In article ,
(ArtKramr) wrote:

Subject: Flight Instruction: Then and Now
From: Howard Berkowitz
Date: 3/7/04 6:49 PM Pacific Standard Time

ine. Those were the conditions in which you existed and served your
country. But you have certainly suggested, as far as I can tell, that
people that served in other periods, when the choice was necessary,
somehow were less than honorable by being instructors without combat
experience. If the choice was as

have described, you insult them.


Absolutely not. I just suggested (or asked) if the students were getting
less
by not getting a combat experienced instructor. We would have gotten less
if
our instructors had no combat experience. What is your feeling for an
instructor? Combat experience or none?


First, instructional skill. People with instructional skill can pass the
information out from a limited number of people with combat experience.
It's not unreasonable that some combat-pilots, especially from
single-seat aircraft, may have survived due to aggressiveness and superb
reflexes -- which aren't necessarily the best tools to teach.

Let's try some analogies. There are very good male obstetricians. AFAIK,
no Hall of Fame NFL coach was Hall of Fame player material.

Second, subject matter knowledge in a technological world that changed
much faster than WWII. I'd want my electronic warfare training to come
from someone who has kept up on as many threats as possible, including
those we haven't directly encountered in combat, but knows about their
characteristics as understood by the intelligence people, and has run
simulations against them.

Third, one has to consider today's training methodology. I'm most
familiar with Army experience, but the comment was made again and again
that the National Traininc Center OPFOR was tougher than anything the
Iraqis had.

One doesn't have to have now COL HR Masterman available to get the sense
of the Battle of 73 Easting. One can go through it seeing what he saw
through the same displays, in a very good simulator. The simulator
people can throw in random variations.

All other things being equal, it helps to have someone with direct
experience. But with smaller, shorter wars, and rapid technological
change, you cannot any longer assume that an instructor will be
available with relevant combat experience in the same aircraft.
Remember also that there's going to be demand for the same limited
number of people in the doctrine development centers and the battlespace
laboratories.