By Guy Page

Simulators don’t begin to replicate the real-time experience of combat flying, a Vietnam-era Air Force pilot and VDC reader said yesterday. 

David Beatty was responding to yesterday’s news story about Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amanda Janoo’s call for less F-35 flights over Chittenden County and more time for their pilots in simulators. 

Janoo was responding to a query by Gov. Phil Scott, during a campaign debate last week, about this August 2026 statement she made to an anti-F-35 Substack page: “The F-35s are loud as hell, they disrupt our communities, and are currently being used in military operations around the world that I fundamentally oppose. The people who live underneath these nuclear-capable planes voted against having them here, and they came anyway. So yes, If there’s anything I can legally do as Governor to get them out of our skies, I’m down.”

During the October 22 News 5 debate with Scott, Janoo clarified that while she cannot unilaterally remove the mission, she advocates for increasing training time on flight simulators (from the current 50% to roughly 80%) to reduce noise pollution, disruption to surrounding communities, and wear and tear. She emphasized her commitment to supporting National Guard members and their families, noting the personal impacts of long deployments.

Janoo’s call for 80% simulator time was met with incredulity by former military flyer and longtime VDC reader David Beatty of Montpelier. The former Vietnam era military pilot emailed VDC Monday that, “Janoo must have totally learned how to drive her car sitting on her parents’ living room couch.” 

Using a simulator is good for a little practice for instrument flight but not at all for the dynamic processes of fighters: turns, climbs and dives to catch a climbing, diving plus significant speed changes required for USAF fighters cannot be simulated or practiced in a simulator, even if the movie screen shows the move, Beatty said. “Sort of like being in a cement mixer that can turn on 360 axes and you’re wearing a blinder. “

“There’s you in an airplane, the enemy in an airplane and the Earth that has its own hard surfaces,” Beatty added. “Nope, I’d rather practice airborne. I’ve never puked in a simulator and still had to find my way back home too with a bad guy chasing me.” 

Beatty flew during the Vietnam conflict, and was stationed near Vietnam waiting to be called in-country to replace “downed” pilots though I was in an O-2A (Forward Air Control) then, flying low and slow, having been moved from the A-37 (before the A-10) where we did practice avoiding a high speed attacker from 6 o’clock. 

“I guess that Janoo imagines that flying is like driving fast but it’s much different from driving and a pilot needs to experience and get used to all of the flight sensations before tackling something like combat.  

“That’s why we’re so much better at it after Nellis’ [Air Force Base 31st Combat Training] air combat school.  I bet something different is experienced by each pilot after each flight at Nellis.  I bet that they don’t often use simulators at Nellis,” Beatty said. 

VDC reached out to former military flyers and Vermont residents former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, Rep. Michael Morgan, and retired U.S. Navy flier Steve Deal to seek their opinions on the wisdom of evening out replacing flight time with more simulator training.