Pilot Management Policy and Pilot Training Rates

A study of the effects of lengthening the initial cockpit flying time for Air Force pilots. Changing the number of operational flying years required of career pilots, the number of years required of all pilots in their initial cockpit tours, and the timing of career rotation from cockpit to nonflying duty will change the number and cost of new pilots to be trained. Criteria by which the author assesses alternative pilot management policies include pilot quality, cost, career development, mobilization potential, acceptability, and replacement training rate — the number per thousand man-years at which new pilots must be trained to supply a given number of operational cockpit man-years. Lengthening initial cockpit tours could reduce training programs and initial training costs, improve quality, reduce recurrent advanced-pilot-training costs, and provide career pilots more time away from operational flying. (See also R-615, RM-6282-1.)