Photo By Staff Sgt. Bryan Lewis | Helicopter pilots and crew chiefs from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade enter the...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Since the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade has transitioned back to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. from Afghanistan, the priority for its subordinate units and Soldiers has shifted focus to training.
Pilots and crew members from the 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion and 2-158th Assault Helicopter Battalion have been traveling to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. to conduct aviation water training.
More than 50 Raptors so far have left the skies to jump in the pool of the Aviation Survival Training Center at NAS Whidbey Island to meet part of their proficiency requirements for flying over bodies of water.
“It was fun training and a good refresher for those of us who did it back at Fort Rucker,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle S. Beyler, UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter pilot and Company B, 2-158th AHB Life Support Officer. “It’s also good for those who haven’t done this type of training, like some of the crew chiefs, so that they can get an initial look at what it’s like to egress out of a submerged helicopter.”
The training consists of several phases that progressed Soldiers from swimming with aviator gear on to egressing a submerged airframe.
Once past the basic swimming portion, pilots and crew members had to navigate the Shallow Water Initial Memory Mechanical Exit Release phase of the training. SWIMMER allows aviation personnel to get familiar with finding and escaping through a window or door while underwater.
Next, the trainees were strapped into the Modular Shallow Water Egress Trainer, a device designed to test removing a seatbelt harness while upside down underwater and then passing through a window.
The final test at the ASTC put groups of six Soldiers into the Multi-place Underwater Emergency Trainer to test utilizing everything taught by the instructors. They had to escape a mock airframe that was dropped into deeper water and flipped upside down.
“The Navy had a large facility that really accommodated us and was able to train a larger group. All of the training was streamlined and organized at (NAS Whidbey Island),” Beyler said.
The 16th CAB will continue joint efforts with NAS Whidbey Island and the Sailors of the ASTC by sending more pilots and crew chiefs up to receive aviation water survival training.
“Being stationed at JBLM always has the possibility of flying over water because of how big the (Puget) Sound is … so for those of that came back from Afghanistan, it’s good for us to go through the training whether we get a Pacific mission or not,” Beyler added.
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2015 14:10 |
| Story ID: | 155484 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Raptor pilots flock to NAS Whidbey Island for training, by SSG Bryan Lewis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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