TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. —  

The 43d Fighter Squadron was the first unit to receive the F-22 Raptor and remains the only squadron in the U.S. Air Force to train and prepare pilots to operate one of the world’s most advanced 5th-generation aircraft.

Upon commissioning, pilots are sent to undergraduate pilot training where they learn the very basics of flight and earn their wings before obtaining an aircraft specific assignment. If selected to fly an F-22, student pilots will complete the basic course, a five-block syllabus, which may last up to nine months. The syllabus includes classroom studies, simulator time and proficiency flights with a capstone where pilots utilize the skills they’ve learned in a simulated combat environment.

Unfortunately, in 2018, Hurricane Michael devastated Tyndall Air Force Base. Unit aircraft and personnel were partially relocated to Eglin AFB, which geographically split the course by approximately 87 miles. Students are required to complete classroom and simulation training at Tyndall and flying missions out of Eglin.

At the time, Maj. “Icarus”, 43d FS assistant director of operations, explained the syllabus was designed so students would spend a day or two in the simulators then move right into the aircraft and then back to the simulators or classroom depending on what part of the B-course they were learning.

Now, the students complete all classroom and simulation blocks at Tyndall and then move to Eglin for the remainder of the course.

“We’ve had to completely rethink how we do the F-22 B-course,” said Icarus. “Ultimately, we’ve tested both. Having the students go back and forth [from one installation to the other] with the old syllabus and remaining in one place [for an entire block] with the new syllabus. The students do just as good with both.”

The altered version of the syllabus provides more stability to both the staff and students, which Icarus says boosted morale.

A first lieutenant currently in the next class expected to graduate the B-course, feels the positive impact of the course’s current setup.

“What’s really nice about the program as it is now is you know exactly what your next event is,” he said. “You’re able to bear down and better focus on what matters rather than bouncing back and forth between events.”

Instead of spending a day in the simulators and then immediately jumping into a Raptor, the students are able to master their whole technique and feel comfortable in Tyndall’s simulators before finding their jet on Eglin’s flight line.

The 43d FS’s goal is to graduate 32 fully qualified Raptor pilots every year; each class holds approximately eight student pilots with one instructor per student for all flight operations. While the hurricane and a global pandemic have presented many obstacles, they are not the only challenges these Airmen have faced during the course.

“Being able to compartmentalize, take feedback and keep a good attitude has definitely been the most challenging part of the course,” said the student. “The instructors have thousands of hours in the jet, so whenever you finish a mission they’re going to tell you exactly all the things you did wrong so you can do better tomorrow. Learning how to process that, use it and go on to the next day to do better and still have the confidence to be a pilot can be really difficult.”

The F-22 is a multirole, single-seat fighter aircraft, built with advanced maneuverability and avionics. Pilots must have confidence in themselves to know they are capable of operating a fighter jet in a combat environment.

“Watching the squadron mold young fighter pilots into the person that you want them to be socially as well as tactically is one of the most rewarding parts of being an instructor pilot,” said Icarus. “It’s fulfilling to watch someone walk into the squadron with wings on their chest, but knowing nothing about the Raptor to sending them off knowing that in a couple of months they could be successfully completing missions overseas.”

The talents and skills these student pilots learn cannot be contributed to just one instructor, but instead the entire 43d FS and the 325th Fighter Wing.

“My biggest takeaway from the course is the amount of people and effort it takes to get good training,” the student pilot explained. “You can look at a single-seat fighter and say that he’s doing it all on his own, but that is entirely incorrect. At the end of the day, none of it would happen without everyone who is involved.”

Throughout the many challenges and obstacles the world presents, the 43d FS and the entire 325th FW will continue to ensure that pilots are ready to fight and our skies are protected, here and abroad.