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- - WSO to pilot (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/military/131423-wso-pilot.html)

https://www.military.com/daily-news/...er-pilots.html

https://i.ibb.co/TY8T7p2/82-F25-F3-D...8-C154-FB8.jpg

Quote:

20 Oct 2020
Military.com | By Oriana PawlykAs the U.S. Air Force prepares to bring the next-generation stealth bomber into its inventory over the next two decades, it plans to slash the number of weapons system officers by as much as half to make room for more pilots, according to a top general.

Though the service has not announced exactly how many B-21 Raiders it expects to purchase, it will no longer need as many WSOs -- commonly referred to as "wizzos" -- the aircrew who manage the delivery of bombs as well as intelligence-gathering sensors. It plans to retrain them to become pilots in the years ahead, according to Maj. Gen. Mark E. Weatherington, 8th Air Force commander.

"Plan to retrain WSOs to pilots"?

Does that mean they all get a vision waiver and a pilot training slot? Or just that they can apply for one of a dozen annual redesignation slots like anybody else?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 3148348)

"Plan to retrain WSOs to pilots"?

Does that mean they all get a vision waiver and a pilot training slot? Or just that they can apply for one of a dozen annual redesignation slots like anybody else?

Looks like a special program. And only about a decade too late. Although I don’t see mudhen WSOs being mentioned si it might not have mattered. :D

As for vision, have you seen the F-35 helmet visor? It’s all sensor driven anyway. One contact lens, more or less, wouldn’t make much difference. Besides, a lot of the zoomies wear glasses.

https://youtu.be/Ay6g66FbkmQ

https://youtu.be/XuT9uhbXZKg

I thought the B21 was leaning towards being an unmanned platform?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugleeual (Post 3148384)

I thought the B21 was leaning towards being an unmanned platform?

Not a chance. For the foreseeable future the most you might see is "optionally manned" to appease those long-on-vision/short-on-tech-savvy leaders who think warfare can be automated with an app just like ride-hailing.

Most especially for a nuclear platform :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excargodog (Post 3148351)

Besides, a lot of the zoomies wear glasses.

Yeah I guess the Navy is more draconian on that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugleeual (Post 3148384)

I thought the B21 was leaning towards being an unmanned platform?

Apparently nobody is YET willing to allow it to carry nukes without human control on board, although there are those advocating for that to change:

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/201...-day-1/128714/

on the other hand, it’s a bomber. Shoving another thousand pounds or so in it for a couple of crew and their ejection seats is hardly going to affect the performance all that much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 3148456)

Yeah I guess the Navy is more draconian on that.

Quote:

Pilot Vision Requirements

All candidates admitted to the Air Force Academy must meet the vision requirements for basic commissioning in the United States Air Force. However, vision requirements for candidates for pilot, other aviation-related specialties and special operational duty career fields are stricter and will not be fully assessed until a complete Air Force vision exam is accomplished during your second (sophomore) year as a cadet.
Most cadets with visual acuity outside the medical standards may become medically qualified for aviation if vision is successfully corrected by corneal refractive surgery (i.e., PRK or LASIK), which will be available to you as a cadet if you meet preoperative qualification criteria. Applicants should NOT pursue refractive surgery PRIOR to entry to USAFA as this is disqualifying if accomplished within 180 days of the DoDMERB examination and strict preoperative requirements must be met that are often not adhered to by civilian ophthalmologists.

https://www.academyadmissions.com/re...cal/standards/

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 3148456)

Yeah I guess the Navy is more draconian on that.

don’t know about that once you are inside the club.
had NFO transitions every step of the way during my career.

Quote:

Originally Posted by USMCFLYR (Post 3148676)

don’t know about that once you are inside the club.
had NFO transitions every step of the way during my career.

Yeah I was talking about initial ascensions.

But some NFO's had good vision, they just didn't get a slot out of ROTC or whatever.