Vance Continues to Improve Flight Training Published Sept. 22, 2010 By 2nd Lt. Tyler Gross 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs Vance Air Force Base, Okla -- Vance continues to improve the quality of its pilot training with the installation of one new and two upgraded simulators for the T-1A Jayhawk. The new simulator, already in use, provides students with a realistic flight experience through enhanced visuals and an exact mockup of the T-1's cockpit. The new simulator's greatest feature is a wraparound screen which provides students with a 230 degree high-resolution view from the cockpit. The new simulator, which is easier to update than older systems, could potentially save the Air Force money when keeping the system concurrent with flight training, said Joe O'Brien, a flight simulator instructor with Lear Siegler Inc., the simulator contractor at Vance. The new system provides students with realistic settings in any type of flying condition they might encounter in a real-world aircraft. In addition to weather scenarios, the new simulator allows students to train in all the major aspects of flight from takeoff to landing, low-level flying and aerial refueling. It can also simulate a number of in-flight emergencies. "This system allows us to give repetitive instruction without wasting gas and endangering the students," says Mr. O'Brien, "These students end up accumulating about one-third of their flying hours in the simulators. It is very important that they have the best equipment." While Vance currently only has one of these new T-1 simulator systems and two older simulators, both of the older systems are scheduled to be updated by December 2010.