Author: Ronald A. Berube

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 58

ISBN-13:

Undergraduate Helicopter Pilot Training (UHPT) provides basic or initial helicopter flying skills for pilots prior to operational assignments to fleet squadrons. For several years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has proposed consolidation of Navy and Army UHPT. Each year Congress has reviewed the proposals and been informed of the reported cost savings, but has determined that UHPT consolidation is not in the best interests of the Navy, primarily because of the differences in the training requirements between the Navy and the Army. Today the high cost of pilot training, combined with tightening constraints on military spending, gives new urgency to a reexamination of recurring issues of combining helicopter pilot training. One of the primary stumbling blocks to consolidation has been the Navy requirement to train all Navy/Marine pilots in fixed-wing aircraft prior to specialized training in helicopters. Each ensuing study or report has provided a mountain of data to support consolidation of UHPT. Often, supporting data changes dramatically from one report to another; at times this data is inconsistent with the claims being made. For example, a DOD paper prepared in calendar 1975 indicated 5 years' saving of $178 million would result from consolidation. A different study just a few months later from a different source showed it would cost an additional $17 million over a 5-year period to consolidate. This paper will review the ongoing issue of consolidation of UHPT and systematically assess the pros and cons of the issue. It concludes with a recommendation for UHPT consolidation.