F-35 water survival instructor keeps training afloat

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Marleah Miller | Lt. Col. Ben Aronhime, 56th Training Squadron pilot, positions himself on a forest penetrator, a rescue device used in water rescues, during water survival class on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 31, 2014. Pilots attending F-35 water survival training are placed in simulated scenarios to provide them with the knowledge they need if they were to eject over water. The 33rd Operations Support Squadron F-35 Lightning II aircrew flight equipment shop incorporated some training elements from previous water survival training programs and developed training tools and techniques to account for the new equipment unique to the F-35 program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marleah Robertson)  

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL, UNITED STATES

11.13.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Marleah Miller 

33rd Fighter Wing

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Within the 33rd Fighter Wing, innovation doesn’t end at the flight line, but finds its way into a 12-foot swimming pool where new F-35 pilots are now able to seamlessly complete their F-35 water survival training.

During the F-35 aircrew flight equipment shop water survival training here, pilots are required to swim under the parachute and follow the seams to find their way out – this worked with the C-9 parachute since it would stay afloat. With the new IRVIN-GQ 6000 parachute, a different design and thicker material at the center of the canopy would cause the parachute to quickly sink to the bottom of a 12-foot pool, creating a difficult scenario for the rest of the students who didn’t go first.

“Previously, we would spread the lines of the parachute to the sides of the pool,” said Staff Sgt. Edwin Portan, 33rd Operations Support Squadron F-35 AFE continuation training instructor. “The canopy would then sink all the way down to the bottom of the pool, making it impossible for the second student to complete their evaluation because they would be pulling about 100 pounds of parachute canopy from underneath the water.”

This proved to be detrimental to the program since students were unable to successfully complete that portion of the training.

“This was not a good simulation of the situation that would be experienced after a fully inflated parachute landed on top of the pilot,” said Col. Christopher Niemi, 33rd Operations Group commander. “The pilot would typically end up doing a 180 degree turn and then exit from under the parachute exactly where they entered.”

Recognizing the issue, Portan, with some ingenuity and innovation, took a trip to a hardware store and came back with a solution.

“The concept started with thinking of something that floats,” said Portan. “We got some PVC pipe, created the design, tested it and it worked out very well.”

Portan’s new device has since been implemented into the training and pilots are now able to complete their required tasks.

“With the parachute being spread out with this octagon-shaped PVC pipe floatation device, it sinks to a more realistic depth,” said Portan. “It’s just enough to get that heavy parachute canopy on them for the training, but not enough to where it becomes a safety hazard and ultimately makes the training more effective.”

• Date Taken: 11.13.2014
• Date Posted: 11.13.2014 14:11
• Story ID: 147748
• Location: EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US