USAF to tap X-Box generation as UAV pilots

Reports suggest that the US Air Force (USAF) may be all set to create a new job specialty, that of UAV pilots, and may start recruiting people for the job some time later this year. It is likely that the position may in the officer rank.

As UAV pilots the USAF expects to attract those who had applied to be regular pilots, but had failed to make the grade because of minor physical faults. The USAF may be prepared to overlook these faults because it is aware that the current crop of recruits are the X-Box generation that has grown up on video games. Thousands of hours devoted to playing video games may have developed skills that the air force may find quite handy for the job. The US Army uses NCOs to pilot its UAVs, which are generally smaller than those used by the USAF.

Though details of the new recruitment policy are still being worked out, it is possible that UAV pilots may be required to have a commercial, single engine, pilot license. This would give UAV pilots practical experience in an aircraft of roughly the same size and flying characteristics as a Predator. Classroom instruction, however, is expected to be almost identical to that of the pilots of manned aircraft.

Flight instruction, however, is expected to take place on a customized version of the Microsoft Flight Simulator (MFS), which will emulate the Predator, and possibly other UAVs, as the air force appears to be satisfied that the MFS had an accurate enough flight model to be used for UAV pilot instruction.

The three month Undergraduate Remote Pilot Training (URT) will initially have five students, but will rise to 30 students in a year or so, and eventually turn out 120 pilots a year. After URT, UAV pilots will get two or three months instruction on the Predator or the Global Hawk aircraft.