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AETC Makes History: Qualifies First Civilian T-7A Sim Instructors

  • Published
  • By Benjamin Faske
  • 19th Air Force Public Affairs
Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas --  

Seven civilian simulator instructors (CSI) graduated from the T-7A Red Hawk Type 1 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) Simulator Instructor Training here June 3, becoming the first civilian cadre qualified on the new Ground Based Training System (GBTS) in the Air Force.

Robert Erickson, Ronald Dancy, Ryan Sparkman, Louis Alden, Michael Jason, Jason Smith, and Kevin Coleman capped a rigorous 32-day course that began in late April. With their graduation the team accepted operational control and scheduling for eight state-of-the-art T-7 GBTS devices from Boeing.

Overseeing the CSI team is the 12th Training Squadron, responsible for all student matriculation including academics, electronic flight bag (EFB) and flight simulator scheduling.

“As the initial cadre of T-7 simulator instructors, we validated complex contractor curricula and took operational control of over $100 million in advanced training assets,” said Lt. Col. Brack Nall, 12th TRS director of operations. “As one of the first critical milestones paving the way for the future of Undergraduate and Graduate Pilot Training, the CSI team is now poised to take on a central role. We will lead the training and qualification of Air Force pilots and simulator instructors not only here at Randolph, but also at Columbus, Laughlin, Vance, and Sheppard as the T-7 program comes online and expands across AETC’s pilot training enterprise.”

The arrival of the T-7 marks a historic shift for pilot training as the Air Force prepares to phase out the legacy T-38 Talon. The new jet trainer introduces a modern, dynamic training environment purpose-built for aviators destined for fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft.

"The T-7 is designed like a fighter, it's laid out similar to an F-35 and has an F-22 side stick," said Robert Erickson, 12th Training Squadron lead T-7A CSI. "It has a lot more power than the T-38, so what we're trying to do is go from a legacy T-38C platform to a fifth-generation fighter platform and weapon systems."

For the instructors tasked with building this bridge to the future, the mission is deeply personal.

"Each and every one of us loves to instruct, we're patriots, and we still feel like we are making a difference to the combat air power capability of the United States Air Force every day," Erickson noted.

To prepare for that mission, the cadre conducted 118 hours of academics across 45 instructor-taught courses. The subject matter spanned the full spectrum of flight operations, ranging from basic aircraft systems and egress procedures to night flying, low-level flight, air-to-air combat, weapons systems, and advanced live virtual construct operations.

Beyond the classroom, the instructors also completed 20 simulator missions and logged over 25 simulator hours flying 75 different training events from both inside the cockpit and at the Instructor Operating Station (IOS).

Now fully qualified to operate and manage the new GBTS devices, the team is preparing for their next critical test. In August, they will begin training the first 14 instructor pilots from the 99th Flying Training Squadron, the Air Force's first dedicated T-7 squadron.

Once fully qualified, this initial cohort of military instructor pilots will branch out to other Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) installations to begin molding the next generation of student pilots. As the first UPT base slated to receive the new T-7, the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus Air Force Base will build directly on the standards set by the CSI team, establishing a new baseline for the future of Air Force pilot training.