Sheppard’s virtual reality trainers will be at Air Show Oct. 26-27

Before they ever leave the ground, Sheppard Air Force Base students are gaining valuable experience using virtual reality.

Some of this amazing technology will be on display for the public to see and even use at SAFB Air Show and Open House Oct. 26-27.

Lt. Col. Michael Schmidt, 80th Flying Training Wing director of strategic initiatives, said student pilots use mixed-reality simulators to immerse them in a flight experience before stepping into a real aircraft.

The technology has been in use at Sheppard for about a year. A virtual environment is created with 360-degree images taken from actual views of the North Texas and Southern Oklahoma region.

In the past he said most pilots learned the positions of all the buttons, dials and levelers by studying manuals or memorizing posters.

Now student pilots can become accustomed to the placement and feel of the components of the cockpit in this simulator, which Schmidt said helps them develop muscle memory.

The mixed-reality simulator gives student pilots a tool to experience an environment very similar to an actual T-6 or T-38 that they would be flying. They can practice pacing and maneuvers in real time and they are more prepared when they enter the aircraft.

Schmidt said pilots may be better prepared to handle distractions, changes in the weather or aircraft malfunctions because they have practice with normal procedures.  

With this additional practice, student pilots could use their limited flight time for more advanced concepts rather than practicing maneuvers repeatedly.

Virtual reality (VR) and other technologies will only become more integrated into military training, Schmidt believes, and it spells an exciting future for the Air Force.

While VR will probably never completely replace flying a real aircraft, he sees students of the future being issued a VR headset with different downloadable files for each aircraft they are training on.

Rather than having to go to a single room on base to train, students could practice with their own headset while sitting on their couch, for instance.

Other NATO countries that send pilots to Sheppard for training can prepare their students through VR programs to become familiar with the aircraft and landscape of the area.

Lt. Lt. Charles Boyton, 80th FTW pilot, said he sees VR as a big win for training future pilots.

Pilots can practice formation flying with other training pilots or interact with a simulation as a single pilot.

Instructors can watch what students are doing on the simulators and be able to add input in real time.

Currently, the VR does not take the place of actual flight time and its use does not shorten the training course for pilots.

“We strive to have better, faster, more. … We will not give up that ‘better’ aspect first, though. If we can’t make them better we’re not going to make it quicker, we’re not going to make it faster or create more. That’s just not how we’re going to operate, we’re not going to sacrifice our quality,” he said.

Years down the line, Boyton thinks this kind of the technology could be a part of every training course in the military.

While they are just dozens of feet up in the air rather than thousands, fear of heights can pose a real threat to health and safety for apprentices joining the electrical systems program.

Staff Sgt. David Harris said a VR program has been in use for about two years at Sheppard.

Students are gauged early in the course through this simulation to see if they might have a problem with heights.

Most people do just fine, Harris said, but if there is a problem, they want to find out before the apprentice goes through 53 days of training and then cannot handle the heights.

During the five-minute evaluation, a student wears the VR headset, there is a fan blowing to simulate the wind and they walk out onto a wooden plank that “appears” to be far above the ground.

The experience can feel so real, Harris said, that some people’s knees quiver, they inch across the board and some students have crawled on their hands and knees.

Displaying some fear of heights does not mean automatic removal from the electrical apprentice program, however.

If the reaction was severe, the student may be referred for a mental health evaluation.

For most students, their VR evaluation is just an initial check that will be considered when they get to the real training pole.

Electrical Systems Training Manage Johnnie Williams Jr. said before the VR fear-of-heights test, an instructor would not know if a person had a problem with heights until the training was nearly over and the student was on the pole.

Now students can climb a virtual pole at 5, feet, 10 feet then “eye” level to see if students may need extra help or possibly to be referred to a more appropriate career field.

Williams said the VR is becoming a valuable tool for instruction and has been beneficial for the Air Force. While it does not replace face-to-face instruction, he said it enhances current programs, and has the potential to save training time and money in years to come.

Claire Kowalick, a senior journalist for the Times Record News, covers local government, military and MSU Texas. If you have a news tip, contact Claire at [email protected].

Twitter: @KowalickNews