New software eases workload

  • Published
  • By Christine Sullivan
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Advanced software technology has arrived at the 43rd Fighter Squadron that will soon benefit all of Tyndall and beyond.

Known as the Combat Crew Training Management System, the automatic tracking program checks the progress of F/A-22 Raptor students, what stage of training they have completed, and what is scheduled for them next.

At the heart of the new central data management system is a room housing two interactive white boards, an active plasma display, a bank of computers, a flight scheduler and a data operator.

"This system automatically tells us if a pilot needs to reschedule a flight or a simulation training session," said Kimberly Britton, F/A-22 scheduler for Lockheed-Martin.

It is part of a building-block approach that keeps everyone online to ensure critical steps are not missed, said Lt. Col. Michael Stapleton, 43rd FS operations officer. The system will become the squadron's scheduling operations information hub with the goal to eventually develop it for the Web.

"Once the program is incorporated into the overall Web-based plan, the 43rd FS can deploy to any spot in the world and conduct training operations," Colonel Stapleton said. "The goal is to have the ease and capability of taking the entire squadron with a couple of laptops, put them on an airplane and send them wherever they're needed."

The 43rd FS, the first operational F/A-22 unit in the Air Force, is using the program as the backbone for its flying currencies, personnel and syllabus management, he said.

"We're the first squadron in the Air Force to use this system for graduate flying training," Colonel Stapleton said.

"From an Air Education Training Command perspective, the goal of (the management system) is to integrate all facets of the fighter pilot training pipeline," said Marty Hendrickson, instructional systems specialist for Lockheed Martin's F-15 Eagle and F/A-22 training programs. "All undergraduate flying training will eventually store student data electronically that will be passed on to the next training program in the pipeline. This means no further need to hand carry your grade book to your next assignment."

Ms. Britton has been working on the new system for about seven months. Because the 43rd FS is the first to test it out on the graduate level, the biggest challenge is setting up the program to run itself, she said.

"(It) is working pretty well right now, and I think it's really going to benefit us," Ms. Britton said. "It's a huge improvement over the old system."

In comparison, F-15 pilots have what is called the "Puck Slam." The old central data management system uses boards that display only names and corresponding schedules. It does not show student progress or a syllabus. Each student is assigned a piece of paper with a wiring diagram of the entire syllabus, and they must physically cross off each flight.

"The new ... program makes our job a lot easier," Ms. Britton said. "And, once we've completed testing and implemented the system, and it's fully operational, the entire 325th Fighter Wing will get it sometime this year."

Air Combat Command officials are also considering using the system in the future so the electronic pipeline of training information will be complete from taking an oath on the student's first day in the Air Force through the pilot's last operational mission, Mr. Hendrickson said.

As the system improves with updated versions, schedulers will continue to have their hands full incorporating changes in a timely manner.

"Folks in the scheduling office are expecting to stay five or six days ahead of a very fast-moving ball game," Colonel Stapleton said. "Operations in the future will rely on this software. We couldn't be successful without it." (Courtesy of AETC News Service)