Gaining Through Training: Pilot Proficiency in Modern Combat Aviation

Abstract : This study provides an analysis of how the US Air Force could improve MQ-9 pilots decision-making skills in combat. The work first outlines reasons why the RPA community struggles to produce consistently proficient pilots in dynamic combat scenarios. The author then utilizes a historical, qualitative, and conceptual analysis of The Air Mail Fiasco, Arc Light, and Instructional Systems Development in ICBM training to identify contextual parallels to operational training of modern combat aviators.In the 1930s, US Air Corps leadership incorporated short-term policy changes and long-term changes to training, including quantity of training and the use of simulators, to improve pilot proficiency.