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When Air Force pilots or aircrew look to defy the laws of gravity and venture into the wild blue yonder, they endure various physiological stressors.
Whether it’s the physical strain of operating a jet traveling at supersonic speeds, or the disorienting effects of soaring roughly 33,000 feet above the earth’s surface Aerospace and Operational Physiology Airmen of the 673d Medical Group at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson are dedicated to educating and enhancing understanding of factors which affect human performance at great heights and speeds.
Twice weekly, the two AOP Airmen assigned to JBER meet with aircrew from across the installation. Their clientele is a mixture of enlisted and officer; active duty, National Guard and Reserve; and extends to all branches of service. Within the past nine months, the two-person shop has seen more than 100 officers and 272 enlisted service members complete the training.
“There are a number of topics we review, all of which revolve around human performance and mishap prevention,” said Air Force Maj. Justin Brubaker, 673d Aerospace Medicine Squadron aerospace and operational physiology flight commander. “In addition to altitude and acceleration-related threats we discuss situational awareness, fatigue mitigation strategies, even the threat of lasers to aircrew, and many other performance-limiting threats that exist.”
To know how to recover and prevent an altitude-related mishap one must first learn to recognize the symptoms.
Coughing, increased heart rate, sweating, rapid breathing, confusion and change in skin tone, are just some of the possible hypoxia symptoms.
“We constantly hear pilots and aircrew reaffirm the effectiveness of the training and the benefit of it,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Isis Lovette, 673d Aerospace Medicine Squadron AOP flight chief. “Aircrew are required to complete physiological training every five years, it’s our goal to have students leave our training having learned something new about the threats that exists and how to counter them, we see it as more than just refresher training.”
Throughout the earth’s atmosphere the oxygen content is about 21 percent. At 33,000 feet – the average cruising height of an airliner – the 21 percent is at a much lower pressure, which makes it harder to breathe.
To simulate the effects of flying, aerospace medicine Airmen turn to the Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device to show the potential threats of depressurization and oxygen deprivation. The ROBD, from its modular cockpit, has a changeable dashboard and controls to simulate virtually any aircraft at any air station.
Unlike aircrew in other airframes, F-22 pilots are required to attend hypoxia familiarization training annually, giving them an opportunity to refresh themselves on their symptoms of hypoxia and also activate their emergency oxygen systems in a safe, controlled environment.
“When a pilot experiences a physiological symptom in our trainer they then progress through their emergency checklist and activate emergency oxygen systems, mirrored to what it would be in the aircraft,” Brubaker said. “We train and refresh these emergency skills so often, with hopes that it becomes second nature, allowing the pilot to focus on flying the plane without really having to think about and devote all of their attention to the progression from one emergency system to the next should it actually occur in the aircraft.”
“Even though we primarily train aircrew, we actually extend our classes and training to all Airmen who might benefit from it, there are some who don’t know these services exist right here on JBER. We can provide information on fatigue, risk management, or just about any other human-performance related topic, we’re here to help in any way we can.”
To schedule training, visit the Aerospace and Operational Physiology Flight, near the flight line in building 9551 Sijan Ave., or email 3WG.Aerospace.Physiology@us.af.mil. For scheduling, questions or concerns, contact Brubaker at 552-6854 or Lovette at 552-6425.
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2018 17:38 |
| Story ID: | 282024 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, AOP Airmen ensure mission readiness, by SSgt Javier Alvarez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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