Pilot training innovation: First successful remote simulator training

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Wesley Mills, 47th Student Squadron student pilot, practices in the instrument flight trainer (IFT) while Robert Wayne, 12th Readiness Training Squadron remote instructor, talks to him in his headset during the first-ever remote training flight with an undergraduate student pilot at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Jan. 22, 2024. During remote training flights, instructors will watch through a video feed, allowing oversight of what the student is doing, as well as what the instruments read. The 47th Flying Training Wing is introducing this new program allowing student pilots to receive instructions from a remote simulator instructor, creating more training opportunities for students. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen)

Pilot training innovation: First successful remote simulator training

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Wesley Mills, 47th Student Squadron student pilot, practices in the instrument flight trainer (IFT) while Robert Wayne, 12th Readiness Training Squadron remote instructor, talks to him in his headset at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Jan. 22, 2024. The 47th Flying Training Wing plans to add four IFTs to be used in remote instructor training. The 47th Flying Training Wing is introducing this new program allowing student pilots to receive instructions from a remote simulator instructor, creating more training opportunities for students. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen)

Pilot training innovation: First successful remote simulator training

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Wesley Mills (left), 47th Student Squadron student pilot, goes through a pre-flight brief with Robert Wayne (right), 12th Readiness Training Squadron remote instructor, via teleconference for the first-ever remote training flight with an undergraduate student pilot at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Jan. 22, 2024. For this program, pre-flight briefings for the remote instructor program are carried out over Microsoft Teams, allowing communication and screen sharing for the brief to be carried out efficiently. The 47th Flying Training Wing is introducing this new program allowing student pilots to receive instructions from a remote simulator instructor, creating more training opportunities for students. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen)

Pilot training innovation: First successful remote simulator training

Robert Wayne, 12th Training Squadron sim instructor, gives a remote pre-flight brief from Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph connecting 2nd Lt. Wesley Mills, 47th Student Squadron student pilot, at Laughlin Air Force Base January 22, 2024. The remote simulator instruction program seeks to address the civilian sim instructor shortage while also freeing up active-duty instructor pilots to allow them to focus on aircraft flying duties. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sean Worrell)

Pilot training innovation: First successful remote simulator training

Published Jan. 30, 2024
By Benjamin Faske
19th Air Force Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO – RANDOLPH, Texas --

The first successful remote simulator instruction in Air Force pilot training connected 2nd Lt. Wesley Mills, 47th Student Squadron student pilot at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas with Robert Wayne, 12th Training Squadron simulator instructor here Jan. 22, 2024.

Wayne, while sitting at a computer at JBSA-Randolph, directed Mills, who was seated in a T-6 Texan II simulator at Laughlin AFB. Three cameras affixed to the trainer simulator filmed the student’s every input while the sim instructor gave real-time feedback over the headset.

"The training felt very similar to how it normally does when you’re in the instrumented flight trainer," said Mills. "In person, you don’t see the instructor because he’s behind you for the duration of your flight, and you’re talking to him over the headset. The biggest difference for a remote simulator is the familiarity with the surrounding airspace. Thankfully, Mr. Wayne was familiar with Laughlin’s airspace, and it felt like he was in the room with me.”

The simulated training sortie began with a Microsoft Teams pre-brief utilizing screen share and PowerPoint presentations. The flying profile included basic instrument maneuvers in the area, followed by multiple straight-ins and instrument landing system approaches that were all completed without issue.

“Remote simulator instruction could positively impact the onsite civilian simulator instructor shortfall across all UPT locations,” said Lt. Col. Robert Buckley, 19th Air Force chief of curriculum. “Connecting aircrew training devices via remote locations provides flexible options to deliver instruction for syllabus-directed simulator events.”

Remote instruction program will provide relief to active-duty instructor pilots, allowing them to focus on flying duties plus cost savings in temporary duty expenses.

“The success of the remote simulator instruction marks a significant step forward in the use of technology to refine pilot training,” Buckley said. “This approach is expected to continue through the summer of 2024, with the goal of gathering more data to support a decision on scaling the program across the flying training enterprise.