Irish Air Corps pilots to be trained in the US
On 22 March 2021, CAE Inc. announced that CAE USA (a subsidiary of CAE Inc.) has been awarded a United States Air Force contract to provide comprehensive Phase 1 and Phase 2 military pilot training to the Irish Air Corps (IAC).
The contract was awarded by the Air Force Security Assistance Training (AFSAT) Squadron, which is part of USAF's Air Force Air Education & Training Command (AETC). In total fourteen IAC pilots will be trained over a period of eighteen months at the Dothan Training Center (AL).
Phase 1 training will take place in Pensacola (FL) at SkyWarrior Flight Training Inc., a small business partner subcontracted by CAE USA to provide an Air Force-approved initial flight training (IFT) programme. Following completion of the IFT programme, the students will progress to Phase 2 primary flight training at CAE’s Dothan Training Center. During Phase 2 training, students will receive academic, simulator, and live-flying training in CAE-owned and operated Grob G120TP aircraft.
The Dothan Training Center opened in 2017, and is the home of US Army fixed-wing flight training. In addition, USAF and US Navy/USMC use the training center for Beechcraft C-12 academic and simulator training, and the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) is expected to leverage the Dothan Training Center under a recent contract awarded to CAE USA. The IAC pilots are the first international students.
Photo: CAE