Luke Begins First Undergraduate F-35 Training

The F-35 Academic Training Center at Luke AFB, Ariz., has completed the first undergraduate curriculum to train F-35 pilots. The program will allow the Air Force for the first time to train F-35 pilots who have no previous fighter experience. Teams at Luke have spent the past few years developing the curriculum, which is already being put to use training the first group of pilots, who began the program on Dec. 5. To complete the entire course takes more than seven months and combines academic study with simulator experience and actual flying. The six pilots in the initial undergraduate class have trained on the T-38 Talon and the T-6 Texan II. Training squadron leadership said producing F-35 pilots who don’t need to relearn habits from their experience with previous aircraft is a key step in the development of a strong F-35 pilot community.