FB-111.net

The website dedicated to the FB-111A

The 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron

The 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron was established in the autumn of 1968 at Carswell AFB, Texas. The mission of the squadron was to train crews to fly the FB-111A for the Strategic Air Command. Initially, the squadron consisted of the simulator complex and personnel who had never flown the aircraft. It was up to these personnel to establish the first program od academic and simulator training. The first academic class graduated in August 1969. Training at Carswell AFB continued until 1971 when sufficient trained crews and aircraft were available to man the 509th Bomb Wing at Pease AFB, NH. Simultaneously, the 4007th CCTS closed its operation at Carswell AFB and moved to Plattsburgh AFB, NY, where it assumed flight line training responsibilities in addition to the academic and flight trainer programs. Captains William Wright and Jimmie Boone became the first Plattsburgh AFB trained crew to solo the FB-111A. The squadron's designation was changed from the 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron to the 530th Strategic Bombardment Training Squadron on 1 July 1986. The designation was changed again on 1 January 1987 when the 530th became a Combat Crew Training Squadron as part of the Project Warrior initiative. The 530th was an original member of the 380th Bombardment Group, predecessor of the 380th Bombardment Wing.
The 530th was first constituted as a Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on October 28, 1942 and assigned to the 380th Bombardment Group on November 3, 1942 until inactivated on June 27, 1949. Redesignated the 530th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) in May 1955, it was reactivated on July 11 of the same year with the 380th Bombardment Wing. The squadron performed ground training until January 1956 when it received its first B-47s. Squadron crews and aircraft participated in oversea Reflex Action B-47 alert in England from Jan. 1959 until March 1965. The 530th lost its aircraft in December 1965 and was deacitivated on June 25, 1966. Reactivated and redesignated the 530th Strategic Bombardment Training Squadron in July 1986, the squadron was redesignated the 530th Combat Crew Training Squadron on January 1, 1987.

The Combat Crew Training Squadron was responsible for the development and admission of all 51-111 training syllabi for FB-111A mission-ready crew members as listed in SACR 60-4. The courses taught by the CCTS included; Navigator Bombardier Training, The Initial Qualification Course, Requalification, Difference Training, the Central Flight Instructor Course, the Senior Staff Qualification Course and the Distinguished Visitor Orientation Course.

The Initial Qualification Course. The major task of the CCTS was the FB-111A Initial Qualification Course wher pilots and navigators new to the weapon system were trained to be fully qualified FB-111 combat crew members. This course was approximately seven months long and classes started once every quarter with approximately four crews per class. The IQC itself was divided into two phases; the academic phase and the flight-line phase. The academic phase was three months long and was itself divided into avionics training and systems training. Both pilots and navigators attended all classes together. Avionics training lasted 18 days and covered all the right seat equipment such as the onboard computers, inertial navigation system, the attack radar and the stores management system. The Bomb Nav Trainer (BNT) was introduced here to reinforce classroom learning for both the pilots and the radar navigators. The systems phase followed and covered all aircraft systems such as engines, hydraulics, flight controls and egress. It was during this phase of system training that the student crew was introduced to the Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) where mission profiles were flown to reinforce academic training in the classroom and learning center. There were a total of seven OFT missions in the academics phase of training and seven BNT missions. While the bomb nav trainer mission were concentrated in the avionics phase. they were interspersed throughout both the academic and flight-line phase to facilitate navigator training conitnuity and introduce new blocks of instructions such as the AGM-69A Short Range Attack Missile (SRAM) and electronic countermeasures.

The flight-line phase of training followed academics and consisted of 16 sorties for the pilot, 9 for the navigator and 15 weapon system trainers. Of flight missions, the pilot flew nine with his assigned instructor pilot followed by a check ride with Stan/Eval.. The navigator flew five missions prior to the pilot's initial in-flight check and had four additional BNT missions with emphasis on degraded navigation procedures. Concurrently, the student crew received six OFT missions with emphasis on total mission accomplshment and a review of system training followed by a check ride in the OFT. The pilot and navigator both took a checkride in the OFT.After the initial checks, the crew entered the solo phase of training in the aircraft and the Emergency War Order (EWO) phase of training in the OFT. each crew member received two crossover flights with an instructor and two solo flights to increase proficiency and practice peacetime procedures on a full mission profile wich included formation, refueling and low-level. During this period, the crew also received tactics, SRAM and ECM training. They practiced these skills on eight EWO Proflie OFT missions and were evaluated during their Mission Qualification Check on their ability to fly an EWO Profile.

Navigator Bombardier Training. The Navigator Bombardier Training (NBT) course administered by the 530th CCTS was a three and one-half week accelerated course designed for navigators not having previous SAC bombing experience. This course teachec the fundamentals of the bombing problem and teached the techniques and procedures of radar bombing. Eight BNT missions were flown in this course to gain experience in these skills. Completion of this course resulted in the awarding of the 1521E AFSC required of all navigators enetering the Initial Qualification Course.

