LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- A team of highly trained professionals from Luke Air Force Base, known as the Human Performance Team, have taken strides in the development of the Tactical Integrated Training and Nutrition (TITAN) Arena.
The state-of-the-art high performance training facility was established in January and is currently undergoing renovation. The facility is just one of three initiatives developed by the HPT, whose goal is to deliver peak performance strategies and mitigate fighter pilot injuries.
“We're building the TITAN Arena in phases," said, Capt. Bryan Anderson, 56th Medical Group flight surgeon and Human Performance Team project officer. “By completing phase one, we'll be at an initial operational capability that will allow us to train fighter pilots at the facility."
The facility currently includes turf and rubber mat areas, body impedance machines, and the Dynamic Athletic Research Institute marker-less motion analytics machine.
“These areas will be used by our strength coaches to teach our athletes functional movements as well as strength building exercises,” Anderson said. “The DARI machine allows us to analyze their functional movements and determine what areas of their bodies need improvement so we can then recommend prescriptive workouts.”
The HPT will train its first group of initial qualification student pilots beginning in May as part of the Fighter Tactical Strengthening and Sustainment program. During the FiTSS program, both student and instructor pilots will receive monthly one-on-one strength and conditioning coaching sessions.
Phase two of the project will consist of interior and exterior renovations to the 10,000 square-foot facility.
“During this phase, we’re planning to include locker rooms, hot and cold tub treatment facilities and a pool,” Anderson said.
In a separate phase, the facility will also include a kitchen filled with high-performance foods that will be available for purchase.
“Being a fighter pilot in the Air Force can be physically demanding, and you have to be in really good shape to avoid potential injuries,” Anderson said. “Currently, we do not have any kind of system designed for fighter pilots to keep them in the best shape possible. By implementing our team, the TITAN Arena and the FiTSS Program into training fighter pilots, we hope to indirectly affect pilot retention by providing value for our pilots,” Anderson said.
As Anderson and his team of professionals continue to move forward with this initiative, their number one priority remains to take of care of the Air Force’s greatest asset, it’s Airmen.
Editor's note: This article is part two of a series. See link below for part one http://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1425506/new-medical-professional-team-seeks-to-change-fighter-pilot-healthcare/