NDR - but it could be - under water escape training

Ray

Ray

Well-known member
With the change in employers this fall I have also gained access to more training. One of the required classes is "Aviation Land and Water Survival" taught by Learn to Return here in Anchorage.

Its a very basic "awareness" level two day survival class. Day one was "I lived through the plane crash on land, now what?" kind of stuff. Inconvenient camping in the snow, not much different than any other day up here. However we did get to see lots of cool gear, and use several different fire starting methods - cotton balls with mooshed up chapstick is awesome, and the newer all in one fire steels are great.

Day two was all about the water, and how to get out of the upside down plane/helicopter. Spent three hours in the pool fully dressed over a farmer john style wet suit. I didn't know what to expect about being upside down strapped into a chair under water.

I have not been in a pool in over 20 years. the last time I was swimming was when I stepped out of the duck boat and found out my push pole lied to me once the muck reached my waist and the water was just below the top of the waders. It took me half an hour to get back in the boat that day.

Back to the pool. We started off being dunked and then crawling across a simulation on the bottom of the pool, which included opening a door at the end of the course. 15 feet of tunnel, chairs, dead guy stuck in a seat, then the door. Next was to be strapped into a seat that rotates and leaves you upside down under water, then crawl "out" through the course again. Then do it with four people all get stacked up on the course once someone can't open the door. Then do it with a PFD on. Really hard due to it floating you up away from the stuff you need to use to crawl out of the plane.

Then we move to the other plane simulator where we start out fine and then get tossed into the pool simulating a fixed wing plane going nose over into the water. Smashing face first into the water is not fun, and then being upside down and having to get the door open then unfastening a four point harness gets tricky.

In all I was never under water for more than 10 seconds, even with being spun upside down and crawling through the debris with other poeple.

The last part of the training was to get into a raft. Not possible for this fat old man with a weak left arm. With out the strong young guy already on the raft I would have never gotten in.

Take a ways are:

have a plan - know your environment and make a plan on how to get out when things stop being normal.

make a kit - build a simple kit to have in the truck/boat or work bag going on the plane with me (regulations cause issues with this for some commercial craft)

try it out - I learned two falls ago that getting back into the boat was hard, now that I am 1.5 armed it is even harder. With out getting your hands dirty, are you really trained?

There are lots more things to consider, but this about all I have time for right now.

http://www.survivaltraining.com/index-2.html
 
Ray,

Sounds like a really good survival course for real situations up there, actually could happen anywhere. Some of the skills are similar to scuba traing for wreck and cave diving. One key aspect to any survival is NOT TO PANIC! As you say have a plan,,, execute said plan.

At least the water in the training was warm?
 
Boy, Ray, this sounds very confusing and difficult.

"[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]hen we move to the other plane simulator where we start out fine and then get tossed into the pool simulating a fixed wing plane going nose over into the water. Smashing face first into the water is not fun, and then being upside down and having to get the door open then unfastening a four point harness gets tricky.

In all I was never under water for more than 10 seconds, even with being spun upside down and crawling through the debris with other poeple.

Sounds like quite the training session to me. You asked if I would be prepared and I'm sure the answer would probably have to be, "NO!"

Al
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Cool Ray. The first thing I would do after surviving a plane crash will be to empty my pants out. Otherwise, they will just weigh me down and tick everyone else off.
 
Ray
Sounds like rugged training but in that country, where flying is paramount to travel, a necessity. When the situation is upon you that training kicks in. Interesting post Ray--thanks.
wis boz
 
At least the water in the training was warm?
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Very warm, and it was a saltwater pool. Today my nose and left ear are still dried out.

For getting out, the second to last step is to let go of your nose and then use that hand to open the seat belt system. You are upside down and unless you are really experienced with under water air management your nose gets filled as does your sinuses.

The "surprise" of being tossed face first into the pool while seated into the frame can really alter your "plan".
 
Ray
Sounds like rugged training but in that country, where flying is paramount to travel, a necessity. When the situation is upon you that training kicks in. Interesting post Ray--thanks.
wis boz
Click to expand...

I have been flying in small planes over water and the wilderness for work the last 22 years. This is the first employer that requires this training.

Whats interesting is that this employer is also the only one I have worked for that has lost employees in planes. In one of those events all five people on board had this same class. Two people lived. One died on impact probably because she did not get into a crash position to support her head and her neck broke. One drowned due to not being able to figure out how to open the seat belt system. One lived, but with two broken legs he could not swim over to the float and drifted off. The two that lived did what their training told them to do.

Based on all the numbers only 20% of the people get out alive of any crash in small planes. This makes training really important since it gives you that small edge over everyone else.
 
Dunker training. We now require it for all our air crews. I lost two friends in a crash that hit a powerline and ended up in the Columbia River. Glad to see others getting the training.
 
Ray
After WW II I flew search and rescue for CAP and when hunting in Alaska I spent some time with the CAP crew in Anchorage and really impressed with their work. Their's was a full time dangerous job. Last year the TV program "Alaskan Pilots" on the History channel really showed the conditions you guys fly in. Has to be "white kunckle" time constantly.
wis boz
 
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