Central Flight Instructor Course. The Central Flight Instructor Course (CFIC) was a four-week course for those highly qualified FB-111 crew members selected to upgrade to instructor status. This course normally included one crew each from the 509th BMW and 380th BMW. CFIC encompassed 64 academic hours, three flights, four OFT missions and three BNT missions for the pilot, 60 academic hours, two flights, four OFT missions and three missions for the navigator.

FB-111A Requalification/Difference Training. FB-111A Requalification Training was a 50 day course designed to retrain to combat-ready status those individuals who had been non-current in the aircraft for more than six months or to train crew members previously qualified in the F-111 models to a level of proficiency required to perform combat crew duty in the Strategic Air Command and the FB-111A aircraft. This course was divided into academic, operational flight trainer and flight training as required dependent upon crew specialty. Generally, pilots received five flights and navigators four, both specialties received eight OFTs and navigators were given six BNTs.

SAC Senior Officers Qualification Course. This course was designed to qualify senior officers in the FB-111A aircraf in the minimum time of five weeks. Those officers who attended this course normally occupied senior command positions in either the 509th BMW or 380th BMW. Graduation did not qualify an individual for solo flight, but flight only with an instructor pilot. The course consisted of 33 hours academic instruction and egress training, 18 hours in the OFT and four flight missions.

Senior Staff/Distinguished Visitor Orientation. This was a special orientation conducted for senior staff officers/DVs who had a specific requirement for an FB-111A weapon system orientation. Academic instructor personnel tailored this orientation to accomplish all the requirements necessary to prepare an individual for a flight mission and conduct a mission representative of the aircraft capabilities. While this orientation training normally took two days, the course could be adapted to suit the type of orientation required by the individual or group to be briefed.

Bald Eagle flight, May 11, 1981

Back row: Maj. Wade, Capt. Wilson, Maj. Pate, Maj. Cottrell, Maj. Smith, Maj. A. Johnson, Maj. Martin, Capt. Osterholtz, Capt. Bayles, Capt. Kotton, Capt. Mason, Capt. J.Johnson, SrA Ryan,Second row: Capt. Beverley, Capt. Fess, Maj. Cahill, Capt. Henderson, Maj. Causey, Maj. Brown, Maj. Hanfland, Maj. Fernald, Capt. Bishop, Capt. Otten, Lt Peters, SSgt Barry.Kneeling: LTC Dula, Maj. Lamirande, Capt. Wallace, Capt. Craig, Maj. Killian, Capt. Glazener, Capt. Gahr, Maj. Barraclough, LTC. Stretchberry, LTC Harmon.Front: Mrs Jewell, A1C Williams, MSgt Osbun.

The FB-111A Training Center, Plattsburgh AFB

In October 1981, after two years of construction and at a cost of nearly $4 million, the FB-111A Training Center, Building 2743 at Plattsburgh AFB, was completed. Units from the 4007th CCTS and the 380th AMS had been busy setting up shop in the new building which housed the CCTS, two FB-111A mission simulators, one bombing and navigational trainer in addition to the associated maintenance and support functions and personnel. The building was dedicated during ceremonies held on November 6, 1980, in memory of two Plattsburgh FB-111A crewmembers, Maj. Thomas M.Mullen and Capt. Gary A.Davis, who lost their lives on October 6, 1980 in a crash off the coast of Maine.


Movement of the FB-111A Mission simulators and the Bomb/Navigation trainer to the flight simulator new facility began on October 1 with the disassembly of mission simulator Number 2. Reassembly in the new building was completed by the end of the next week. The Bomb/Nav trainer and missions simulator Number 4 was disassembled and was back in commission in the new facility by the middle of December. The cockppit portion of the mission simulator was moved wothout disassembly, a task that had never been attempted before. The move was assisted by the Singer-Link company, of Binghampton, NY., who originally built the simulator, along with the original "Blue Box", a simulator that many WW II veterans trained in for night missions. Also assisting in the move was the Chauvin Trucking Company of Plattsburgh who provided a special purpose truck that allowed the cockpit portion to stay intact during the move. The new building was to provide 1,100 additional square feet of maintenance room plus conference rooms and office space.The new facility, shared by the Flight Simulator Wing and the Combat Crew Training Squadron, was ten feet wider and longer than the simulator's previous location. The computer room floor was raised up 18 inches to allow an air conditioning unit to blow 50 degree-air underneath the floor in order to cool the computers down to 80 degrees. There was nine computers in the building worth $7 million in total at the time.On February 12, 1990, Capt. James Whitney, 530th CCTS Instructor and Col. Paul Malandrino Jr., 380th BW Commander, took the final ride in an FB-111A simulator. This last flight lasted an hour and the simulator was to be reconfigured for the F-111G at Cannon AFB, N.M. This flight training device had been used at Plattsburgh for about 150,000 hours, wich is equal to 17 years of continual use.

