U -- Powered Flight Training at the USAF Academy

This Request for Information is for planning purposes only. The Government anticipates issuance of a solicitation to provide services necessary to conduct powered flight training at the USAF Academy. This training will be in accordance with the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and an Air Education and Training Command (AETC) formal course syllabus. The government will retain program oversight, but will not exercise direct supervision over the contractor's employees except in the interest of safety or national emergency. This oversight will consist of approximately ten military flight instructors (MFIs), including a Squadron Commander and Operations Officer. The syllabus will consist of approximately 19 sorties and 25 hours, but is subject to modification as the needs of the Air Force change. The contractor shall provide all personnel, including certified flight instructors, aircraft, training aids, supervision, materials, maintenance, equipment and services necessary to perform flight training, except as specified in the Government Furnished Equipment list and the PWS. In general, the government will provide the airfield, including hangar space, fuel service, air traffic control, fire and rescue service, training airspace between 12 and 60 NM from the Academy, and an auxiliary field 31 NM from the Academy. The contractor's instructor pilots must hold a current Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) rating, have at least 200 hours of dual given, and must have at least two years experience as a CFI or military Instructor Pilot. Previous experience as a rated military pilot is highly desirable. The CFIs, upon completion of a contractor-designed local checkout program, will receive additional instruction from the government to teach the CFIs to provide instruction in a manner consistent with Air Force flight instruction, to include syllabus management and brief/debrief methods. The contractor's choice of aircraft will meet the following specifications. Note: Potential aircraft will be flight tested at the USAF Academy airfield at a later date to validate performance due to the excessive density altitudes experienced at the airfield. - FAA certified for normal category or higher - Tri-cycle gear - 20-knot crosswind capability - Will maintain CG limits with a crew as light as a solo student weighing between 113 and 277 pounds, or a dual crew up to 450 pounds - Ability to fly two 1.5-hour sorties plus required fuel reserves before refueling - Minimum climb rate of 600 fpm at 10,000 feet density altitude with 450 pounds of crew and the fuel specified above - Specified climb speed will be at least 10 KIAS above level flight stall speed at maximum takeoff weight - Cruise speed of at least 125 KTAS at 10,000 feet density altitude with 450 pounds of crew and the fuel specified above - Ability to perform a sustained 45 banked turn at 10,000 feet density altitude with 450 pounds of crew and the fuel specified above - Ability to abort a takeoff at 10,000 feet density altitude, zero headwind, dry run- way, 450 pounds of crew and the fuel specified above, after accelerating to takeoff speed, delaying three seconds, and applying maximum braking, and come to a stop within 3,500 feet of initiation of takeoff roll - Maximum dimensions of 37'5 length, 39'8 span, and 9'10 height - Shall accommodate students 64 to 77 tall with sitting heights of 34 to 40 - Equipped with dual Comm, VOR, Mode C, GPS, audio panel, integral intercom, and traffic alert system - Overfly noise level not in excess of 82 dB, per FAR part 36 - Maintains rudder and aileron effectiveness during stall, power on and off, clean and landing configuration, coordinated and uncoordinated - Meets minimum longitudinal static stability constraints: -- For stick controls, minimum of 0.12 pounds per knot from a trim speed of 100 KIAS through +/- 30 KIAS from trim -- For yolk controls, minimum of 0.25 points per knot from a trim speed of 100 KIAS through +/- 30 KIAS from trim - All flight and fuel controls, and circuit breakers must be accessible from both seats with seat belts / shoulder harnesses fastened - Walk-around inspection must be performed in a timely manner with all items easily inspected - Operating Limits and critical action procedures easily obtainable from flight manual Desired aircraft characteristics: - 4 seats - Fuel burn rate not to exceed 12 gallons per hour - Nose wheel steering - 270 of horizontal field of view centered on nose of aircraft with minimal obstructions - Climb rate of 700 fpm under the afore-mentioned conditions - Aborted takeoff within 3000 feet of groundroll under afore-mentioned conditions - All aircraft instruments visible and accessible from both seats with seat belts and shoulder harnesses fastened The contractor will be able to conduct a minimum of 11,750 hours of flight training for 470 students annually. The contractor will provide the ability to provide an additional 2,000 hours annually after the phase-in period to cover possible syllabus modifications. Most notably, the contractor will create an infrastructure capable of sustaining variations to student load based on a six-month advance workload estimate. Once the estimate is provided, the contractor will honor short-term (within 30 days of class start date) variations of up to 10%. The contractor must realize that graduating a class on time is of utmost concern. As such, the contractor will have the ability to increase training output to compensate for falling behind the student timeline (for any reason). The training will consist of 40 training days during the academic year, with students available for 4 hours and 15 minutes, which includes necessary travel time from the cadet area to the airfield and back. During the summer, there will be 15 available training days, with students available the entire day while still complying with Air Force Instruction 11-202V3, General Flight Rules. If the contractor requests to fly Saturday's during the academic year, a request a minimum of 2-weeks prior must be provided. 1-week notice must occur for Saturday operations during the summer. Interested offerors are invited to provide comments and questions. Please direct contracting questions to Annabel Rivera, AETC Contracting Squadron, at annabel.riveria@randolph.af.mil. Technical questions can be directed to Maj Wes Smith at wesley.smith@USAFA.af.mil or Maj JD Dillinger at joseph.dillinger@USAFA.af.mil. Offerors are welcome to provide comments on the following issues: 1. The Government anticipates a 90-day mobilization period. Will a 90-day mobilization period be sufficient? 2. The government anticipates to award a one-year Basic contract with nine one-year Option. Will a one-year basic contract with nine one-year options be acceptable? 3. Due to Congressional constraints, student loads will vary. Is 6 months sufficient notice to adjust for student load projections? 4. Offerors must be aware that the government expects operational flexibility sufficient to graduate classes on time regardless of downtime due to any factor such as weather. On-time class graduations will be a key performance indicator. 5. Request industry comments address suggestions on the pricing structure of the AFS program (i.e. per student, per semester, per flying hour).