Flight simulators to supplement reduced flying time

Real training impact depends on airspace, scheduling adjustments

A trainer aircraft of the 1st Fighter Wing prepares for takeoff at Gwangju Air Base. [Yonhap]
A trainer aircraft of the 1st Fighter Wing prepares for takeoff at Gwangju Air Base. [Yonhap]

The Air Force said Wednesday it plans to "secure stable flight training conditions through airspace adjustments and efficient scheduling of flight hours as needed," pushing back against concerns that the temporary dispersal of forces from Gwangju Air Base could disrupt pilot training. The service said it would temporarily redistribute its assets until the new Muan Air Base is completed, while simultaneously working to maintain training capacity and retain existing pilots.

"The temporary relocation is a time-limited measure of no more than five years, until the Muan military airport is completed," the Air Force said Wednesday, adding that it would "do its utmost to maintain combat readiness and train elite pilots within the given conditions." It also said it would "make parallel efforts to minimize the outflow of experienced pilots and stably maintain pilot manpower."

Earlier Wednesday, according to the office of People Power Party lawmaker Im Jong-deuk, the Air Force had briefed the lawmaker's office on plans to move the T-50 advanced trainer squadron currently based at Gwangju to Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province, warning that "a shortage of flight sorties needed for normal flight training is expected to limit pilot development."

The number of flight squadrons at Yecheon Air Base is set to grow from two to three by 2028, but the base has only one runway — raising the possibility that the current advanced flight training period of about eight months could be extended.

However, it would be premature to conclude that the temporary dispersal will automatically reduce the number of training flights. The actual impact on training will depend not only on the receiving base's capacity but also on how much of the required training volume can be secured through airspace utilization and flight-hour scheduling. The Air Force's proposed measures are focused precisely on securing training conditions through such operational adjustments.

To address these shortfalls, the Air Force plans to spend 21 billion won ($15.6 million) by 2029 to procure two cockpit procedure trainers, or CPTs — devices that replicate actual cockpit instruments and switches. Because pilots in training will fly less frequently than before, the service intends to have them use the equipment during gaps between flights to maintain their feel for the aircraft.

The Air Force said the CPT "can achieve 65 percent of the training effectiveness of actual flight training."


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