Fighter Pilot Colonel with 35 simulator minutes was at controls of Apache that crashed

[dapaterson]

Maybe 35 hours in a simulator isn't quite enough to fly a helicopter, even if you are a USAF Reserve F35 pilot? Utah National Guard might want to think about things.

Unqualified F-35 Pilot At the Controls During Utah National Guard Apache Crash, Investigation Reveals

An F-35 pilot with only 35 minutes of experience in an Apache simulator was flying the Utah National Guard Apache that crashed earlier this year. On Feb.

theaviationist.com

 

[dimsum]

Maybe 35 hours in a simulator isn't quite enough to fly a helicopter, even if you are a USAF Reserve F35 pilot? Utah National Guard might want to think about things.

Unqualified F-35 Pilot At the Controls During Utah National Guard Apache Crash, Investigation Reveals

An F-35 pilot with only 35 minutes of experience in an Apache simulator was flying the Utah National Guard Apache that crashed earlier this year. On Feb.

theaviationist.com

Oh I’m going to love reading the flight safety report on that.

 

[lenaitch]

Article says 35 minutes, not hours.

 

[SupersonicMax]

We put fighter pilots at the controls of helos (without sim time) and helo pilots in the front seat of fighters (after about 1hr of sim time) safely for Test Pilot Selection. My first flight at Test Pilot School (a long time ago now…) was at the control of a UH-60L.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Article says 35 minutes, not hours.

Thanks....edited title to reflect.

 

[The Bread Guy]

We put fighter pilots at the controls of helos (without sim time) and helo pilots in the front seat of fighters (after about 1hr of sim time) safely for Test Pilot Selection. My first flight at Test Pilot School (a long time ago now…) was at the control of a UH-60L.

Thanks for a bit more of the rest of the story. Any insights re: what kind of “orientation” buddy might have been participating in? Doesn’t sound like a test pilot selection process (where seeing how a pilot manages a different kind of airframe makes sense) from the article.

 

[dimsum]

Thanks for a bit more of the rest of the story. Any insights re: what kind of “orientation” buddy might have been participating in? Doesn’t sound like a test pilot selection process (where seeing how a pilot manages a different kind of airframe makes sense) from the article.

An orientation flight is usually a familiarization flight to show an incoming leader or VIP what the unit is like, what the aircraft is like, etc.

Not a selection process.

 

[SupersonicMax]

Thanks for a bit more of the rest of the story. Any insights re: what kind of “orientation” buddy might have been participating in? Doesn’t sound like a test pilot selection process (where seeing how a pilot manages a different kind of airframe makes sense) from the article.

No. My point was to show that doing these types of things can be done safely with much less experienced pilots.