For the first time, aspiring Army aviators are taking to the skies to participate in a revolutionary proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots.
In this groundbreaking initiative, students at Alabama’s Fort Novosel seize controls of commercially owned and operated helicopters, a move aimed to transform the future of Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) training by enhancing training quality, producing more proficient pilots and potentially reducing costs.
This monumental enterprise kicked off in early April with the first cohort of students receiving words of wisdom from senior Army leadership, including Brig. Gen. Kenneth C. Cole, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE). Cole shared a photograph of his father’s flight school class and emphasized the impact these students are having on the future of Army Aviation.
Students participating in Flight School Next’s proof-of-concept received their olive drab hats, a color unique to this pilot program and a first for Army Aviation, designating them as Army flight school students – a symbolic gesture that links the past and future of Army Aviation.
“You’re doing this on behalf of the Army to make flight school and the Army better, as we transform in contact,” Chief Warrant Officer of the Army, CW5 Aaron H. Anderson, told the inaugural class. “Right now, we are in the business of change, and you guys are going to lead that for aviation.”
Col. Jason T. Woodard, 1st Aviation Brigade commander, speaks to a group of Army Aviation students who will participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Army Aviation flight school students from Fort Novosel participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Leslie Herlick / U.S. Army)
A group of Army Aviation students don their traditional colored hats for the first time at Fort Novosel. The students are participating in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Army Aviation flight school students from Fort Novosel participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Leslie Herlick / U.S. Army)
A group of flight school students gather after donning their traditional colored hats for the first time at Fort Novosel. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Army Aviation flight school students from Fort Novosel participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Leslie Herlick / U.S. Army)
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Michael A. Corsaro, Aviation branch chief warrant officer, speaks to a group of Army Aviation students who will participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots at Fort Novosel. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
An Army Aviation student speaks about what he looks forward to in flight school after donning his traditional colored hat for the first time at Fort Novosel. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Billy Croslow, command historian at the Aviation Center of Excellence, speaks to a group of Army Aviation students who will participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots at Fort Novosel. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
A group of Army Aviation students look at a framed picture representing the legacy of aviators who went before them and Army flight school history at Fort Novosel. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
CW5 Michael A. Corsaro, chief warrant officer of the branch, said, “You’re literally pioneering and transforming the way we do flight school.”
The program is designed to be a complete overhaul of the IERW training curriculum. By adopting a simpler, single-engine trainer aircraft, the program aims to strengthen a student’s foundational skills and increase flight time for new aviators. The curriculum emphasizes fundamental flight skills crucial for developing an aviator’s knowledge and instincts for overcoming flight challenges.
“Flight School Next is an opportunity for our aviators to get more time at the controls understanding the basics of flying the helicopter, especially during their core foundational aviation experience, and at cost savings,” Corsaro said. “This foundational training is the building block our aviators need before they step into their graduate-level aircraft of either the AH-64, UH-60 or CH-47.”
Corsaro said the pilot program will help ensure Army Aviation is selecting the most effective approach in revamping flight school training.
In conjunction with AVCOE conducting independent studies and soliciting industry feedback to validate the concept of Flight School Next, performance data, student feedback and contractor input will be carefully analyzed to shape the future requirements of the IERW course.
Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program gather with leaders and staff for a photo at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
A group of Army Aviation students don their traditional colored hats for the first time at Fort Novosel. The students are participating in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Michael A. Corsaro, Aviation branch chief warrant officer, greets Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program gather for a photo at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Brig. Gen. Kenneth C. Cole, Aviation Center of Excellence deputy commanding general, greets Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Army Aviation flight school students from Fort Novosel participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots. (Leslie Herlick / U.S. Army)
Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program hear from Chief Warrant Officer of the Army, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Aaron H. Anderson, at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program gather for a photo at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
Brig. Gen. Kenneth C. Cole, Aviation Center of Excellence deputy to the commanding general, speaks to Army aviation students who are slated to participate in a contractor-owned and -operated Flight School Next pilot program at Fort Novosel. The pilot program teaches the Common Core phase of Initial Entry Rotary Wing training using a single-engine trainer aircraft and looks to provide graduates who are better equipped to succeed in their advanced airframes, while increasing the number of flight hours and reducing training cost. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
A group of Army Aviation students who will participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots, gather for a photo surrounded by leaders and staff at Fort Novosel. (Kelly Morris / U.S. Army)
AVCOE’s analysis indicates that utilizing a contractor owned – contractor operated model for training could yield significant annual savings. These savings could then be reinvested in critical areas of Army Aviation development, including future vertical lift, future tactical uncrewed aircraft systems and launched effects.
The program includes three phases. The first two phases are modeled after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for FAA Private Pilot and FAA Instrument Rating certificates for Rotary Wing. The third phase connects FAA lessons to Army regulations to further improve basic aviation skills coupled with adding proficiency in select tactical tasks.
The introduction of this program marks the first step to a potential turning point for Army Aviation, modernizing a training curriculum that has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s. Flight School Next is not about replacing an aircraft but about transforming IERW training in its entirety. By embracing innovation and prioritizing foundational flight skills, the Army aims to produce a new generation of highly proficient aviators ready to meet the challenges of the future battlefield.
