The Training Needs of the Aircrew Flight Equipment Career Field
Insights from a Survey of Airmen
ResearchPublished Aug 10, 2023
Aircrew flight equipment (AFE) personnel inspect, repair, maintain, pack, and adjust aircrew flight equipment, which is vital to the safety of the aircrews. In response to U.S. Air Force concerns about proficiency in the career field, the authors conducted a survey of more than 1,000 AFE enlisted personnel to help the career field better justify specific changes to training and personnel management policies.
Aircrew flight equipment (AFE) personnel inspect, repair, maintain, pack, and adjust aircrew flight equipment, which is vital to the safety of the aircrews. Consequently, U.S. Air Force leadership is concerned about proficiency in the career field. Previous RAND research suggested that changes to training may be needed. This report, following from that recommendation, provides a deeper review and identifies improvements.
The authors conducted a survey of more than 1,000 AFE enlisted personnel to help the career field better justify specific changes to training and personnel management policies. The survey explored six topics: (1) the workforce's level of proficiency, (2) adequacy of initial skills training (IST), (3) adequacy of follow-on training in the field, (4) maintenance of proficiency of 5-level and 7-level personnel, (5) impact of workload on ability to train, and (6) ways to improve training and proficiency. The authors identify proficiency gaps in the workforce and suggest where to first target training resources.
Key Findings
- There are proficiency gaps in the AFE workforce. For a subset of AFE job tasks, 7-levels do not consider themselves fully competent.
- Survey respondents indicate a gap for some tasks between what IST is delivering and the target competency levels for IST graduates, and some think that IST should be changed.
- Proficiency of 5- and 7-levels is lacking in some areas due to insufficient follow-on training, insufficient maintenance of these skills, or both. Lack of qualified instructors, lack of training space and equipment, and other work demands are contributing factors.
- The career field needs additional continuation training to maintain skills. Many tasks are performed infrequently, so skills can degrade.
- Career field personnel perceive that extra workload has a direct effect on the career field's ability to train personnel and to maintain proficiency.
- AFE personnel want extra support to help them brush up on proficiency and check their work. They also believe that the use of videos to illustrate proper techniques and adjustments to technical orders, particularly navigation and ensuring they are up to date, could improve training.
Recommendations
- Shred IST training and address gaps in the proficiency of IST graduates identified in the survey.
- Build dedicated training units in the field and utilize mobile training teams.
- Establish a process of certifying currency and maintaining skill sets.
- Address concerns about AFE work demands.
- Develop videos and embed them in technical orders and modernize the technical orders' technology.
- Invest in practice simulation equipment and make it accessible.
- Devise a system specifically for flagging and recording training issues that is consistent across the career field.
- Continue to look closely at the career field's proficiency and periodically resurvey part or all of the career field.
- Focus resources on the areas in which training is most needed.
- Prioritize the implementation of recommendations with high costs for tasks for which safety is a concern.
Downloads
Topics
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 2023
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 162
- Paperback Price: $49.95
- Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-1-9774-1165-5
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA991-1
- Document Number: RR-A991-1
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Chicago Manual of Style
Hardison, Chaitra M., Tara L. Terry, Lawrence M. Hanser, Jacqueline Wong, Alice Nguyen, and Anthony Lawrence, The Training Needs of the Aircrew Flight Equipment Career Field: Insights from a Survey of Airmen, RAND Corporation, RR-A991-1, 2023. As of September 11, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA991-1.html
Hardison, Chaitra M., Tara L. Terry, Lawrence M. Hanser, Jacqueline Wong, Alice Nguyen, and Anthony Lawrence, The Training Needs of the Aircrew Flight Equipment Career Field: Insights from a Survey of Airmen. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA991-1.html. Also available in print form.
Research conducted by
The research reported here was commissioned by Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) A3/6, operations and communications, and conducted by the Workforce, Development, and Health Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE.
This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.