators and media were required for the classroom environment. Puglisi explained that the task at hand was made even more complex as the syllabus had to be tailored not only “by service, by type, and by block”, but Lockheed Martin also had to design a course that could fit the needs of the numerous allies who had signed on to the program.

Puglisi explained that the best and possibly only way to execute such a program was to design the course to be completely modular. The JSF team “embraced integrated training” four years ago to meet the challenge, she said. While the core components of the syllabus remain common to all three services and the Allied air forces involved, specialized training modules are added as needed by the particular service branch to execute their particular mission.

One such example is the US Marine Corps F-35B Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant. Unlike the conventional take-off US Air Force variant or carrier-borne US Navy variant, the STOVL version has a shaft driven lift-fan buried behind the cockpit generating nearly 20 thousand pounds of vertical thrust. This provides for the capability to conduct short take-offs and vertical landings from amphibious assault ships or semi-prepared airstrips at a forward operating base.

Puglisi explains that while the F-35B has the same mission systems as the other variants, and it’s flight characteristics are broadly similar to its stable-mates, the Marine Corps plane obviously has different handling characteristics in the STOVL mode. While the new lift-fan based STOVL technology combined with the aid of modern computer technology allows for excellent STOVL handling qualities, especially compared to the problematic AV-8 Harrier, a specific training module needed to be designed for the STOVL mode. However, despite this, the mission systems of the F-35B are the same as the other variants of the Lightning II design. Other service specific training modules depends upon the “mission of the service”, Puglisi said.

With less than two years before the first B-course for the F-35, Puglisi said most of the technologies behind the JSF training syllabus are ready to go. First among these new technologies is the desktop trainer, a small laptop like device complete with JSF HOTAS (Hands on Throttle and Stick) known as the Pilot Training Aid (PTA). This device will be the incoming students’ first introduction to the F-35. The PTA, which will be issued to the students a month prior to the beginning of the classroom phase of the course, simulates the glass cockpit displays available in the real cockpit of the F-35.

It is hoped that the PTA will allow the students to quickly learn the critical skills of display management and multitasking that are crucial to flying a fifth generation fighter. The new fifth generation machines, represented by the F-35 and F-22 Raptor, generate so much data from their host of sensors that such skills are essential. “We tested the laptop trainer on high school kids, they picked it up incredibly quickly”, Puglisi said, “It’s very similar to the gaming environment” that the young students are used to. Additionally, the PTA will be used in the classroom in order to drive home the lessons needed to move on to the Full Mission Simulator (FMS) and the real aircraft. “Hopefully, they’ll take them and learn”, Puglisi said.

Thus far, the laptop-training device has mainly been tested at Lockheed Martin’s engineering testing facilities, however the F-35 program test pilots also regularly use the portable PTAs during their flight test activities. “The test pilots absolutely love it”, Puglisi said, adding that the experienced pilots like the fact that they can tinker with new ideas and practice on the laptop on their own. Puglisi cautions however that this is a new idea and that “we don’t know if it’ll work for sure, but it works with the test pilots- they love it."

Once the students have advanced enough, the next phase involves the Full Mission Simulator (FMS). This simulator is one of the most advanced devices of its kind. Its seven-foot dome encompasses a full 360 degrees field of view and offers unparalleled realism.

Because the F-35 is a single seat aircraft, much of the training is focused on this simulator. Puglisi explains that the bulk of the emergency procedures, instrument flight training, and also weapons and tactics will be taught in the FMS. This new simulator features an advanced architecture and has synthetic environmental flexibility similar to the F-22 Raptor’s Air Combat Simulator (ACS) in Marietta, Georgia. The ACS is an advanced machine used primarily to teach and train students and operational pilots in air combat tactics. These advanced capabilities were added to F-35 FMS as a result of the lessons learned from the Raptor program and are so potent that the JSF program can dispense with the F-22’s ACS entirely.

The actual in-flight training, which will be conducted at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, will be structured along more traditional lines Puglisi said. The course will progress largely along the lines already established by the other 5th generation fighter in the US inventory, the F-22 Raptor. This is because, while two aircraft are designed for different roles, the two warplanes are similar in many respects. Training will progress from the basics of take off and landing to Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) to Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM). From there the course will progress to the various other aspects of flying the new fighter including the air to ground portion of the syllabus. Following the initial training at Eglin, the newly graduated pilots will report to their operational units and undergo further training known as Mission Qualification Training (MQT). Only once they have completed MQT, will the new pilots be mission qualified in the F-35.

Part Two will take to the air with Lt. Col. Derek "Trapper" France, commander of the 43rd Fighter Squadron, which trains new and experienced fighter pilots how to fly and fight in the next generation F-22 Raptor- the F-35's stablemate.

source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5411-NY-Milit ... ers-Part-1

Examiner.Com wrote:The makings of a warrior: Training to fly the Raptor. Part 2

by Dave Majumdar
NY Military and Civil Aviation Examiner
March 11, 12:48 PM

Continued from Part 1, today we examine the what it takes to learn how to fly a 5th Generation fighter with Lt. Col. Derek "Trapper" France.

