Flight simulators in pilot training at the Air Force Academy : contributions to Brazilian aerospace power

Abstract

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is the main constitutive element of Aeronautics. It is the military expression of aerospace power. In this context, the relevance in providing greater efficiency in the pilots training is noted. Therefore, the objective of this work is to analyze the relationship between the modernization of teaching at the Air Force Academy (AFA), specifically through the increase of new flight simulators, and aerospace power. Using theoretical references on Air Power, Teaching and Simulators, a bibliography and documentary research was conducted to describe these concepts in the scope of the FAB. Data on the performance of cadets during primary instruction on the T-25 Universal aircraft in 2020 and 2021, before and after the adoption of flight simulators, were analyzed. A reduction in course failures was observed, indicating the first signs in the efficiency of modernizing the air instruction. The initial results demonstrate the relevance of simulated flight and new technologies in the training of military pilots, in consonance with what is done in the operation of combat aircrafts such as the A-29 Super Tucano, F5M Tiger and the F-39 Gripen. Hence, by understanding that the use of simulators has positively influenced the efficiency of the primary instruction and that these are the aviators who will fly modern combat aircraft, it can be indicated that the adoption of simulated flight training at the AFA has increased the military capacity of the FAB, thus supporting the application of aerospace power.