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Jed Boal ReportingWhen fighter pilots deploy for battle in Iraq, they now have a better idea of what they're getting into. A flight program created at Hill Air Force Base gives US pilots a pretty clear picture of the flight environment.
Pilots training at Hill Air Force Base have never had such an accurate look at the flight environment for battle. Engineers at the F-16 Training System Support Center created an Iraqi flight environment with the help of pilots who flew there and defense mapping.
Cpt. Michael Young, Air Force Pilot: "A lot of simulators only give you a television in front of you. This gives you a 360 degree view, which makes it much more realistic, and provides better training for us."
They drop bombs, fire guns and pursue enemy aircraft. The terrain, buildings and other features mirror the environment pilots will patrol in Iraq. They also practice flying in the dark with night vision goggles.
Bill Friedah, L3 Communications: "Create tactical environments that they can practice on the ground and repeat without getting injured."
At a desk, the flight instructor helps create the flight environment. They can do everything from put enemy aircraft in the air, have threats from the ground coming at the pilot, even create bad weather.
Bill Friedah, L3 Communications: "The gaming industry has now allowed us to conquer the last real technical challenge, the visual environment that you see here."
Pilots from the 388th Fighter trained here before they left earlier this month. The test pilot tells us he feels pre-flight energy when he hops into the simulator, but nothing replaces flight training in a real aircraft.
In the future, engineers say the simulators will have even better visuals with higher definition.
