For all B-52 flyers, all roads lead to the 11th BS

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brandon Kusek
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. (AFPN) --  For B-52 Stratofortress aircrew members, all roads lead to Barksdale, more specifically the 11th Bomb Squadron. 

All "Buff" navigators, pilots or electronic warfare officers goes through their initial and upgrade training in the 11th BS. 

During 2005, the squadron processed 315 students.

“Of the 315 students we processed, 180 of them were brand new to the Buff,” said Lt. Col. Parker Northrup III, 11th BS commander. 

The colonel said the new students now go through a relatively new block training process. 

“Granted, nothing was wrong with the old program; we made it (better),” Colonel Northrup said. “Now it’s a progressive learning process where information is gradually introduced in a block format."

Colonel Northrup said there are four blocks in the training -- aircraft operations, weapons employment, operational qualification and joint proficiency. 

Maj. Dave Sikora, 11th BS instructor, said one of the many benefits block scheduling introduces is the ability to quickly deploy a crewmember after graduation. 

“Before block scheduling it would sometimes take 120 days after graduation to get upgrade training complete and be qualified to deploy,” he said. “Since block scheduling, some graduates have deployed within 30 days of arriving at their squadrons."
 
“Instead of going to the (operational bomb) squadrons with just the basics, block classes have helped students learn more about the Buff,” said Capt. Sarah Hall, 11th BS instructor. “Students leave here more qualified.” 

The first block develops the skills required to safely occupy a duty position. 

“Because the students’ knowledge of the aircraft is limited we teach them basic things such as egress life support, take-offs and landings,” Major Sikora said. “This block is basically for the co-pilots; it’s their first time in the jet.” 

The major added that some of the most difficult things encountered during the initial block are getting acclimated to the ejection seat and parachute. 

“The first landing is very difficult for the co-pilots. It's obviously different from training aircraft,” the major said. 

The second phase develops weapons employment skills and knowledge.

“The focus goes from take-offs and landings to in-flight air refueling and bombing,” Major Sikora said. 

Major Sikora said the students must now pace themselves through the mission because of the sortie duration. 

In addition to the refueling and bomb runs, the students are now running the full checklists instead of just a few things, including incorporating the electronic warfare officers. 

“We no longer focused on each individual crew position. They’re no longer in their own worlds,” the major said. “In the trainers everyone is kind of isolated, but now they put the whole mission together and work as a team.” 

The students are now preparing for their check ride. 

“The standards are the same from block two. Now we’re just adding more tactical training such as the employment of precision-guided munitions compared to unguided weapons,” Major Sikora said. 

The major said one of the most challenging changes are threats in the target area. 

“In block two, everything was vanilla. Now we’re throwing in threat reactions and advanced weapons procedures,” Major Sikora said. 

Additionally, students are getting their first taste of the joint world by using the virtual B-52 to learn advance tactics and add multiple airframes. During the third block, the students sometimes get to experience Red Flag and Air Warrior II exercises through the virtual B-52. 

“Sometimes, depending on scheduling and abilities, the students get to physically fly down to the exercise,” Major Sikora said. 

Because of the added stress from learning new things and the pressure of the check ride, block three is considered the hardest, and has the highest chance of not passing. 

“When they’re in their student status, we can push them to the limit so they learn their breaking point,” Major Sikora stated. “They have to find that point during training, not during an operational mission.” 

“In blocks one through three, students learn on an intellectual level how the Buff fits into the world. In block four they see it hands on,” Captain Hall said. 

“They know how their weapons systems work. Now they learn how to incorporate other platforms to accomplish the mission,” Major Sikora said. 

According to the instructors, in blocks one and two, students learn about the airframe and weapons. In block three they use the resources they’ve learned about and block four puts them into operational scenarios. 

“The students are now thinking about how the Buff fits into a scenario. Instead of one threat, they get multiple threats,” Major Sikora said. “They must figure out what they have to work with to accomplish the mission.” 

Before the students graduate they go through assignment day, where they figure out which of the operational squadrons they’ll go to. 

“We give them a breadth of experiences to go out to their squadrons and build on,” Captain Hall said. “The (training) provides the complete foundation to be a mission qualified crewmember. The operational squadrons build on that knowledge and increase their combat efficiency.”