Reengineering Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training

The purpose of this research is to identify shortfalls in the current U.S. Air Force USAF joint specialized undergraduate pilot training JSUPT system and illustrate potential reengineering alternatives for future training programs to provide the USAF with the best possible graduate pilots. The three alternatives for future training programs include the current program JSUPT, an extended T-6 only option, and a return to generalized undergraduate pilot training UPT. After interviewing subject matter experts from various backgrounds in the Air Force, the author recommends returning to a generalized pilot training program. The overriding factors that favor the generalized UPT system include assignment flexibility, product quality, and consolidated logistics support costs. Future research should be directed at defining the requirements of the follow-on T-38 trainer T-X. Both airframe acquisition requirements and syllabus specifics need to be addressed to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the generalized UPT system. Regardless of the process in which the USAF trains its student pilots, the Air Force has been widely recognized as having some of the best trained pilots in the world. And while the USAF currently employs a specialized training approach, there are other services and other countries that train their student pilots according to differing philosophies. For comparison, the following three pilot training programs are described the United States Navy, the Israeli Air Force, and the Swiss Air Force.