Simulating the Future

Photo By Master Sgt. Lynette Hoke | Chief Warrant Officer Meaghan Lambord, Attacks Operations Officer, C Company 1-126 from Maine, suits up in the specialized equipment used to fly the Reconfigurable Collective Training Devices.  

FORT RUCKER, UNITED STATES

11.13.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Lynette Hoke 

Minnesota National Guard

FORT RUCKER, Alabama. - U.S. Army Aviation War fighter Center is known for its multiple flight schools, trainers and state of the art technology available to anyone involved in the world of Army Aviation.

Currently around 150 Soldiers who will be deploying to Iraq as Task Force 34 next spring are participating in an Aviation Training Exercise including extensive digital simulation environments.

Currently, the Soldiers are flying mock missions on Reconfigurable Collective Training Devices which are a part of Army Flight School 21. This is an Army training system, which includes aircraft simulators. The simulators can be reconfigured into five different types of aircraft.

The need for 18 interchangeable simulators is important for aviation training, missions and support. The need for the technological upgrades is important factor in training for combat.

"Back in the early days, everything was analog," said Jim Perkins, Program Engineer for L3 Communications which designs and maintains the systems at Ft. Rucker, Ala. "As digital computers have become more cost effective, we switched over from analog to digital. We have gotten to add more complexity and visual reality to the simulators. They have a fantastic visual, you can really get immersed."

Some of the Soldiers who have flown in the simulators find the training environment to be a good learning tool for what they may face down the road.

"We are able to train the pilots in a collective environment," said Perkins. "You have to talk to ground people, air support and other components of a real life mission. The ability to communicate with everyone around them is essential for training success."

The simulators may not be a sufficient equivalent for the open air and power the pilots will feel actually flying, but it provides a safe, cost efficient, economically friendly and structured place were they can learn.

"Pilots normally want to fly in the real aircraft," said Perkins. "The simulator is a safe environment to learn, in particular, emergency procedures. We have a lot of emergency procedures in these and other simulators."

"You can fail an engine and see how the pilot reacts," said Perkins. "We have a lot of subtle emergency procedures to see how the pilot reacts. The emergencies we can throw at them here, you would not want to do in the air. It would hazard the air; hazard the pilots and everyone around them. Cost effect, we are a lot cheaper to run than an aircraft. The electricity we are using verses the fuel an aircraft would use is very effective."

Task Force 34 is comprised of Soldiers from 11 different states and Germany. The Task Force will deploy in early spring of 2008.

• Date Taken: 11.13.2007
• Date Posted: 11.17.2007 09:35
• Story ID: 13993
• Location: FORT RUCKER, US