https://crsreports.congress.gov
November 29, 2022
U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Transformation
U.S. military leaders have made the case to Congress that
the U.S. Air Force is not producing enough pilots to meet
its authorized personnel requirements (i.e., end strength). In
July 2022, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David
Allvin testified to the House Armed Services Committee
that “the national pilot shortage we discussed last year
continues to challenge our Air Force.” He also stated that
the Air Force was 1,650 pilots short of its 21,000 pilot-
requirement to meet global mission demands. The FY2023
Air Force budget request included $779.6 million for flight
training programs, including $15.3 million for its “Pilot
Training Transformation.” Pilot Training Transformation is
an effort to evolve training and produce pilots more quickly
through advanced technology and modern instructional
techniques. This In Focus provides an overview of the Air
Force pilot shortage, describes efforts to streamline pilot
training, and poses select questions for Congress.
Background
In 2017, then-Air Force Chief of Staff General David
Goldfein informed Congress of a growing pilot shortage. At
the end of FY2017, the Air Force was 1,947 pilots short of
its authorized end strength. The Air Force has two
mechanisms to sustain the required number of pilots: (1)
retain current pilots, and (2) recruit and train new pilots. In
response to retention concerns, the Air Force initiated
monetary and nonmonetary incentive programs, such as
increases to the Aviator Bonus and several quality-of-life
initiatives (for more information, see CRS Insight IN10776,
U.S. Air Force Pilot Shortage). In FY2021, the pilot
shortage had decreased to 1,650. However, going forward,
senior Air Force officials expect civilian airline hiring to
return to prepandemic rates and draw military pilots away
from the service (in 2019, approximately 30% of the
civilian airline pilot cadre was former military).
The Air Force has increased production of new pilots
gradually since FY2017, when it trained approximately
1,160 pilots. General Allvin stated that “in FY2021, UPT
programs produced 1,381 pilots—118 more than the year
prior, but still 119 pilots short of the 1,500 goal.” Retention
issues complicate the production issue, since training new
pilots requires experienced instructor pilots—the same ones
civilian airlines are recruiting.
The Air Force has trained aviators via Specialized
Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) since 1992. SUPT is
a three-phase, 55-week program consisting of classroom
academics, simulator training, and flight instruction. SUPT
trains students to achieve proficiency in the military
aviation skills required for operational fixed and rotary-
wing aircraft. Candidates first learn basic aviation skills and
spend 18 flight hours operating the DA-3 aircraft in the
initial flight training (IFT) course in Pueblo, CO. Following
IFT, candidates move to one of the primary SUPT bases
and accumulate roughly 87 flying hours and 47 simulator
hours operating the T-6A, a high-performance training
aircraft. After basic SUPT, candidates are divided into four
training tracks for advanced SUPT: fighter/bomber track,
heavy (cargo/tanker) track, heavy propeller (C-130) track,
and rotary wing track. Advanced SUPT flight time varies
based on the track, but each track receives 75-105 flight
hours and at least 35 simulator hours. The primary SUPT
bases are Vance Air Force Base, OK; Laughlin Air Force
Base, TX; Columbus Air Force Base, MS; and Sheppard
Air Force Base, TX. Sheppard Air Force Base is home to
European-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) and
runs a slightly different variation of SUPT to accommodate
foreign pilot candidates.
Pilot Training Next
In 2018, Air Education and Training Command (AETC)
launched the Pilot Training Next (PTN) program in an
attempt to produce more pilots in less time at a reduced
cost. Located at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, PTN
explores technological and instructional innovations that
may lead to changes in SUPT. In addition to
experimentation, PTN and its host unit, Detachment 24,
trains small groups of students using experimental syllabi.
In 2018, the first class of 13 students graduated from an
experimental, 24-week syllabus. Like their counterparts in
SUPT, graduates receive a basic aeronautical rating and go
to follow-on training in airframes like the F-35 fighter
aircraft, F-16 fighter aircraft, and C-17 cargo aircraft. After
three classes and 41 graduates from PTN, AETC launched
Pilot Training 2.5 at the three major SUPT bases in 2022.
Pilot Training 2.5 incorporated some of the technology and
learning innovations developed at PTN, representing an
incremental step toward the eventual replacement of SUPT
with Pilot Training 3.0. In FY2021, the Air Force launched
Helicopter Training Next, which trains helicopter pilots in a
separate training pipeline and does not require fixed-wing
flight time. This allows more fixed-wing candidates to enter
SUPT and may lead to increases in overall pilot production.
Through early experimentation at PTN, senior AETC
leaders have identified several core concepts that continue
to guide the pilot training transformation: student-centered
learning, increased student access to training content,
advanced and immersive training technology, and human
performance factors.
Student-Centered Learning
Former SUPT syllabi were designed for groups of students
(or classes) to train on the same timeline. PTN uses a
learner-centric model, enabling students to progress at
different rates and allowing individualized instruction in
skills for which students exhibit deficiencies. This concept
