Emulator boosts GPS training

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Amber Millerchip
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Gone are the days of using a compass for direction finding.

Now, through a constellation of 29 satellites, warfighters, banks, automobile drivers and others benefit from the Air Force's technological advancements with the Global Positioning System.

Owned and operated by the Air Force, GPS provides world navigation, nuclear detonation detection and the most accurate time in the world, said 1st Lt. Michael Synakiewicz, a 533rd Training Squadron satellite operations instructor at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

"If GPS fails, not only can't we drop precision bombs and determine accurate positioning, but we cause severe disruptions to cell phone networks, banks, electrical grids and more," said Lt. Col. Scott Henderson, 2nd Space Operations Squadron commander at Schriever AFB, Colo.

Working to improve satellite operations, Air Education and Training Command, in conjunction with Air Force Space Command and Space and Missile Systems Center officials, recently developed and implemented a $1 million crew training emulator at Vandenberg and Schriever for GPS space operator qualifying training.

The emulator provides realistic training in an environment that simulates the operational GPS command and control system, said Capt. Jeremy Jarvis, an AETC instructor.

The emulator offers several advantages for the space operator career field, Colonel Henderson said.

A significant advantage is the ability to continually upgrade the emulator. As operational changes are made to the real-world system, those changes are made to the emulator to ensure students are trained on the latest procedures.

Training time has been reduced at both training sites. Vandenberg's curriculum was shortened by a month and Schriever's course went from three months to just more than one month, Colonel Henderson said.

The number of people receiving highly qualified ratings, the best rating possible, has also increased since the emulator was added to the training, he said.

"It allows the trainees to be 95-percent qualified when arriving at their new duty station," Captain Jarvis said. "It also gives the trainee the confidence needed to support the $2.8 billion satellite constellation. There are no disadvantages to this new system versus the type of training we were previously using."

Instructors have seen a great improvement in hands-on, performance-based training. Before the emulator, students only used pen and paper in the classroom.

"Instead of just learning about procedures from a book, and viewing a piece of paper describing an anomaly, students will now see that anomaly as it is meant to be seen on the computer monitor and they can react in the same manner a crew member would," Captain Jarvis said.

According to Capt. Ginger Meszaros, a recent Vandenberg course graduate, she tended to get lost in the paper scenarios compared to the emulator.

"Paper slows down the learning process for me," she said. "The emulator eliminates the paper scenarios and allows each situation (to have) a more dynamic and realistic flow."

The new system offers realistic training for day-to-day satellite operations, such as reconnaissance, surveillance, navigation and targeting.

"The emulator at Vandenberg increased my practical understanding of GPS operations, giving me hands-on experience," said 2nd Lt. Jaime Jackson, GPS payload system operator. "We would be instructed on a particular principle and then immediately be able to go to the emulator and practice what we just learned."

The emulator also educates students on how to troubleshoot problems. Similar to pilots practicing what to do with a blown engine using flight simulators, the GPS students are given scenarios to handle and satellites to repair.

"Students learn the full impact of space operations such as how to monitor the satellites and make sure all components are working properly without damaging them," Lieutenant Synakiewicz said.

Both bases teach about six to eight people per course for a total of roughly 120 students per year. Vandenberg trains students in four different crew positions. Schriever also trains students in the crew commander and crew chief positions. Although this number has not increased, multiple students can now train simultaneously. The emulator simulates information at the same time on different computers. Thus, one instructor can work with as many as six students.

"The emulator is very agile," Colonel Henderson said. "One day it is simulating one thing, and the next it is simulating an entirely different scenario as the different crew positions demand." (Courtesy of AETC News Service)