The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present The Aerospace Advantage, with Heather ”Lucky” Penney as the host. Every week, Lucky takes listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.
Episodes
Saturday Aug 07, 2021
Saturday Aug 07, 2021
Episode 34 – The Future of Air Force Pilot Training: A Crisis That Demands a Solution
Episode Summary:
In episode 34 of the Aerospace Advantage, The Future of Air Force Pilot Training: A Crisis That Demands a Solution, host John Baum delves into a key challenge facing the Air Force: the service has too few pilots and needs to produce a new generation of talent fast. In discussions with 19th Air Force commander Maj Gen Craig Wills, the leader who oversees the majority of Air Force pilot training, and members of the Mitchell team, we discuss what it takes to produce an Air Force pilot—what elements are timeless and areas where new approaches and technology are offering areas for progress. The imperative for this is simple: the demand for airpower is on the rise, but without enough trained pilots, airplanes sitting on the ramp are bricks. It takes highly trained airmen to strap in and fly the missions. The Air Force has been stuck with too few pilots for too many years now and it’s really causing problems. It’s time to change the equation, but we need to do so prudently.
Credits:
Host: Lt Col John “Slick” Baum, USAF, ret.
Producer: Daniel C. Rice
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Maj Gen Craig D. Wills, Commander of the 19th Air Force, USAF
Guest: Maj Gen (ret.) Larry Stutzriem, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Guest: Maj (ret.) Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
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3 years ago
Thanks for the input! Glad you liked the discussion. We will definitely be exploring the issue of the pilot shortage in different ways in the future!
3 years ago
Would love to hear a discussion of the whole cycle, to include the staff requirements that pull experience out of the ops units, the same experience that is needed to enable high absorption
3 years ago
Great discussion with MGen Wills, Larry & Heather. Very informative re PT Next. But the pilot shortage cannot be solved by cranking out more pilots unless ways are found to also absorb them at the operational squadrons and then retain sufficient numbers to maintain the experience levels needed to enable that high absorption. Perhaps the VR tools discussed here can help the RTUs produce a grad that is closer to being mission ready, and the ops units experience them faster. Would love to hear