Some of the most valuable sensors that can be installed in an AuxAir aircraft are the experienced eyes and ears of a Boatcrew or TCO.

With the addition of two extra crew seats in the simulator, TCOs and Boatcrews can now experience the aviation side of the Auxiliary’s operational triad.

Not just as observers, but as active, working members of the flight crew, including participating in the preflight briefing, performing enroute observations, managing air-to-ground Coast Guard communications, and completing post-flight duties.

To test this, researchers formed two crews, each consisting of a pilot, an air crewmember, a TCO, and a Boat Crew.

Each experiment involved two airborne patrols, with one crew acting as the flight crew and the other serving as a ground-based communications and plotting team, taking the air patrol's guard. At the completion of the first patrol, the crews swapped roles.

At the end of each experiment, 8 more Auxiliarists gained practical, real-time insights from both airborne and ground-based perspectives of an airborne patrol, with everyone exchanging thoughts, questions, and ideas throughout.