Students Earn Wings in a Unique Way

Students earn wings in a unique way

Posted by Dick Myers On 06/18/2015

Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, commander of Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, offers motivating remarks during the graduation ceremony of nine naval flight officers on April 24 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla. The graduates, assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 4, are the first group of students trained to fly in a multi-crew simulator. (U.S. Navy photo)

Patuxent River, MD -- In a milestone event for the U.S. Navy, the first group of students trained on the multi-crew simulator recently received its wings, designating them naval flight officers.

"We have entered a new era in aviation training," said Capt. Craig Dorrans, Naval Aviation Training Systems (PMA-205) program manager, whose office manages the Navy's aircraft trainers, or simulators. "Multi-crew simulator training enables greater efficiency in developing mission commander skills, as well as building upon the basics of communications and navigation already acquired during primary flight training in the T-6 aircraft."

The nine April 24 graduates were students assigned to Training Squadron (VT) 4, which provides undergraduate naval flight officer training in the multi-crew simulator located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The multi-crew simulators, managed by PMA-205, replace the T-39 as the naval flight officer intermediate phase trainer aircraft. The simulators provide a virtual environment to develop skills in advanced navigation systems, electronic warfare and battlespace management.

Each student attends academics, part-task training and multi-crew simulator events consisting of core communications and navigation training, and the training strand pertinent to their follow-on fleet aircraft platforms, such as the E-2, E-6, EP-3, P-3 or P-8.

"I've seen evolutionary change in my time in the Navy, but the multi-crew simulator training for naval flight officers is revolutionary," said Cmdr. Stephen Weeks, executive officer at VT-4. "The Navy is transforming the training pipeline by precisely aligning the multi-crew command and control training curriculum to focus on the exact warfighting and decision-making skills modern naval flight officers need to excel at their Fleet Replacement Squadrons and beyond."

The first multi-crew simulator class of students started training November 2014 at VT-4, resulting in their designation as naval flight officers for the E-6, E-2 and P-8 aircraft communities. The newly designated naval flight officers are the first class to complete intermediate training solely through the use of simulators. They will now report to their respective Fleet Replacement Squadron for specific aircraft platform training.

"Where we are today with multi-crew simulator training is the result of more than seven years of vision and excellent teamwork between PMA-205, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division and Chief of Naval Air Training," Weeks said. "By focusing on making the best possible warfighter, we are continuing the tremendous legacy of excellence for maritime, the Take Charge and Move Out mission, and E-2 naval flight officers.”

By concentrating training time, eliminating obsolete platform-specific courses and reducing live-fly hours, the multi-crew simulator will save the Navy money and time, and still produce exceptional naval flight officers, Dorrans said. PMA-205 provides warfighters with advanced training systems specific to a wide array of aircraft, affording U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircrew and maintainers with the knowledge, skills and abilities that enable mission success.

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