RAF partners with PTN

After a visit last May to the Pilot Training Next (PTN)facility in Austin, Texas, and facing a pilot shortage, the United Kingdom’sRoyal Air Force is taking innovation to the next level with the inclusion of astudent and an instructor pilot in the second iteration of the class.

Pilot Training Next 2.0 is the continuation of the U.S. AirForce’s experimental training environment that integrates various technologiesto produce aviators in an accelerated, cost efficient and learning-focusedmanner.

“The RAF needs to reduce the time it takes to train a pilot,as well as increase our overall pilot numbers,” said British Army Col. PaddyLogan, assistant director for flying training of the Headquarters 22 Group.“Our (RAF) chief of the air staff has given us the go–ahead to push theenvelope and innovate our pilot-training pipeline. We don’t have the capacityto experiment this way, so having this partnership and having people here tolearn what the (U.S. Air Force) is doing is invaluable.”

As the RAF transitions to the T-6 Texan II as their primarytrainer aircraft, their goal is to incorporate PTN lessons learned into theirundergraduate pilot training program almost immediately as they transition thisfall.

“We are just now about to introduce the Texan II into ourflying training program, so this is the ideal opportunity to begin weavingthings learned here at PTN into the curriculum at the same time we are standingup vice incorporating them in later on,” said RAF Wing Commander ChristopherPote, Headquarters 22 Group. “We are looking at what we can do with theresources we have and use lessons from PTN to fill in the gaps that allow us toaccomplish milestones like earlier solo flights, or fewer sorties to achievecompetencies, while at the same time maintaining our standards and quality.”

Another aspect of the PTN program that has stood out to theRAF is the human performance element.

“The integrated approach to sleep, fitness, health and diet together is what we should be doing,” Logan said. “We are treating them like high-end athletes, which shows our airmen how much we value what they are doing and in turn can help with retention.”

For the PTN 2.0 team, the opportunity to have aninternational student and instructor pilot in the class has opened the apertureon learning even further as both countries face some of the same challenges interms of pilot production and retention.