There will be two different types of operational conversion courses offered at Eglin AFB. The first is a transition course (also known as a TX course) for experienced pilots transferring from other fighter types. The second type of course is the B-course for those pilots coming directly from Undergraduate Pilot Training/Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (UPT/IFF).

While the transition course is relatively straightforward as the students are already experienced pilots, there can be pitfalls as Lt. Col. Derek “Trapper” France, commander of the 43rd Fighter Squadron (F-22 Formal Training Unit) at Tyndall AFB explains, “Muscle memory is the big disadvantage for the TX students. Last week I was teaching a former F-15 guy BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers), and I look over my shoulder and see a bunch of flares popping out of the side of his Raptor. He’d hit the wrong button”.

France further explained that while transition students have a deeper understanding of tactics, emergency procedures, and meteorological conditions, the habits retained from their previous mount could pose a challenge. However, the transition to their new aircraft is usually fairly smooth. France compared the process to racecar drivers, “It’s like a driver going from driving a Formula One car to driving a NASCAR. It’s the same basic skill set but a different type of race. Teaching a B-course student is like teaching someone who’s only got a driver’s license to drive a Formula One car”

For the B-course students, who have no previous fighter experience, France compared them to “a pure lump of clay”. The new students have no bad habits from a previous fighter, and no issues with muscle memory during BFM. However, France said, there are disadvantages. It takes much longer to train a new pilot into an effective combat pilot. The Raptor B-course, which recently graduated its first four students, took eight months to complete.

In order to “minimize the risk”, the first class of potential specially selected Raptor B-course pilots had to complete a special IFF (Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals) program at Randolph AFB which introduced the students to the basics of air combat. Of the eight students at the Randolph, the top four were selected to carry on to the Raptor, France said.

In order to ensure that the remaining students could effectively fly a side-stick controlled aircraft, the four B-course students had to complete an eight-flight Bridge Course in a dual seat F-16. The F-16 was selected for the Bridge Course because it has similar flying characteristics to the F-22, especially during landing. The Bridge Course also taught the students how to conduct aerial refueling. In the future, starting with the March 2009 class, the Bridge Course will also introduce incoming B-course students to the art of flying with Night Vision Goggles. Additionally, this bridge course also ensured that the new pilots could withstand the 9Gs that they would experience flying the F-22. France explains that the Bridge Course was designed to mitigate the risks to both the fledgling pilots and the USAF’s limited inventory of single-seat F-22s. Puglisi, while aware of the Bridge Course, said that JSF officials had not yet determined if a similar program would be implemented for the F-35.

France said that the first four F-22 B-course students had performed very well, sometimes outperforming their experienced TX Course brethren. The new students produced the same lop-sided kill ratios as their older counterparts against a variety of USAF and US Navy aircraft which acted as aggressors while visiting Tyndall AFB, Florida, for the Combat Archer program. Surprisingly, the new students even grasped some tactical concepts more quickly than the older men. France attributed this to the students’ lack of exposure to legacy aircraft tactics, which are quite different from those of the Raptor. The only real disparities France noticed were the new students’ lack of experience with inclement weather and emergencies. France notes, “A 23 year-old has far less experience to draw upon for those kinds of situations.”

Lockheed Martin’s involvement does not end with the initial conversion training, Puglisi said. The company will also be involved with designing the graduate level weapons instructor courses for each of the services. To that end, the USAF Weapons School, along with their US Navy and Marine Corps equivalents, have been involved with the F-35 program since its inception. These graduate level air combat schools of the three US services have helped to formulate the syllabus for the current F-35 transition and B-courses. The schools are also active in developing their individual curriculums based on the needs of their respective services.

Tomorrow, in Part 3 we go to Nellis AFB, just outside of Las Vegas, to see what it take to fly with the best of the best as Maj. Micah "Zeus" Fesler takes us on a tour of the new F-22 Weapons Instructor Course at the 433rd Weapons Squadron.

source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5411-NY-Milit ... tor-Part-2

Examiner.Com wrote:The makings of a warrior: The F-22 Weapons School. Part 3

by Dave Majumdar
NY Military and Civil Aviation Examiner
March 11, 5:57 PM

Part 3 concludes with Major Micah "Zeus" Fesler explaining the challenge of developing a graduate level instructor pilot course for a fifth generation fighter. The Weapons School is an elite USAF institution designed to elevate students- who are already instructor pilots- to the absolute pinnacle of tactical proficiency and develop new cutting edge tactics all the while making sure those new Weapon School grads remain approachable, humble and knowledgeable to their students.

