Wikiposts
Search
Military Aviation A forum for the professionals who fly military hardware. Also for the backroom boys and girls who support the flying and maintain the equipment, and without whom nothing would ever leave the ground. All armies, navies and air forces of the world equally welcome here.

How Long?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 8th Feb 2023, 22:40
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Central UK
Posts: 1,636
Received 136 Likes on 65 Posts
How Long?

Take 50 reasonably experienced but infinitely motivated fast jet pilots current on Russian aircraft.
Send them to Uncle Sam for the most intensive combat conversion possible onto F16
How long would it take to make them competently combat ready with a sensible suite of weapons?
Would a similar timescale apply to maintainers and ground support crews?
meleagertoo is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 03:00
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: SAUDI
Posts: 462
Received 13 Likes on 9 Posts
Familiarity may breed contempt with people but is a necessity for survival in the cockpit. How long does it take to break the ingrained habit of reaching for switches on the aircraft you are current in to a new one. Then to operate the aircraft fully well it is not a WW11 aircraft with a few knobs and switches. I'll leave it to the more current members to make a professional estimate on time but given that once you qual as a fighter pilot there is still advanced schools of operations (Top Gun) to undertake to hone your skills.
finestkind is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 07:12
  #3 (permalink)  
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Peripatetic
Posts: 17,438
Received 1,597 Likes on 733 Posts
AIr Marshall Bagwell thinks that, if you strip out specialised weapon training, AAR etc, they could manage it in 6 weeks.

With some Hawk flights for assessment and familiarisation - call it 8 weeks.

https://www.aerosociety.com/news/ukr...ilot-training/


Q: How long is a western fighter pilots' training? And how short/abridged do you think a conversion course for Ukrainian pilots could be?

A: Conversion to a front line combat aircraft for a new pilot would usually take about six months to become limited combat ready. However, a more experienced pilot would take less than half that time, and someone requalifying on type after a break would only take a few weeks. If operational reasons demanded, then a much shorter course for experienced pilots learning a new type, focussed only on the relevant tactics and weapons, could be done in four to six weeks, much of which could be done on simulators.
ORAC is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 08:00
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Den Haag
Age: 57
Posts: 6,264
Received 336 Likes on 188 Posts
How long does it take to break the ingrained habit of reaching for switches on the aircraft you are current in to a new one.
My experience of changing types is that a totally new cockpit presents few issues. What does cause 'muscle memory' issues is moving to a variant of the same type, where your brain gets confused by the combination of similarity plus differences.
212man is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 09:57
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: UK
Age: 43
Posts: 72
Received 6 Likes on 2 Posts
Not a pilot so sorry, but may I ask why this obsession with aircraft, F16’s/a10’s/tranche 1 Typhoons going to Ukraine? I get Sunak saying it but he’s a politician and it sounds good, but beyond that?

My understanding is that the airspace is pretty saturated with AA defences, so would they actually make any practical difference?

I suppose you could toss rockets further with an f16 than a helicopter…

Would the west equip with the latest stand off capabilities?

Thanks and sorry again, but thank you for this forum and all your service.

L4key is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 13:08
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: London/Oxford/New York
Posts: 2,926
Received 139 Likes on 64 Posts
Originally Posted by L4key
Not a pilot so sorry, but may I ask why this obsession with aircraft, F16’s/a10’s/tranche 1 Typhoons going to Ukraine? I get Sunak saying it but he’s a politician and it sounds good, but beyond that?

My understanding is that the airspace is pretty saturated with AA defences, so would they actually make any practical difference?

I suppose you could toss rockets further with an f16 than a helicopter…

Would the west equip with the latest stand off capabilities?

Thanks and sorry again, but thank you for this forum and all your service.
Did you miss each and every word spoken by the Ukranian President in London yesterday?
pr00ne is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 17:00
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Wildest Surrey
Age: 75
Posts: 10,820
Received 98 Likes on 71 Posts
Originally Posted by meleagertoo
Take 50 reasonably experienced but infinitely motivated fast jet pilots current on Russian aircraft.
Send them to Uncle Sam for the most intensive combat conversion possible onto F16
How long would it take to make them competently combat ready with a sensible suite of weapons?
Would a similar timescale apply to maintainers and ground support crews?
Plenty of Mig 29s in Poland on which they're probably already experienced albeit not current.
I've said it before, I bet there's a civil contractor somewhere in the USA who could supply Mig 29s from somewhere; they did it years ago with Mig 21s when USAF were looking for 'agressors'.
chevvron is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 18:24
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: East Midlands
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Do we not have a some idea how long this normally takes?

