By U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark Bucher - http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/030626-F-9999B-999.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=505083OFS Training Line Concept

Online Squadron Training Organisation

Most large online squadrons and airlines operate an internal training system, starting with the Ab-initio Pilots and teaching them the raw basics of flight all the way to in depth knowledge. We at the OFS, want to standardise this basic flight training in cooperation with squadrons, at least as far as the pure flying and type-related training is concerned.

OFS Basic Line Courses

The OFS we are progressively creating basic and advanced courses, structured according to each flight simulation, on the main pages of the OFS. Within these course all actions are carried out in relation to each simulation. This means that neither real checklists nor real radio procedures are required. So a switch that is not simulated in the game will not appear in the related checklist. The courses offered will be extended continuously.

Basic Line Students

Basic Line students are "Gamers" who want to learn how to fly their chosen aircraft in the simulator of their choice in a structured way. These Basic Line courses will cover the basics and advanced procedures without including all the real life theoretical, procedural, professional knowledge that an "Enthusiast" student might be interested in. However, their is nothing stopping a "Gamer" converting to become an "Enthusiast" and the Professional Line is the place to do that.

OFS Professional Line Courses

Training beyond the basic and advanced sim specific course will take place here in the Professional Line. These courses are much more in depth for both Type Ratings and the more Generic course. Thus they are more applicable to "Enthusiasts".

Professional Line

This Professional Line is therefore primarily aimed at:

  • Pilots who want to know all the details of virtual flying and:
    • Are searching for a squadron (see Squadron Training area)
    • Have no wish to join a squadron (see Type Rating Training area)
  • Squadrons who want to:
    • Organise and simplify their internal training
    • Recognise the advantage of a content-coordinated and standardised community-wide training concept

For this we have created three areas here:

  • Generic Training
    • This is non type specific and non simulator specific.  They are on general subjects and are very professional in nature.  They intend to support enthusiasts who wish to improve their aviation Airmanship, Captaincy and Leadership.  
  • Type Rating Training
    • These courses are on specific aircraft and are publicly available to a highly professional training standard according to real procedures and with tough requirements for the students, allowing coordination between the squadrons as a standard training structure. These require much more training time and commitment from the student.
  • Squadron Training:
    • Squadron Unclassified or Classified Courses - Squadron Procedures, Tactics and Specialist Role Training. Each squadron can introduce itself and deposit either publicly accessible or protected training material.

Benefits

Squadron Effort

Participating squadrons will benefit with much less effort for the administration of their own training area (which previously would require a website, forum, teaching material, evaluation method, etc). In addition, squadrons achieve an even more realistic game play by outsourcing their basic training needs and then integrating students into their squadron life after the students have met a known standard.

Consequently the squadron's own trainers get more time maintain their own flying currency and more capacity to focus on more advanced Role and Mission training knowing that the students they receive (their own, OFS graduates or freelancers) will have met a basic initial standard.

OFS Graduates

Having completed the OFS Basic and Advanced Courses a student join a squadron knowing they already meet that squadrons entry requirements. They can then be converted into the learning concept of that squadron's general professional training as before, with the same organisational procedures and internal training as normally carried out within that squadron.

The Unclassified training parts such as Initial Qualification Training (IQT) and Mission Qualification Training (MQT) can be carried out according to Squadron or OFS standardised guidelines and by squadron tutors or the tutors of OFS, as publicly available courses for everyone (with the appropriate prerequisite knowledge). This enables pilots to receive soundly based training even without belonging to an active squadron, as not every ambitious recreational pilot has the spare time to regularly guarantee participation in fixed squadron events or training etc. Having reached the same standard, flying together is no problem for anymore thanks to these common training courses.

OFS Courses

So far, in the Type Rating area there are no courses.  However, the first publicly visible generic professional course, Basic Flying Training, is soon to be available.

Specialised Courses

These are currently only available via a squadron's own development. The squadrons are responsible for their respective training content and their execution until further professional courses are available to the public from the OFS.