Training surrogate aircraft
Using commercial aircraft to train affordably and effectively.
Many intelligence gathering, tanker, and support mission aircraft are derivatives of commercial airliners. Mission jets are specialized, but share the vast majority of their systems with the airliners they are derived from.
Conducting non-tactical training in commercial training surrogate aircraft has major benefits. It reduces cycles and fatigue life consumption, reduces operations & maintenance costs, and increases mission capability readiness rates - keeping mission jets on-station.
Surrogate benefits
Non-tactical training in mission aircraft imposes major costs.
Air arms conduct a significant amount of non-tactical training in the aircraft. These flights are used to train new pilots and maintain proficiency in basic flying maneuvers, landings, and navigation.
In-aircraft training is costly. While pilot proficiency training accounts for approximately 10-15 percent of flight hours, it usually consumes 60-70 percent of cycles and associated fatigue life consumption.
Training in surrogate aircraft provides major operational benefits.
Decrease in cost per training flight hour
Increase in deployable mission aircraft
Reduction in in-flight engine shutdown rate
Turnkey aircraft operations
Providing Boeing 737 aircraft for non-tactical flight training.
Valor Air Services has developed a proprietary training syllabus allowing P-8A and E-7A operators to conduct introductory or proficiency flight training in the Boeing 737 aircraft.
Our firm has a cadre of instructor pilots with experience in both mission aircraft and B737 flight operations. We have teamed with leading aircraft lessors and MRO providers to provide DoD or FMS customers with B737 aircraft in a turnkey manner.