AUGUST 20, 2026 – Despite having no aircraft assigned to its unit authorization document, the 913th Airlift Group is training maintainers as if an entire fleet is at its fingertips. Inside its newly established virtual reality training center, logistical limitations have given way to immersive, mission-ready instruction.
By utilizing realistic, zero-risk simulations instead of active flight lines, the program has mitigated an estimated $18.5 million in training and maintenance costs over the past 18 months.
This success proves that in the modern Air Force Reserve, critical training hours can be effectively secured through virtual environments.
“Effectively, we went from zero aircraft to five virtual platforms,” Tech. Sgt. Austin Malanowski, the 913th Airlift Group Virtual Reality Training Center program coordinator.
Through the vision of Malanowski, the unit transformed a decommissioned storage area into a cutting-edge virtual maintenance hangar that can assist the 913th AG in its primary mission of training and equipping maintenance Airmen to become crew chiefs, hydraulics technicians and avionics specialists.
“With this new system, I can load any aircraft that exist across the Department of War’s mass virtual system into this VR program. This places us in a position where we don’t need to have physical aircraft to train on.”
This capability did not develop in a vacuum. Tech. Sgt. Joshua Hale, training development team chief at the Little Rock Air Force Base Virtual Reality Center, said his facility, located in Building 350, served as the model for the 913th Maintenance Squadron’s scaled-down VR capability.
Drawing on years of experience operating the larger facility, Hale’s team provided vital technical guidance, shared lessons learned and helped the 913th AG prevent common challenges during implementation.
“Our VR dodged all the bullets that their VR hit on the way up because they gave me that information,” Malanowski said, crediting the partnership for the program’s success.
“They served as our baseline and the model for how we wanted to build out the VRTC at the 913th, and they helped me avoid certain pitfalls.”
Beyond overcoming logistical hurdles, the technology fundamentally changes how Airmen learn, emphasizing confidence over pressure.
Hale said that virtual reality allows Airmen to repeatedly practice complex maintenance procedures in a safe, controlled environment without relying on aircraft availability or risking damage to expensive equipment.
“I believe it’s invaluable,” Hale said. “They are excited to learn. Through repetition, they’re able to become more confident in what they’re doing. When they get down to the units, they’re ready to go.”
Malanowski, who spent his first decade in the Air Force as a hydraulics technician, recalled the intense pressure of working on active flight lines.
“The high stakes of maintenance makes performing maintenance when you’re still very green a very daunting task,” Malanowski explained. “If they get it wrong in the VR it’s not no cost but if they get it wrong on the flight line it’s a big sum game.”
Tasks that traditionally required hours referencing physical technical orders can now be completed much faster because Airmen have already navigated the virtual aircraft using high-fidelity repetitions to build essential muscle memory.
Another added benefit of the indoor center is the elimination of unpredictable and extreme weather conditions.
“Airmen can now complete training tasks regardless of extreme summer heat or freezing winter temperatures,” Malanowski said. “It’s been a really valuable tool… day or night, bad weather, not having to worry about aircraft availability or breaking an aircraft.”
As the Air Force continues expanding virtual reality training, Hale noted that immersive training technology is growing beyond aircraft maintenance, with plans to develop modules supporting aircrew, security forces and medical personnel.
Similarly, the 913th Airlift Group is developing requirements to integrate loadmaster training into its own VR environment.
Ultimately, Malanowski hopes the success of this cross-unit collaboration serves as a standard for the rest of Air Force Reserve Command.
“This is a legacy for me, certainly, at least within the 913th,” Malanowski said. “I wish the Airman Malanowski of 2014 had this sort of training, because it would have saved me a lot of time and sleepless nights over worrying that I had done something wrong. People don’t come out of here with that feeling.”
By Tech. Sgt. Al Craig Jr.
913th Airlift Group Public Affairs