Highlights: WST pool & dunker training, up to Squadron to work out flight bonus paperwork & get CO signature, meeting old & new friends at the squadron, Discovery Channel
Today was day #2 at Water Survival Training, and we spent the whole day in the pool. Muscle memory is often the best way to remember how to get out of a sinking ship when a flight turns into a disaster over water. Our ability to survive a crash in the ocean increases ten fold or better after practicing it a few times, and using the equipment on our flight vests.
Wearing flight suits, boots and helmets, we pulled ourselves through under-water tunnels; practiced breathing on mini scuba bottles that we carry; inflated our collar life-preservers and floated in survival positions for several minutes; climbed into life rafts, bailing water and organizing look-outs and first aid; then got hoisted out of the water by helicopter cables.
Thankfully was water was heated, so spending the day in an outdoor pool in February wasn’t that bad.
The final training evolution was the dreaded dunker. Basically we get into a mock helicopter cabin, which then drops into a 30 foot pool, flips over & sinks. We brace for impact, find a reference point, then when everything gets turned upside-down, we escape through emergency exits, just like we would in a real aircraft. We get to go through this 5 times, the last 2 blind-folded. The rationale behind that: it’s dark in the ocean, and we have to learn to feel our way out of a sinking aircraft. Good training.
(insert pics of WST dunker) [2]
One of the good things about being back in the states, and in a flying squadron again, is hearing about the incentive programs the government is offering to keep pilots on active duty instead of getting out after our 6-year service obligations are up.
Helicopter pilots used to be offered a $7,000 annual bonus to stay in through 16 years of service, while jet pilots were offered $25,000 for the same thing. Priorities.
These days, helicopter pilots are getting used up & worn out by multiple deployments overseas,,, and our platform has proven its value time and again. So the incentive has been increased to $18,000 for helicopter pilots, like myself. The catch is, I have to submit my paperwork before the promotion selection list comes out. If my name is on the list (promotion to Major), headquarters makes the assumption I’ll stay in anyways, and drops the bonus to $15,000.
The promotion list is due out any day now… so I got my paperwork routed today! All I need is the CO’s signature.
The coolest thing about being back in the flying squadron is seeing old friends again. I know half the pilots who are now instructors here at the training squadron. Some were students here with me 7 years ago, others I deployed with when I was with HMM-163.
I remember long ago, hearing refresher pilots come through like this place was a big high school reunion. Now I’m one of those guys. Ha ha. Didn’t see that comin.
It was good to meet a lot of new friendly faces as well. Some were interested in my FAO stories of living overseas, some wanted to know more about how to get this job, some just wanted to know if I could get them a $40 Rolex (= ha ha. Life in a CH-46 squadron is really all about the people. It’s a good environment to be in.
And speaking of FAO stories, I was contacted a week or so ago by a producer from Discovery Channel in Toronto, asking if he could use my footage of the Sidoarjo mud volcano in East Java, that I put on my blog in October. Sure! Why not? I had to fax him a signed permission form, giving my consent to use my blog footage… his show airs tomorrow throughout Canada! How cool is that?
Today was day #2 at Water Survival Training, and we spent the whole day in the pool. Muscle memory is often the best way to remember how to get out of a sinking ship when a flight turns into a disaster over water. Our ability to survive a crash in the ocean increases ten fold or better after practicing it a few times, and using the equipment on our flight vests.
Wearing flight suits, boots and helmets, we pulled ourselves through under-water tunnels; practiced breathing on mini scuba bottles that we carry; inflated our collar life-preservers and floated in survival positions for several minutes; climbed into life rafts, bailing water and organizing look-outs and first aid; then got hoisted out of the water by helicopter cables.
Thankfully was water was heated, so spending the day in an outdoor pool in February wasn’t that bad.
The final training evolution was the dreaded dunker. Basically we get into a mock helicopter cabin, which then drops into a 30 foot pool, flips over & sinks. We brace for impact, find a reference point, then when everything gets turned upside-down, we escape through emergency exits, just like we would in a real aircraft. We get to go through this 5 times, the last 2 blind-folded. The rationale behind that: it’s dark in the ocean, and we have to learn to feel our way out of a sinking aircraft. Good training.
(insert pics of WST dunker) [2]
One of the good things about being back in the states, and in a flying squadron again, is hearing about the incentive programs the government is offering to keep pilots on active duty instead of getting out after our 6-year service obligations are up.
Helicopter pilots used to be offered a $7,000 annual bonus to stay in through 16 years of service, while jet pilots were offered $25,000 for the same thing. Priorities.
These days, helicopter pilots are getting used up & worn out by multiple deployments overseas,,, and our platform has proven its value time and again. So the incentive has been increased to $18,000 for helicopter pilots, like myself. The catch is, I have to submit my paperwork before the promotion selection list comes out. If my name is on the list (promotion to Major), headquarters makes the assumption I’ll stay in anyways, and drops the bonus to $15,000.
The promotion list is due out any day now… so I got my paperwork routed today! All I need is the CO’s signature.
The coolest thing about being back in the flying squadron is seeing old friends again. I know half the pilots who are now instructors here at the training squadron. Some were students here with me 7 years ago, others I deployed with when I was with HMM-163.
I remember long ago, hearing refresher pilots come through like this place was a big high school reunion. Now I’m one of those guys. Ha ha. Didn’t see that comin.
It was good to meet a lot of new friendly faces as well. Some were interested in my FAO stories of living overseas, some wanted to know more about how to get this job, some just wanted to know if I could get them a $40 Rolex (= ha ha. Life in a CH-46 squadron is really all about the people. It’s a good environment to be in.
And speaking of FAO stories, I was contacted a week or so ago by a producer from Discovery Channel in Toronto, asking if he could use my footage of the Sidoarjo mud volcano in East Java, that I put on my blog in October. Sure! Why not? I had to fax him a signed permission form, giving my consent to use my blog footage… his show airs tomorrow throughout Canada! How cool is that?
posted by jonathan adventures at 11:46 PM
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