When the 188th Wing, an Air National Guard unit in Fort Smith, Ark., needed to make some space on base, it decided to part ways with its Redbird MCX Flight Simulator. Thankfully, it found a neighbor who could give it a good home.
The 188th Wing entered into an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the Peak Innovation Center, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) school for primary and secondary students in Fort Smith. An EPA is a formal agreement between a defense laboratory and an educational institution to transfer or enhance technology applications and provide technology assistance for all levels of education.
"We didn't know this process existed,” said Col. Jenny Johnson, a member of the 188th Judge Advocate General’s office. “But now we're excited to explore more opportunities like this."
The cutting-edge simulator will help Peak build some momentum toward aviation careers in the region.
The school currently hosts an aerospace summer camp for seventh and eighth graders, and the Redbird will be a significant part of that experience. Additionally, primary students studying flight and space and secondary ones exploring unmanned aerial systems will have special access to the MCX as part of their classes. Peak is also exploring aviation pathway options for its high school students.
The training tool will also be used to kick off an Aviation Club, in partnership with the Civil Air Patrol, for high schools in the Fort Smith Public School system.
The Redbird MCX should be up to the task of driving interest in future aviation careers. It’s ideal for any flight school, providing enhanced training from student pilots to professional crew. The dual controls of the MCX allow an instructor, instructor-in-training or co-pilot to perform maneuvers from the right seat. During initial pilot training, an instructor can demonstrate maneuvers from the right seat before the student tries their hand, just like you would do in the real airplane. For advanced training, the MCX provides a platform where crew training can be perfected.
The donation of the flight simulator is the result of an EPA, a product of the Department of the Air Force’s Technology Transfer and Transition division (DAFT3). For the DAFT3, the goal of an EPA is to develop a future pool of scientists and engineers and increase awareness of defense technologies. For an educational institution, it receives equipment outside its budget, opportunities for students and faculty to work on defense research projects and improve students and faculty interest in math, science and technology. Primary, secondary and higher education institutions are eligible for EPAs.
The success of this EPA will potentially demonstrate the power of collaboration between the Air Force and educational institutions. In this case, it’s the 188th Wing and Peak Innovation Center. It highlights the potential for similar partnerships to enhance STEM education and provide real-world experiences for students.
A comprehensive suite of T3 mechanisms for partnering with industry and academia is offered through the office. To find out how you can partner with the T3 Program, please visit https://www.aft3.af.mil. TechLink assists the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs by actively marketing its available patented technologies to prospective companies and facilitating license agreements.