Pilatus PC-21

Training for the Nintendo generation

When I graduated from RAAF Pilots Course in the mid-eighties the advanced trainer was a jet – the Macchi MB326H. This aircraft was also the ‘lead-in fighter’ trainer (LIF) and the front-line fighter was the Mirage III. RAAF cockpits had round dials, lots of them, and GPS was still a way off. The F-18 Hornet soon replaced the Mirage and began a new era of sophisticated RAAF cockpits. It also created a gulf between the competency of a Macchi cockpit graduate and what was needed to begin operational training in the Hornet. This began an ongoing discussion of what is often referred to as the ‘training gap’.

The Pilatus PC-9/A turbo-prop soon became the ‘all-through’ trainer for Pilots Course and a dwindling number of Macchi jets with useable fatigue life continued in the LIF role. When the Macchi was replaced by the Hawk jet the cockpit and performance gap between LIF and operational platform was reduced. However the gap between the ‘wings’ platform and LIF widened significantly. The unfortunate economics of a training gap is that the competency deficit is mostly made up on the more capable and expensive platform. This is not just a fast-jet training phenomenon and is an issue for all operational types. The roles and cockpits of the ADF C130, C-17, imminent Boeing and Airbus products and even the helicopters increase in sophistication. And of course many are jets.