Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 13 interview I n February 2016, the Future Air- crew Training program was granted a broader scope to include current Air Combat Systems Officers (ACSO) and Airborne Electronic Sensor Op- erators, otherwise known as AES Ops. As a result, the "Future Pilot Training Project" was renamed Future Aircrew Training, or FAcT. Pilots, ACSOs and AES Ops share core skills and knowledge for which a common training system may be employed. The de- sign of the new training system will seek to incorporate the latest and best concepts and technologies for aircrew training avail- able from industry and in use by other mili- taries around the world. Through the FAcT program, the Cana- dian Armed Forces (CAF) will ensure that the three aircrew occupations move on to their Operational Training Units with suf- ficient immersion in live flying and simula- tion to provide them with appropriate skill sets in their respective fields. Recently, Vanguard had the opportunity to interview Colonel Pete Saunders Direc- tor of Air Simulation and Training with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) about the FAcT program. Col Saunders enrolled in the Canadian Forces in March 1990. Since that time, he has enjoyed operational postings flying and instructing on his beloved Sea King Helicopters at 443 (MH) Sqn in Pat Bay, British Columbia; 423 (MH) Sqn, and 12 Wing Operations in Shearwater, Nova Sco- tia; culminating in Command of 406 (M) OTS. He has served onboard HMCS An- napolis, HMCS Iroquois, HMCS Frederic- ton and HMCS Toronto and has deployed throughout the Middle East. Q Col Saunders, we know that there is a shortage of pilots in Canada. Of course, this problem is not just limited to Canada, but is a global issue as well. What is the current level of pilot/aircrew production in Canada, and how many more will FAcT produce once that pro- gram is in place? While the RCAF does not have a short- age of applicants for a career as a pilot, low levels of experienced personnel pose a risk to the RCAF's operational output, which impacts the RCAF's ability to train, ab- sorb, and employ its personnel in certain capabilities. The RCAF, in conjunction with CAF se- nior leadership, is putting in place targeted short-term objectives and holistic long- term activities that will stabilize and grow the RCAF pilot experience levels across all training and operational aircraft fleets. One of these initiatives is the augmen- tation of pilot training capacity. This will serve to increase the timeliness, absorp- tion, and production of New Wing Gradu- ates (NWG) and pilot Operational Train- ing Unit Graduates (OTU), while being postured to rapidly absorb these pilots at the tactical squadrons. The FAcT program will deliver a rel- evant, flexible and effective aircrew train- ing solution which modernizes the initial phases of pilot training currently provided via the NFTC and CFTS contracts as well as initial training ACSOs and AES Ops. 2 Canadian Air Division produced 100 New Winged Grads (NWG) during the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Broken down into the subsequent streams for pilots, this number represents 21 Phase III Harvard, 49 helicopter, and 33 multi-engine pilots. Additionally, 38 ACSOs and 17 AES Ops were produced in the same timeframe. The new program will produce an in- creased number of graduates to a newly defined standard. Specifically, FAcT seeks to generate 120 Pilots, 40 ACSOs and 36 AES Ops each year. Q Pilot training can be quite costly. What is the current cost of training a basic pilot, and how much will it cost under the new contract? The current training program for pilots is conducted under the auspices of two ser- vice contracts: • A $3.8 billion, 25-year contract with CAE Military Aviation Training, end- ing in 2023 (as last amended), for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Fly- ing Training in Canada (NFTC) pro- gram, which operates out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; • A $1.8 billion, 22-year contract with Allied Wings, ending in 2027, for the Contracted Flying Training and Sup- port (CFTS) program, which operates out of Southport Aerospace Centre near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. 3 Cana- dian Forces Flying Training School (3 CFFTS) conducts flying training on the Multi-Engine and the Helicopter train- ing programs while the contractor, Al- lied Wings, provides all other aspects of training and support services for pri- mary, basic and advanced training pro- grams. The invitation to qualify for the FAcT program identified five qualified suppliers (Airbus Defence and Space, Babcock Can- ada Inc., Leonardo Canada, Lockheed Martin Canada Inc., SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership). Canada is currently in an engagement phase which involves in-depth consultation with the five quali- fied suppliers. Phase 3 of the solicitation process will be a competitive Request for

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