The Fighter Associate Program: Air Force finds creative solution to pilot training problem

To meet the growing need for tighter pilot training, Air Force Reserve Command and Air Combat Command have entered into an agreement to begin the Fighter Associate Program.

Gen. Hal M. Homburg, ACC commander, and Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, AFRC commander, said the new program will build closer ties with a sharing of resources that will benefit both commands and Total Force relations. The memorandum of agreement creating the program went into effect April 2.

The agreement calls for reservists to be assigned to active-duty units and active-duty pilots to Reserve units. The idea is not new but rather a refinement of two other programs that were already in place.

As a result of the force drawdown that took place in the early 1990s, the Air Force began experiencing a shortage in the number of fighter pilots it was producing each year.

"When we downsized active-duty forces, we didn't realize we were losing all our trainers," said Col. Bob Nunnally, Reserve adviser to the ACC commander and leader of the team that developed FAP. "The active force requires 330 to 380 new pilots a year, but it only has the resources available to train 302. A tighter pilot generally needs 500 flight hours to be considered fully qualified."

Looking for creative solutions to the problem, the Air Force implemented the Fighter Reserve Associate Program at Shaw AFB, S.C., in 1997. FRAP offered pilots who were leaving the active-duty Air Force from Shaw's tighter wing the chance to continue flying with the same unit but in a Reserve status.

In December 2000, Gen. John Jumper, commander of ACC at the time, declared the program a huge success and directed his staff to find a way to expand it to other ACC units.

Another effort to solve the pilot training program involved the creation of the Total Force Absorption Program, which sent some active-duty pilots to Reserve and Air National Guard units after completing 18 months with an active-duty unit. The idea was these pilots would be able to accumulate more flying hours and receive training from Reserve component units without overburdening already strained active-duty resources.

"The Reserve has a great pool of instructor pilots," Nunnally said. "Nearly all Reserve tighter pilots are prior-service with extensive experience."

Though both programs were successful, they each had limitations. For example, FRAP was limited to only Shaw, and TFAP required pilots to report to an active-duty unit each quarter to receive training and mentorship necessary for career progression.

In creating FAP, officials from the two commands took the best aspects of these existing programs and expanded them to create Reserve associate units and active associate units.

The Reserve associate aspect of the program will place a detachment of four reservists, one full-time and three traditional, within an active-duty squadron. The reservists will primarily serve as instructor pilots. At some units there will also be six enlisted aircraft maintenance reservists assigned, two full-time and four traditional, who will serve as a team of experienced maintainers for training and continuity.

Initially, Reserve associate units will be established in active-duty squadrons at Hill AFB, Utah; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; and Langley AFB, Va. In addition, a second unit will be located at Shaw AFB.

The active associate aspect of the program will involve embedding a team of three active-duty pilots in a Reserve tighter squadron. The team will consist of one fully trained instructor pilot and two inexperienced pilots fresh out of flight training.

The active-duty instructor pilot will serve as supervisor, providing the inexperienced pilots with the mentorship and training they need, doing away with the need for quarterly trips to an active-duty unit. The instructor will also lessen the scheduling burden on the Reserve unit's instructors.

Active associate detachments are slated to join Reserve units at Hill AFB; Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla.; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas; NAS JRB New Orleans, La.; and Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Both AFRC and ACC will benefit from the arrangement.

"When the active duty cut back pilot production, our recruiting pool disappeared," said Lt. Col. John Hart, the Reserve's 10th Air Force liaison to the FAP team. "Our older guys are retiring, and we're facing a shortage."

Hart said he believes ACC will benefit from the addition of proven instructor pilots and access to more aircraft and flight hours at a time when front-line aircraft are being pushed to the limit around the world fulfilling current operations.

FAP will replace FRAP and Reserve involvement in TFAP for the combat air forces side. The TFAP program will remain active on the airlift side. Air National Guard traits are not involved in the new program and will continue TFAP. However, that may change in the future.

"This is just a first step," said Lt. Col. Patrick McAndrews, chief of ACC's Flight Management Branch. "Five to 10 years down the road, we hope to expand the program to include the Guard."

McAndrews said he considers FAP to be another important step toward an integrated Total Force.

"We need to use Total Force as an avenue to train and equip our new lieutenants," he said. "It's sorely needed and currently lacking in the active-duty force."

(Technical Sergeant Byron is assigned to the 459th Airlift Wing Office of Public Affairs, Andrews AFB, Md.)

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