Vel, dette er tilbake til 60-tallet hvor alle gikk igjennom T-41, T-37 og T-38 hvor beste elev kunne velge og så videre nedover via B-52 til AC-47. For mange år siden ble utdannelsen splittet avhengig av hva du var best egnet til, og kun eliten fikk T-38. Altså ikke nå lenger. (Red.)
Personnel shortages may force US Air Force pilots to fly non-fighters
Sep 16,
2024, 04:00 PM
Instructor pilots and a student fly a training sortie in two T-38C Talons, August 2024. (Senior Airman Ashley Crist/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Air Force pilots graduating from training
courses with the T-38 Talon may be required to fly non-fighter or bomber
aircraft as a result of pilot shortages, according to a new Air Force policy.
The challenges in pilot inventory were outlined in
an August service memo reviewed by Defense News and confirmed by an Air Force
official.
Described in the document as a “significant but
necessary policy change,” the move shifts the traditional assignment flow for
T-38 pilots, who now may be matched to fly non-fighters or bombers.
“We are 1,848 pilots short, with 1,142 of those
being fighter pilots,” the memo states. “While we would prefer to send every
qualified T-38 graduate to a fighter [Formal Training Unit], circumstances
dictate that we utilize available capacity to maximize pilot production. In the
near term, in addition to traditional fighter/bomber assignments, T-38
graduates will be matched to additional T-6 [First
Assignment Instructor Pilot] assignments and opted for non-fighter/bomber
aircraft.”
Due to personnel challenges, some breaks between
pilot training and assignment to a formal training unit have exceeded one year,
the memo adds.
Brig. Gen. Travolis Simmons, the director of
training and readiness and deputy chief of staff for operations with
Headquarters Air Force, told Military Times that the delayed starts at the
fighter FTUs are “due to a combination of sustainment and manpower challenges.”
Despite recruitment
challenges for the service last fiscal year, the Air Force
is working to
rebound through attracting new talent.
For now, the document describes how T-38 students
will prioritize all aircraft, not just fighters and bombers, on their “dream
sheets” to ensure an accommodation of preferences. It also outlines that the
students may volunteer for non-fighter and bomber opportunities.
“The Air Force has always assigned aircraft based
on Air Force needs, platform availability, student preference and student class
ranking,” Simmons said. “Even with the recent policy shift, those core tenets
remain the same.”
He added that while the policy change is meant to
optimize available resources, as capacity and needs evolve, pilots affected by
the policy change may have the option to “voluntarily crossflow to
fighter/bomber aircraft.”
The Air Force memo also notes the service intends
to return to a regular assignment flow as quickly as possible.
The final pilot production numbers for fiscal year
2024 will not be available for release until later in the calendar year,
Simmons said.
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