JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- Air Education and Training Command partnered with the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation flight training program in Arizona and the Brunner Aerospace flight training program in Texas to test a new Initial Pilot Training (IPT) model.
A total of 65 U.S. Air Force student pilots took to the skies from Mesa, Ariz., and Georgetown, Texas, as part of two Small Group Tryouts (SGTOs) that support AETC’s plan to revise pilot training for U.S. Air Force and partner nation pilots.
The IPT SGTOs utilized Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 141 certified courses to provide the student pilots with basic airmanship, instrument, and multi-engine flying competencies. The goal of the SGTOs is for IPT students to complete the training in 139 calendar days during which they will log approximately 110 flying hours.
Upon completion of the SGTOs, the Air Force trainees earned their Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument Rating, and Multi-Engine Rating.
“The initial results are positive,” said Brig. Gen. Matthew Leard, AETC’s Director of Plans, Programs, Requirements and International Affairs. “Partnership with the civil aviation sector, where expertise and capacity exist, allows the Air Force to focus on teaching military-specific aviation competencies.”
After completing IPT, the first class of SGTO students started Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) utilizing a revised T-6 syllabus at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., in September 2024. The second class of SGTO students is projected to begin T-6 training in March of 2025, also at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
In the revised UPT program, students will train with military instructors for 108 training days and log approximately 57 flying and 50 simulator hours in the T-6A Texan II. The syllabus will build upon the competencies learned during the IPT SGTO and focus on military-specific aviation competencies, with students earning their military pilot wings at the end of the program.
“The model we are testing allows for increased throughput to meet Air Force pilot production requirements, and initial data shows it does so while also increasing the quality of our graduates” Leard said. “Additionally, it establishes relationships with the commercial aviation training enterprise to create future capacity, if needed.”
Moving forward, AETC will continue exploring partnerships with several public universities that offer FAA Part 141 flight training with the available capacity to conduct additional SGTOs in 2025. All IPT SGTO students will continue to be tracked through the completion of graduate Formal Training Units (FTUs).
Additional data is being collected, analyzed, and combined with lessons learned to inform future decisions to support the Air Force’s goal to produce 1,500 pilots annually.
The Air Force has a history of partnering with civilian flying schools. During World War II, the (then) Army Air Corps partnered with civilian pilot schools to provide primary flight training.
The Air Corps had a backlog of 100,000 applicants and decided to use the College Training Program at 153 colleges across the country. During WWII, the Air Corps produced about 200,000 pilots with half having spent time in a College Training Program.
Today’s Air Force doesn’t face the same daunting backlog, but it has not been able to meet the goal of producing 1,500 pilots per year, for several years.
“Just like the Airmen before us, we are working closely with industry to increase our capacity to produce pilots at the speed of need to support our national security requirements,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, AETC commander. “The threats are growing, and we are out of time. AETC is harnessing the power of American academia and industry to rapidly reoptimize our ability to train and develop Airmen for Great Power Competition. If called upon, we will be ready to defend our nation; and if there is a fight, we will win.”