The Air Force no longer requires T-38 student pilots to complete formation landings-part of military aviation training for decades-following a fatal 2019 crash at Vance Air Force Base, Okla. The family of 2nd Lt. Travis Wilkie, the student pilot killed in the crash, praised the March decision, but said USAF should have halted the "archaic and dangerous requirement" before "it took the life of our son Travis and his instructor pilot." On Nov. 21, 2019, Wilkie and instructor pilot Col. John "Matt" Kincade took off alongside another T-38 for a local student formation training mission. Wilkie had progressed through his training and had met course requirements. Kin-cade had an "impeccable reputation" and was one of the most experienced T-38 instructors at the base. At the time, student pilots were required to complete two formation landings-when more than one aircraft land at the same time-with an "unsatisfactory" mark still meeting requirements. Two years before the crash, USAF had re- duced the requirement from five formation landings, with at least three at a "fair level," to two at an "unsatisfactory" level, prompting many instructor pilots to question why they were even necessary. The Combat Air Force, which the pilots enter after graduation, has almost completely ended the practice of formation landings, and that, combined with the reduced requirement in the syllabus, meant instructor pilots are no longer as proficient in the maneuver, officials told investigators.
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