A retired air force general yesterday called for the creation of an air force reserve to alleviate the burden on pilots and enhance the military’s pilot training program.
Retired air force lieutenant general Chang Yan-ting (張延廷) — who was the air force deputy commanding general — made the comment at a news conference hosted by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus in Taipei.
Pointing to the crash of an F-16V jet on Tuesday last week, which resulted in the death of air force Captain Chen Yi (陳奕), Chang said that the level of risk to pilots has affected recruitment and enlistment numbers are not high enough to properly fill units.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Fighter pilots are also exhausted from pulling double duty as responders to China’s increased air incursions and as trainers of new pilots, he said.
The air force has lowered recruitment standards to vie with other branches for potential recruits, which further affects safety, he said.
An air force reserve would alleviate the burden on active service pilots and bolster the pilot training program, he said, adding that retired pilots could be incentivized to join.
Recently retired pilots who are physically fit and proficient could be instructors in the training program to give pilots more time for missions, he said.
Older retirees who are also fit and proficient could be recalled every two months to do flight simulator training and be tested on their technical knowledge, he said.
TPP Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) said that an air force modernization plan would add 66 Lockheed Martin F-16Vs and 66 Aerospace Industrial Development T-5s, while 43 Northrop F-5s are to be phased out.
The air force also needs to increase the cockpit-to-pilot ratio from 1:1.33 to the NATO standard of 1:1.5, as 120 F-16 pilots have entered the service against 108 departing since 2011, he said.
This means that 110 pilots must be trained in the next year to meet air force goals, he said.
Regarding last week’s crash, Jang said that the air force requires pilots to complete 400 hours of flight training in three types of aircraft to qualify to fly assignments in its main fighter aircraft.
That Chen received only 260 hours of flight training before flying an F-16V is a discrepancy that the air force has so far not explained, Jang said.
TPP Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) said that the air force must recruit and train more fighter pilots if it is to keep pace with the rising military threat from China.
The nation’s declining population, the poor average eyesight of the Taiwanese and insufficient pilot training have negatively affected preparedness, he added.
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