Published: February 24, 2007 11:43 pm         

IFF turns pilots into warriors, jets into weapons

Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, which turns out some 400 graduates per year at Vance Air Force Base, teaches young Air Force, Navy and Marine officers to become military pilots.

Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, the advanced training course set to begin in August at Vance, teaches military pilots to become warriors.

“Essentially they learn how to turn a jet into a weapon,” said Lt. Col. Brian Tonnell, operations officer for Detachment 1, which later this spring will become the 3rd Fighter Training Squadron.

The 40-day course teaches recently minted pilots the basics of air-to-ground and air-to-air combat.

“Obviously we won’t be taking T-38s to war anytime soon,” said Tonnell, “but it’s the basic concepts.”

All students in the 3rd FTS will be Vance pilot training graduates who completed their training in the T-38 fighter-bomber track. IFF graduates then move on to receive advanced training in their assigned aircraft.

Students will pursue one of three tracks. “A” track, or air-to-air, will be for students who will be assigned to the F-15C. “B” track students will train for a dual air-to-air or air-to ground role and will go on to fly the F-16 or the F-15E. “C” track will teach primarily air-to-ground tactics to students assigned to fly the A-10.

“They all do air-to-air,” said Fitzsimmons, “but the A-10s don’t do as much of it. The A track doesn’t go any air-to-surface, any bombing.”

No bombs actually will be dropped over northwest Oklahoma, no missiles or guns fired. All weapons will be simulated, but the flying will be quite real.

“You still have an armament switch where you arm everything up like you have some bombs, but there isn’t actually anything there,” said Lt. Col. Scott Fitzsimmons, assistant director of operations for Detachment 1.

Bomb drops will be simulated and scored by computer.

“It will give you a score based on how well you aimed where it (the computer) told you to aim,” said Fitzsimmons.

Air-to-air “combat” is scored by IFF instructors by reviewing cockpit videotape of student flights.

“They will simulate dropping bombs, simulate shooting missiles, simulate shooting the gun,” said Tonnell, “but nothing will come off the airplane.”

IFF flights will take place in the same northwest Oklahoma airspace used by undergraduate T-38 students.

Besides actual flying hours and simulator rides, A track students will complete more than 66 hours of academic work, compared to 87 hours for B track and 85 hours for C track. An additional T-38 simulator will be brought in to accommodate IFF students.

IFF students will spend more time preparing for, and debriefing after, their flights than their undergraduate counterparts.

“In UPT we’re doing kind of a building block approach,” said Fitzsimmons. “We’re teaching new things, but we continue doing old stuff and then we add a couple new events. With these guys (IFF students), it’s mostly new. We’re going to be throwing a lot of new stuff at them, and there really isn’t a whole lot of time to regress.”

IFF instructors will teach flying skills but will work to foster a mindset, as well.

“They will be developing a fighter pilot mindset,” said Tonnell. “They are trying to ingrain in them (students) the single-seat mindset, where they have to rely on themselves and their skills, solely. But, at the same time, they must be able to fight with their brother, who now is in an another aircraft as opposed to in his back seat.”

All IFF instructors will be able to teach students in all three tracks. About half the instructors will be coming from Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., and the other half from fighter assignments, said Fitzsimmons. Upon recommendation of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure commission, the IFF mission at Moody will be divided among Vance and Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and Columbus (Ga.) Air Force Base.