Developing a graduate level instructor pilot course for a fifth generation fighter poses some challenges of its own, Major Micah “Zeus” Fesler, Chief F-22 Weapons School Instructor at the 433rd Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada, explains, “The course teaches instructors- the jet has some great, absolutely phenomenal capabilities. But you can still do it better.” With even novice Raptor pilots scoring lopsided victories against superior numbers of veteran adversary pilots flying legacy fighters, the challenge for the Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) is to teach students how to kill “lots of adversaries, as quickly and as efficiently as possible”, Fesler explains. Fesler added that just because a pilot can defeat any number of opponents, “That doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do it. There is always something you can do better.”

The current crop of F-22 WIC course students consists of only two pilots as this is the first ever F-22 WIC class, which is referred to at the school as a Validation Course, Fesler said. The lessons learnt from this first ever class, which will test “what works, and what doesn’t”, will be incorporated into future classes after being validated on the two initial students who will provide invaluable feedback to the WIC instructors, Fesler explained. The two new students, who are already highly experienced F-22 instructor pilots, will be trained over the next six months to the absolute pinnacle of tactical proficiency and will eventually return to their parent squadrons as their Weapons and Tactics officer- the unit’s premier instructor pilot and weapons and tactics guru.

As with the lower level courses for the F-22, a major focus of the Raptor Weapons School is on teaching the students how to manage the wealth of information generated by the plane’s sensors. Display management and information management are crucial to employing the Raptor properly, Fesler explains, adding that communicating with other non-F-22 aircraft is especially important. WIC students travel to Marietta, Georgia, to hone their skills on Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Air Combat Simulator for two days during the Weapons School syllabus in order to master these techniques, Fesler said.

In order to drive home the lesson that the F-22 pilots must work with other aircraft, and also owing to their “shared anti-access mission”, the F-22 WIC is based in the same squadron the F-15 WIC, Fesler said. Not only does the arrangement alleviate some of the administrative burdens on the six F-22 Weapons School instructor pilots, Fesler explained there are some very real training advantages to being based in the same unit as the F-15 course. As Fesler explains, “it’s very conceivable that the F-15 and F-22 will be working together” during real world combat scenarios given the small number of Raptors in the USAF inventory, and therefore it is advantageous to build upon the foundations laid down by the F-15 course.

There are also two phases during the Weapons School syllabus designed specifically to teach the new WIC students “the big picture of warfare”, Fesler explained. The first is the Integration Phase, which teaches the WIC students how to work with other platforms from the Air Force and other services. As Fesler explains, “these are experiences (the students) may not get in the Combat Air Forces.”

The last Phase of the WIC, the Mission Employment Phase, is a large force exercise similar to Red Flag but with crucial differences, Fesler said. “Red Flag is a Blue Force exercise that lets young Blue Force pilots experience their first 10 combat missions. The Mission Employment exercise is for instructors. It is much more challenging, we have to make it the most challenging exercise we can. “ Fesler explained, adding, “Our edge is in the training. It has to be as tough as possible”.

One of the other tasks assigned to the Weapons School is the development of new tactics in conjunction with the USAF’s elite 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (422nd TES). During the author’s interview with him, Fesler mentioned that he had been working with a 422nd TES pilot earlier that same day and said that all of the WIC instructors are fully “test qualified”. Additionally, the 422nd participates in the Weapon School Mission Employment Phase exercises in order to enhance the learning experience for the graduating WIC students. The relationship between the Weapons School and the 422nd runs deep with the two units sharing Nellis AFB’s small fleet of 13 Raptors in order to carry out their respective missions. This relationship is likely to continue with the introduction of the F-35 into the Air Force arsenal.

Fesler also confirmed that F-35 officials had been in contact with him and his instructor cadre at the 433rd Weapons Squadron. While the F-35 program is still focused on the development of the aircraft as a weapons system, the JSF program consulted the F-22 Weapons School instructor pilots on matters of tactics development and lessons learned in developing the F-22 WIC, Fesler said. Fesler further added that while both warplanes are fifth generation fighters, they are optimized for different tasks similar to the division between the previous generations’ F-15 Eagle and F-16 fighter aircraft.

With the ramp up to the first F-35 training course well underway, the USAF recently announced that Lt. Col. Stephen Pieper and Major Chad Lewis are to become the first instructor pilots for the new aircraft. In order to select the right candidates for the new school house, a USAF selection board chaired by the vice commander of Air Education and Training Command, Maj. Gen. Anthony Przybyslawski, considered pilots with A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16, F-22 Raptor and F-15E Strike Eagle experience. The two veteran F-16 instructor pilots were selected for their combination of instructor pilot and combat experience. A total of 10 pilots will form the initial cadre for the new F-35 Formal Training Unit at Eglin AFB- seven pilots from the F-16 and three from the F-15E flying 24 USAF F-35As (the USMC and Navy will also base 20 planes and 15 planes respectively at Eglin). Not only will these handpicked men teach new F-35 pilots how to fly their new stead, they will so be expected to help develop new tactics that will revolutionize air warfare for generations to come.

source: http://www.examiner.com/x-5411-NY-Milit ... ool-Part-3