San Antonio – October 28, 2026 -- US Aviation, the sole contracted provider of the U.S. Air Force's Initial Pilot Training (IPT) program under a ten-year, $835 million contract awarded in December 2025, is promoting its civilian-delivery model as a template for training across all U.S. services.
Mattison presents three-principle framework to more than 300 attendees at IDGA summit
Colonel (Ret.) Mark "SNapper" Mattison, US Aviation's Vice President of Military Programs, spoke at the 2026 IDGA Military Flight Training USA Summit. The audience of more than 300 military leaders, program managers, instructors and aviation executives included flag officers and senior decision makers from Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) and the Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
Framework moves training load to civilian capacity and FAA standards
Mattison's first principle is to use existing civilian training capacity, including facilities, aircraft fleets, instructors and maintenance personnel, instead of spending military funds to duplicate it.
The second is to build Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications into military training. He said FAA oversight of civilian training organizations lets the services focus their own oversight on military-specific requirements and contract performance.
The third is to return military manpower to operational units. Instructors, maintainers, administrators and support specialists whose duties can move to a civilian partner can be reinvested in operational readiness, he said, a benefit for leaders facing personnel shortages.
Scheduling difficulty rises sharply as classes overlap
A former three-star Air Force general asked what US Aviation had learned building IPT. Mattison answered: "It's hard."
He said graduating one class of 25 students earning three certificates in 139 days is challenging. Two overlapping classes are three times as hard, and a third class starting before the first two graduate makes the difficulty rise exponentially.
Aircraft availability, instructor schedules, maintenance, student progression and checkrides interact across classes. A single delayed lesson in one class can affect aircraft and instructor availability in another. Mattison said success requires disciplined program management, tight scheduling, careful resource allocation and the ability to adjust quickly.
Attendees question replication of IPT model across services
Mattison urged attendees to consider applying the approach to other training disciplines and other services. Audience questions covered US Aviation's capabilities, the challenges of implementing IPT and the potential to replicate the model.