FB-111A flight's simulator

Where did people go if they needed to brush up on single-engine landings ? How about the navigator needing one more look at offsets before the bombing competition ? They went to the flight simulators.A simulator gave hands-on training to aircrew members in a safe environment. With the simulator, aircrews were able to practice procedures which would normally be impossible or impractical such as engine flame-outs, no power landings, weapons launching, in-flight refueling, and bomb/navigation procedures."The simulator teaches crews how to fly the airplane," said Lt.Col.James A.Eggers, chief of the FB-111A Training Devices Operations Branch at Pease AFB in 1986, "Crews can transfer what is learned from the simulator environment to real airplanes." The simulator was used to teach aircraft systems knowledge, aircrew coordination and emergency procedures. The simulator integrated all of this training into one environment, something that would otherwise had to be done in real aircraft. "We can see how a crew reacts under stress to unexpected conditions," the colonel added. " We can observe their reactions, detect improper procedures and correct them."Aircrews practice regular missions, low-level bombing procedures and often use the simulator for concentrated instrument flying practice. A typical simulator mission lasted approximately three hours. Crews were given a 45-minute briefing on their mission before each simulator session, and after each session, instructors spent 30 minutes to an hour reviewing the session and critiquing the crew members on their performance. According to Colonel Eggers, "Two hours of working on tasks in the simulator frees one hour of flying time in an FB-111A, and use of the simulator costs much less than flying the actual plane. Simulator training also prepared aircrews for any emergency they might have while flying the FB. Emergency procedures for an engine out, or an engine on fire can be practiced routinely in the simulator, but not in an FB-111A cockpit. Simulator instructors could set up 250 different combinations of malfunctions, from a minor leak in the hydraulics systems to a breakdown in every major system, and have aircrews practice emergency procedures. Aircrews were also trained in aircraft ejection so they knew when they should eject and so they could react instinctively.

The equipment needed to run the FB-111A simulator filled a good-sized room with more different types of electronic equipment than any other system in the Air Force at the time. It took more electronic equipment to simulate a function than to actually perform the function in the real world. One major reason for the complexity of the simulator is that it had to keep up with an aircraft that was constantly changing. As a result, simulator equipment ranged from early '60s equipment to 'state of the art' multi-layer computer boards.At Plattsburgh AFB, the base's simulators were housed within the black hangar and on the railroad cars behind the base power plant. The simulators were part of the 380th Avionics Maintenance Squadron's Aircrew Training Devices Branch. The KC-135 simulator, housed on the rail cars, provided procedure training for KC-135 pilots and copilots. Five trainers were housed in the black hangar. They were an egress, short range attack missile, bomb-navigation and two full mission simulators. The mission simulators contained the most equipment. The FB-111A simulators had six computers representing several different generations of computer development. They were a fully functional FB-111A cockpit, motion base, and a day/night visual system.

The visual system, a recent modification to the FB-111A simulator, provided computer-generated images which allowed aircrews to practice takeoffs, landings, formation flying and air-to-air refuleing in all types of weather and situations. In 1980, they were 60 simulator technicians, in the branch who kept all six trainers operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Since the simulators had everything an aircraft had, simulator technicians must knew every box, panel ,button and indicator found in the cockpit of a real aircraft. With the ever-rising fuel costs, simulators were being hard-pressed to fill ground training programs. For every hour spent flying the simulator, hundreds of gallons of fuel were saved.Since the simulator may "fly" as much in one week as an aircraft did in a month, equipment failures were inevitable, and here is where the technicians earned their pay. By performing not only organization and intemediate level, but depot level maintenance as well, the simulators operated with only two to four percent of down time.A scene at the simulator an hour before the first mission of the day could show a technician with an arm load of test gear, a hand full of test probes, a stack of schematics and a malfunction that refuses to yeld its cuase. Odds were, the problem would have been resolved, and as the aircrew walks in the door, the technicians would say, "Yes sir, it's ready to go."

 The second of two FB-111A mission simulators for use by the Strategic Air Command  combat crew training squadron was delivered to the Air Force in a brief ceremony at Carswell AFB, TX. Brig. Gen. George McKee, 19th Air division commander signed the acceptance document for the first fully configured FB-111A mission simulator. Although this is the second FB-111A simulator delivered to Carswell AFB, it is the first fully configured mission simulator for SAC with full mission training capability for FB-111A air crews. To expedite training, the first simulator was delivered in April 1970 with  flight training capability only. The second simulator is computer controlled, with built-in pre-programmed missions. It was used to train FB-111A air crews in cockpit pre-flight and starting procedures, normal and emergency in-flight procedures, navigation and instrument flight procedures, penetration, attack and weapons delivery procedures, and post flight and shutdown procedures.

From left to right; Members of the 715th BMS (Dan Hites and John Rolando) at the controls of the flight simulator, Pease AFB. 1979. Capt. Fred Weiners assigned to the 4007th CCTS at Plattsburgh AFB undergoes training in the full motion simulator. Col. Malandrino prepares for the last simulator flight, February 12, 1990.