Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Ashley N. SteffenCapt. Brett Neilson, 55th Electronic Combat Group instructor, and Capt. Megan Russell, 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron evaluation pilot, simulate a landing of an EC-130H Compass Call at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 22, 2017. The 42nd ECS flight simulator went through a $10.5 million upgrade to better prepare the pilots for their future flights.
The 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., celebrated a re-opening of their EC-130H Compass Call flight deck simulator, Sept. 22, 2017.
The upgraded flight simulator features the EC-130Hs new glass cockpit which allows the pilots to keep up with the aviation community and civilian advances.
“With this upgrade, we are now capable of flying and navigating safely around the world for the foreseeable future,” said Maj. Christina Lakey, 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron assistant director of operations and evaluator pilot.
The upgrade not only allows military pilots to keep up with the modern advances in aviation but it also provides a safer and cheaper way of training flight deck aviators.
Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Ashley N. SteffenLt. Col. Mike Cundiff, 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron commander, and Rod Shrader, L3 Technologies program director, cut a ribbon a re-opening ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 22, 2017. The 42nd ECS flight deck simulator went through an upgrade to match the EC-130H Compass Call’s new glass cockpit configuration.
“We are allowed to do maneuvers in the sim that would be dangerous to do in the actual aircraft,” Lakey said. “Making us more proficient with any situations that would happen in flight, for instance, we practice shutting down engines and dealing with engine fires and inclement weather.”
The system went under a $10.5 million renovation to improve training, crew confidence for deployments and mission readiness.
