Training Wing Five FY 2008 Primary Pilot Production

Abstract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The annual Primary production requirement for Training Wing Five (TW-5) has increased from last fiscal year. For FY 2008, TW-5 Primary Squadrons are required to produce 735 students to progress to advanced training pipelines; an increase of 87 students from FY 2007. The increase in required production has not been accompanied by an increase in assets (instructors, aircraft, or training days). Nearing the end of the second fiscal quarter, TW-5 was approximately 800 training events behind schedule. Given that it is behind schedule, TW-5 requires more assets to catch up and meet the current production requirement. TW-5 is not in a position to receive additional assets in the form of additional aircraft or instructors to meet the current production requirement, it can, however, increase the number of days it flies. There are 235 planned production days in a fiscal year, not including weekends and holidays. Team Variable Per Diem was tasked to analyze the number of training days it would take to meet the production requirement for FY 2008 given TW-5’s current assets. Our team began by studying Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) and TW-5 production planning factors. Through interview and historical data, our team scrutinized the planning factors and compared them against what occurs on a daily basis on the flight line. The results show that TW-5’s production requirements are at or above capacity with respect to instructor meaning and aircraft availability. Moreover, the planned 235 training days are insufficient and an equivalent of approximately 14 additional training days will be required to meet the current year’s training requirements. We recommend that the additional training days be attained by a combination of occasionally opening NAS Whiting Field North (NSE) for weekend operations, flying out of Pensacola Regional Airport (PNS) on the weekend, and shifting the Flight Surgeon syllabus flights to Training Wing Six (TW-6), located at NAS Pensacola.