New tech-advanced classroom awaits F-35 students

by Ashley M. Wright
96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

6/3/2010 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- A foundation for how the first generation of F-35 Lightning II pilots and maintainers trains for the next half century continues to evolve here as 33rd Fighter Wing officials add state-of-the-art technology to the classroom arsenal.

"The technology is fabulous. It brings us to a revolutionary new capability that's going to define the free world's fighter for the next 35 to 50 years," said Col. David Hlatky, the 33rd FW commander. "The (new devices) are interesting to say the least; there are some leaps in technology in both the aircraft and in the ways we are going to teach."

The first F-35 mission rehearsal trainer recently arrived to the wing and was demonstrated to an international press pool. The trainer is one of several devices that will be used to train pilots. The machine replicates the cockpit of an F-35 and uses the same software and training systems used for flight. It is a containerized, forward-deployable version of the full mission simulator slated to arrive late this year.

"Compared to the other airplanes I've flown, the F-16 (Fighting Falcon) and the A-10 (Thunderbolt II), the mission rehearsal trainer for the F-35 flies more like how I would envision a fifth-generation fighter flying," said Maj. Eric Smith, the 58th Fighter Squadron assistant operations director. "It is just like flying a formation off a tanker or something in an F-16. It is great."

Contractors creating the trainer's software took cameras out during daylight and nighttime hours to capture the most realistic pictures of Eglin Air Force Base possible, said Greg Wilder, the Lockheed Martin lead instructor for the MRT. The trainer even shows grease and skid marks on the runway.

The trainer is one of many technological steps for three military services and eight partner nations purchasing the F-35. From their arrival at the 33rd Academic Training Center, students will interact with the latest technology, receiving laptops from the registrar's office instead of books.

"You are looking at a pretty advanced 21st century classroom. You will notice there are no pads, no pens on the desk, no books," said Marine Col. Arthur Tomassetti, the 33rd FW vice commander. "The students, whether they are pilots or maintainers, are going to start in a state-of-the-art electronic classroom."

The high-tech environment is a stark contrast to traditional training methods using chalk boards, stacks of books, poster-sized visual aids and cockpit mock-ups.

"I went through flight training in the A-10 in 1996," Major Smith said. "Back then, there was no simulator for the A-10. It was a cockpit procedure trainer that you just threw switches and nothing really happened. The academics were all on view graphs. They would put things on the slide projector, and it would go up on the screen. It was all grease pencils and view graphs."

Touch-screen technology on desktop pilot training aids in the classrooms replaces the grease pencils and graphs.

The computers and controls, which will be in every classroom, run the same software as the actual F-35, said Maj. Matt W. Renbarger, the 58th Fighter Squadron weapons and tactics chief.

"What is unique about this system is that the way you are learning on the pilot training aide, the way you are learning on the MRT, will look the same (as) when you get to the airplane because it is running the same software," he said.

The core cadre of instructor pilots will spend the summer working through dry runs of the courseware, Colonel Tomassetti said.

When the wing reaches full strength in 2014, it will train Air Force, Marine, Navy and international partner operators and maintainers on the F-35.