US Air Force Academy

Customer Feature

The US Air Force Academy, USAFA, located in Colorado Springs uses a Frasca T-53 simulator to help solve training challenges for their cadets. The device was installed in November of 2020 and has been essential part of the training program. Designed to replicate the look, feel and operation of a T-53 aircraft, the simulator has improved pilot training in several areas, including emergency and safety procedures and has helped solved several training challenges for the academy.

USAFA T53

Challenge:

Due to complex weather conditions along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, a significant percentage of the aircraft flights/sorties within USAFA’s Powered Flight Program are cancelled due to inclement weather, slowing down the cadet’s training progress.

Solution:

A flight simulator located inside a climate-controlled building is independent of the weather conditions outside, which allows training flights/sorties to continue uninterrupted, enabling cadets’ training to stay on track and even be accelerated.

Challenge:

Because cadets will transfer the skills they learn in the flight simulator as they transition to the actual aircraft, the new flight simulator must be a high level of fidelity/realism and correspond very closely to the actual aircraft, which is now over 9 years old.

Solution:

Frasca was able to cooperatively work with Cirrus Aircraft and Garmin International to equip the newly built flight simulator with actual Garmin G1000 Perspective avionics and other equipment to closely match USAFA’s existing aircraft configuration, thus providing cadets with a very realistic and safe training environment.

Challenge:

To provide cadets with a wrap-around view of the airport environment for traffic pattern work, the flight simulator must have a large visual system, but this system is typically too tall to fit into USAFA’s planned facilities for the flight simulator.

Solution:

Frasca provided a visual system utilizing the latest in Image Generator technologies and a circular bank of LED HDTVs that provides a 270-degree wrap-around view but in a shorter configuration that will fit into USAFA’s facilities.

“The simulator allows us to practice emergency scenarios and student errors that are much too dangerous to conduct in the aircraft,” said Maj. Timothy Baik, assistant director of operations at the 557th Flying Training Squadron at the Academy. “Our instructors will gain tremendous experience in unfamiliar situations that will improve both the safety and the quality of training for cadets.”

“When it comes to training systems and what the T-53 supports, I think it’s important to look back at a lesson we learned coming out of other conflicts,” said Lt. Col. Juan Ramirez, the Simulators Division’s Integrated Product team lead for the T-53 simulator. “One of the ways we can be more successful in combat is not only having more training but better training. The delivery of this simulator fits into that. It shows that simulators play a key role in the Air Education and Training Command mission of supporting the high end fight.”

More than 500 cadets participate in the Academy’s Powered Flight Program each year. The 557th Flying Training Squadron is attached to Air Education and Training Command’s 306th Flying Training Group at the Academy.

USAFA T53
TOP