MILITARY RELIEF CIVILIAN TEST PILOTS TAKE SOME NONCOMBAT JOBS.

Byline: Daily News

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - With a shortage of pilots expected to persist for years, the Air Force is using civilian pilots in testing aircraft.

The Air Force Materiel Command effectively traded more than 20 unfilled military pilot positions for funding to hire civilian test pilots - most of them retired military experts.

Civilian pilots will occupy positions at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, as well as at Edwards Air Force Base in California, military officials announced.

``This plan will help achieve an experience balance in the makeup of our test force while enhancing our operations and providing long-term stability,'' said Brig. Gen. Perry Lamy, Materiel Command director of operations. ``Younger testers with recent operational experience are an essential ingredient for bringing military utility to our evaluations. By complementing this core force with the expertise of former military pilots, we deliver efficiency to our mission.''

The civilian pilots' experience will also help the younger military pilots, Lamy said.

Air Force forecasters expect the military-pilot shortage to last until the end of the decade. To make sure combat squadrons are fully manned, the available pool of military pilots to support Materiel Command operations has been reduced significantly.

Frequent transfers of military personnel add to the cost of training Air Force pilots and make it difficult to maintain corporate flight-test experience, officials said.

Civilian pilots employed by defense contractors have been part of joint military-civilian aircraft test units at Edwards for years, but the civilian pilots will be government employees in the new initiative.

Lt. Col. Pete Hughes of AFMC's operations directorate said the civilian pilots will be used across a wide range of mission areas and unit levels at each test center.

The civilian test pilots, chief test pilots and test-pilot instructors will work in test flights, chase support, flight safety and continuation training and evaluation.

To date, six positions have been filled at Edwards, supporting test operations, the F-16 Combined Test Force and the Air Force Test Pilot School, Hughes said.

Recently, a civilian became chief of the command's standardization and evaluation division at Eglin - a position previously held by a colonel. The remaining positions are expected to be filled by the end of fiscal 2004.

``The Navy has used civilians in their test force for years with great success,'' Lamy said. ``By exploiting the training and experience of retired military personnel, uniformed aircrews have been able to concentrate on war fighting and operational support.''

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(color) Rainey Steven is among experienced test pilots recruited as civilian government employees at Edwards Air Force Base.

James Haseltine/U.S. Air Force