We have been running exchange programmes for years. How long to LCR/CR for your average exchange pilot on the new type. Any ex-exchange Ppruners
Johnny Head in Air is offline  
The following users liked this post:
Old 9th Feb 2023, 18:54
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Southampton
Posts: 859
Received 47 Likes on 22 Posts
Originally Posted by meleagertoo
Would a similar timescale apply to maintainers and ground support crews?
I suppose it would depend on the spares package. If you have lots of boxes and components to replace u/s items, then probably not that long. You could just throw things at the aircraft until you fix it.

If you are trying to find the problem with minimal spares and little knowledge of the systems, unless you have some experienced people on speed dial, I suggest that it could take a while to be reasonably effective.

That's if the aircraft came back each time...
Saintsman is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 19:04
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 571
Received 15 Likes on 7 Posts
Originally Posted by chevvron
Plenty of Mig 29s in Poland on which they're probably already experienced albeit not current.
I've said it before, I bet there's a civil contractor somewhere in the USA who could supply Mig 29s from somewhere; they did it years ago with Mig 21s when USAF were looking for 'agressors'.
Apparently 800 Mig 29s exported and Poland supposed have about 32 in 2010.

More detail here if interested MiG 29 exports
Brewster Buffalo is offline  
Old 9th Feb 2023, 19:22
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: UK
Age: 43
Posts: 72
Received 6 Likes on 2 Posts
Originally Posted by pr00ne
Did you miss each and every word spoken by the Ukranian President in London yesterday?
No, I got the gist. Abridged version to me is that longer range missiles were requested but what could a stand off air launched weapon, designated/located by ground forces hit that HIMARS couldn’t? (Even if they were approved as part of a package of aircraft)

We are never going to supply enough numbers, or provide the integrated systems to get air superiority so it seems to me to be a bit of a distraction for headlines rather than actual effectiveness. I get Boris doing it, he’s after cheap soundbytes but Zelensky has to be more pragmatic surely

Anyway, I’m going underground again, it’s a privilege to lurk for me let alone post, but you did ask.
L4key is offline  
The following users liked this post:
Old 9th Feb 2023, 19:29
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 11,837
Likes: 0
Received 33 Likes on 27 Posts
If we assume it's Russian Air Force assets comming over the border is it not better to beef up Ukrainian air defence missiles? Rather that fast jets that ultimaly to the same at 20000 feet... Fox 3..
Kiltrash is offline  
The following users liked this post:
Old 10th Feb 2023, 00:53
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Texas
Age: 64
Posts: 7,228
Received 415 Likes on 258 Posts
After the basic 'learn the weapons system' course, how much time at Nellis to hit the advanced courses and how to do this in groups?
If you are going to be fighting the plane, you need that piece as well.
Lonewolf_50 is offline  
Old 10th Feb 2023, 05:56
  #14 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: aus
Posts: 1,317
Likes: 0
Received 111 Likes on 69 Posts
Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50
After the basic 'learn the weapons system' course, how much time at Nellis to hit the advanced courses and how to do this in groups?
If you are going to be fighting the plane, you need that piece as well.
In RAAF its 8 months from Hawk to Superhornet, (all done domestically) note that includes the 2 man crew RAAF uses in superhornets. F-35 is 12 and is all done domestically
rattman is online now  
Old 10th Feb 2023, 07:27
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kammbronn
Posts: 2,122
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Oh dear.

diginagain is offline  
Old 10th Feb 2023, 09:46
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Den Haag
Age: 57
Posts: 6,264
Received 336 Likes on 188 Posts
What's a Tocano?
212man is offline  
Old 10th Feb 2023, 09:55
  #17 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Scotland
Posts: 832
Received 98 Likes on 51 Posts
Originally Posted by 212man
What's a Tocano?
At least we now know what a Tobias is.
Timelord is offline  
The following users liked this post:
Old 10th Feb 2023, 10:41
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Wildest Surrey
Age: 75
Posts: 10,820
Received 98 Likes on 71 Posts
Originally Posted by 212man
What's a Tocano?
Whatever it is it's not the same as a Short Tucano.
chevvron is offline  
Old 10th Feb 2023, 11:17
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Den Haag
Age: 57
Posts: 6,264
Received 336 Likes on 188 Posts
Originally Posted by chevvron
Whatever it is it's not the same as a Short Tucano.
although I believe as they were never all the same size, some were shorter than others......
212man is offline  
Old 11th Feb 2023, 03:30
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: surfing, watching for sharks
Posts: 4,077
Received 55 Likes on 34 Posts
There seems to be plenty of foreign combatants fighting on behalf of Ukraine, imagine there might be a small-ish number of western fighter pilots who might be willing to do the same.
West Coast is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.