Re: How far advanced is our technology?


Message posted by loopbacktest4echo on October 16, 2008 at 11:17:45 PST:

From the Association for Umanned Vehicle System International
09/2008
USAF to Create New UAS Pilot Career Track
By Brett Davis
In what's described as a major cultural change, the U.S. Air Force is seeking to boost the ranks of its unmanned systems operators by setting up a new career path aimed at putting them on equal footing with their "white scarf" flying brethren.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norty Schwartz announced the change Sept. 16 at the Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C.

"The Air Force culture must promote a strong and healthy UAS community, not a 'leper colony' or an agency of expedience," he said. "Our intent is to chart a path toward full institutional integration of these capabilities by carving a career path for UAS professionals that is equivalent to their manned and battle management counterparts."

While many details about the longer-term UAS cadre remain to be worked out, the Air Force is setting out immediately to begin meeting its need for 1,100 UAS Predator and Reaper pilots by 2012.

"We are going to transform our culture," said Brig. Gen. Lyn Sherlock, Air Force director of air operations for operations, plans and requirements, who briefed reporters on the change at the exposition. She notes that this would be the second largest group of aviators in the service behind F-16 pilots.

The Air Force is taking a two-pronged approach. The first calls for selecting 100 Undergraduate Pilot Training graduates a year to begin UAS training as their first tour of duty, with the first batch to be assigned in October. After completing a UAS tour they will be assigned to manned aircraft. Schwartz said this initiative will "continue as long as the need exists."

The second approach is to begin in January when 10 active-duty officers will be trained to fly UAS, with an eye to creating a "distinct UAS operator training pipeline separate from current Air Force pilot training," Schwartz said.

Initial training would be at Pueblo, Colo., where the Air Force conducts introductory flight training, with UAS-specific training—including major weapons system training—to follow at Creech.

The lessons learned from training the first 10 will be used to help train a second group of 10. Sherlock said these pilots will be ranked among the cream of the Air Force crop because "the training these pilots are going to get is not just in the physical flying of the plane. They're going to be experienced in how we do air-to-ground operations."

However, she added, "this will certainly be a cultural change, no doubt about

Attached link: http://www.auvsi.org/news/index.cfm#News1814

In Reply to: Re: How far advanced is our technology? posted by Alex (UK) on October 15, 2008 at 16:02:19 PST:

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