WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is preparing to graduate its first pilots of unmanned drones from the elite U.S. Air Force Weapons School -- a version of the Navy's Top Gun program -- in a bid to elevate the skills and status of the officers who fly Predators, one of the military's fastest growing aircraft programs.
The elite flight schools of the Air Force and Navy are most closely associated with smart, tough fighter jocks. But over the course of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the MQ-1 Predator and more heavily armed MQ-9 Reaper craft have become, to many in the Pentagon, the most important aircraft the U.S. has deployed.
In 2006, the Air Force was able to fly only 12 drones at a time. Today, the service flies 34 regular combat air patrols. As the program has expanded, the job of keeping the best pilots flying drones has proved to be a challenge.
Until recently, pilots would work on the Predators and Reapers, then return to their assigned aircraft. But the Air Force would like officers to make a career out of flying unmanned craft and become experts at operating the drones.
"It is safe to say most pilots will always miss getting back in the air," said Lt. Col. Daniel "D.J." Turner, who leads the Predator and Reaper training at the weapons school. "But we see where the Air Force is going. We understand we are adding to the mission in a crucial way."
Giving top drone pilots a shot at the best training the military offers is one way to ensure the most talented officers stay with the program and do not return to manned aircraft.
"I would love to go back and fly," said Maj. Geoff Fukumoto, a F-15 pilot nicknamed "Admiral" who was one of the first to go through the Air Force Weapons School for the Predator and Reaper. "But I think I have found the place the Air Force needs me. Right now, I am committed to this job."
The military beefed up its advanced fighter pilot training after combat losses in the early years of the Vietnam War. The Naval Fighter Weapons School, popularly known as Top Gun, was founded in 1969.
The Air Force's school, at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, began training only fighter pilots but has expanded over the years to include many different kinds of aircraft. Graduates are awarded a special insignia for their flight suits, and are known as "patch-wearers."
