COMMENTARY>>314th AW providing ‘modern, relevant’ training to Generation Y aviators

by Tech. Sgt. Kati Grabham
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

It’s not unrealistic for the service life of some C-130E aircraft to push 50 years. An increase in rigorous training demands and smaller budgets Air Force-wide has taxed the lifespan of this aging fleet, dropping 314th Airlift Wing numbers to just over half the number assigned a few years ago. Yet, leaders in the wing know these aircraft still have a vital role to play in training generations of future aviators, whose numbers have barely diminished over the years.

Yet how do they continue their stringent curriculum as their fleet ages and aircraft numbers fall? “Quite simply, through the innovative and bold use of modern technology,” answered Col. C.K. Hyde, 314th AW commander.

In late 2008 and 2009, the subject matter experts of the 714th Training Squadron, along with their partners from Lockheed Martin Aircrew Training System, teamed together to form a training brain trust, aiming to reinvent decades-old aircrew training. Little did they know when they started, they’d be changing the fabric of legacy C-130 qualification training and would earn the 2009 Air Education And Training Command Colonel Joseph B. Duckworth Award for having made the most significant contribution to the art of aerospace instrument flying. They looked at levels of simulation already available to them from systems such as full-motion weapons systems trainers, to fully functional cockpit familiarization trainers, to cockpit procedural trainers. However, their initial research showed even operating at a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week pace, they wouldn’t have enough through-put to meet their training needs.

This led the team to begin developing new ways to adapt what they had and design what they needed. It was a modern twist to the old saying, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” They needed to invent a way to provide the necessary training.

“We hit a grand slam when our instrument approach trainer and station keeping equipment part tasking trainer were combined into a desktop simulator,” Colonel Hyde explained. “The IAT allows students to familiarize themselves with the C-130 cockpit instrumentation and functionality. The SKE PTT provides students with an overview of equipment capabilities and preflight procedures, allowing them to gain proficiency on a relatively inexpensive computer.”

The team then stepped up their design innovation by testing off-the-shelf software to create a 360-degree digital virtual representation of the aircraft. This reduced scheduled flying aircraft and the use of the over tasked fuselage trainers drastically. And, it quickly became a new favorite of Generation Y students as they virtually click their way through aircraft training. It proved itself to be user friendly and readily adaptable to all crew positions.

“Other computer-based training has been ‘reskinned,’ adding greater appeal and functionality for today’s tech savvy students,” Colonel Hyde said. “We’ve created a ‘pseudo’ gaming experience in which the students thrive. Their desire to control their learning environment greatly increased their interest and resulted in obtaining the desired effect.”

All told, the development and implementation of these devices was crucial to the success of the C-130 Reduced Fly Initial Qualification program, reducing training aircraft demand by up to 3,600 flight hours each year, an annual savings capability of $17.1 million.

These initiatives also allowed the Air Force to reflow 12 flying training unit instructor crews back to operational units because pilots can now become qualified in the simulators without the need to fly instrument approaches in actual aircraft. This makes the shift in technology and philosophy the greatest change in C-130 training over the last 25 years, the colonel said.

The 360 program has been modified to train seven specific lessons, resulting in additional reduction in the use of aircraft and devices by 345 hours each year. The decrease in money and time spent actually increased student proficiency. Students in the testing phase of the program excelled with a 100-percent graduation-success rate. To date, nearly 200 students have been qualified through this program with zero failures noted.

“Bottom line, by using off-the-shelf technology, we deliver warfighting commanders better trained C-130 aircrew personnel while saving millions of dollars and strengthening the Air