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 Air Force Reserve Command instructor pilots are moving into another weapons system — the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The 301st FS was reactivated in March as part of AFRC’s 944th FW, a Reserve associate unit to Luke’s 56th FW — an Air Education and Training Command unit. Reserve instructor pilots from the 301st FS will fly 56th FW F-16s to train active-duty student pilots for their multirole mission. The Reserve instructor-pilot associate program is a joint AFRC and AETC initiative, designed to address the Air Force’s current active-duty pilot retention problems.
Luke is not the only base supporting AETC with Reserve instructor pilots to ease the current pilot shortage. The 340th Flight Training Group at Randolph AFB, Texas, and its five flying training squadrons provide associate instructor pilots on T-1, T-37, AT-38, and T-38 aircraft.
At Dobbins ARB, Georgia, the 94th Airlift Wing is gearing up to train C-130 aircrews. The wing converted from a tactical airlift mission to a training mission in October. "Establishing an IP associate program at Luke will expand America’s total fighter pilot force, capture invested training dollars, and help alleviate our active-duty pilot shortage," said Gen. Lloyd Newton, AETC commander. "If we are going to fly and fight together, it’s logical that we train together." |
