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Show October 7, 1999 :".':,. y.. -- .. Right: Maj. Darin Middleton, 34th Fighter Squadron pilot, grabs a one man life raft. Below: Capt. Samuel Shaneyfelt, 421st FS pilot, falls backwards off the diving board as he's pulled by a rope to simulate being dragged by a 4 - wv;.A!! 4 ' s S&SSS ; ....... M-.- ssr - . ' " J i - "" ' " " Z- ' TUTT'iI I ..am.,,,..,. 1111 v. water so rvs va! cl u ri n g Left: Capt. Jason Evenson, 34th FS, enters the one-ma- n life raft after flipping it over. Story and photos By Senior Airman Sara Banda Bottom: Capt. Oeystein Vollstad, Norwegian exchange pilot, crawls under a parachute before going through disenta-gleme- 388th FW, Public Affairs nt Whether an unfortunate accident happens in Hill's backyard, in the Salt Lake, or in the icy waters on a mission to Alaska, the fighter are pilots ready to survive in Mother Nature's 'dan- gerous creation. To prepare for this worst-cas- e scenario, all 388th Fighter Wing pilots have been through rigorous training since obtaining flying status. After the initial water survival-trainin- g course all F-pilots attend for a week in Pensacola, Fla.they are then required to maintain proficiency every two years at their respective bases. The 388th Fighter Wing holds a course each quarter and it is hosted by a different squadron every time. Recently, the 34th Fighter Squadron hosted several pilots for a classroom briefing and exercises in the base pool to test their skills. "It reminds you of the things you have to do if you ever eject to survive in a situation when you hit the water," said Capt. Jason Evenson, 34th FS pilot. This training is very vital to the mission, added Tech. Sgt. Gary Easterwood, 34th FS aircrew life support NCOIC. "The pilots fly over the Atlantic Ocean quite often to places like Saudi Arabia," he said. "There's a lot of water between here and there and unfortunately a lot of aircraft have gone down. This training has saved a lot of people." After donning their life support gear over their flight suits, the pilots simulate being dragged by the parachute. Pilots stand at the edge of the diving board with backs towards the pool and a tail rope fashioned to their harness. After jumping in backwards, the pilots were dragged across the pool by two life support technicians. One of the dragging exercises was even done with chemical warfare gear on to familiarize the pilots with the procedures for taking the gear off upon impact in the water. ' Also simulated was a canopy coming down on top of them after landing in the water, "They have to know how to get out from under that canopy without getting entangled in the lines," said Sergeant Easterwood. "After that, they were taken to a seven-ma- n life raft, which is usually dropped by a rescue aircraft. We teach them how to turn it over and board it in rough seas," he added. After going over the techniques to stay afloat in a one-ma- n life raft, the pilots went through the procedures if rescued by a forest rescuer seat with a floatation device which is dropped by a helicopter crew. The crew drops a forest rescue seat with an attached floatation device. If an F-- 1 6 went crashing down into a body of water, the parachuting pilot would know how to survive in the warm or frigid ice water thanks in part to strict training provided by the Air Force. procedures. 16 ,:- . " v Smimi" r "wwm v. V $ .: T' f ,' ? 5. t " Tr""'1"1' J. ' - ,u - '8 After completing the first half of the water course, the pilots wait for more instructions. 1 - r - J - ''' "JI "LIZ.'"' niiHWliihn'i-- n- |