Karen A. picks up the gauntlet: Surviving stormy weather with aircrew, water survival training

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
LOWESTOFT COLLEGE, England --  I've marshaled a jet, helped fight a live fire, had a military working dog hanging off my arm, and looked an owl and falcon in their beady eyes as they sat on my gloved hand. Ever since then, I've been on the lookout for a new challenge.

These things were a tad nerve-wracking, but fun. But I didn't think anything could actually scare me - until I received a phone call asking if I fancied doing some survival, evasion, resistance and escape water survival training.

I immediately jumped at the chance, until I spoke to the guy who does the training and he told me what it involves - having to jump into a 16-foot-deep swimming pool, with a machine making very big waves crash about. That's when I started to feel a little (okay - a lot) sick. Once he realized I was a little nervous about it, but wouldn't back out, Master Sgt. Matt Ruch, 100th Operations Support Squadron SERE operations and training superintendent, thought he'd have a little fun at my expense by telling me, in detail, all the scary things I would be put through. Though to his credit, he did also remind me that he was kidding and he would ensure I was safe during the training.

Reality kicks in

I have to say, this was one of the most terrifying things I've ever done - right up there with when I was hurtling down the runway - at a speed of around 150 mph - crammed in the back of Mario Andretti's two-seater racing car earlier this year.

While for me this was a "fun" thing I chose to do, for these guys it was serious training, which could literally mean the difference between a life and death situation.

The water survival training program is jointly conducted by the three U.S. Air Force SERE shops in England - 100th Operations Support Squadron, 352nd Special Operations Group and the 48th Operations Support Squadron, RAF Lakenheath. Twelve training sessions are scheduled each year, with an average of 18 people per class.
In addition to being used by the SERE folks, Lowestoft College uses the pool for a maritime training program for its students, and Royal Air Force units also use it.

"The environmental tank at Lowestoft provides an exceptional experience for aircrew," said Ruch. "It's the only one of its kind in use by Air Force SERE specialists. The pool is half-Olympic size, 16-feet deep, with pumps that create six- to eight-foot waves, fans which produce a 30-knot wind, and sprinkler system and lighting controls to replicate horrific sea conditions.

Hopefully you're starting to realize exactly why I found this training a little frightening!

Having the right tools for the job

Ruch said the 100th OSS Aircrew Flight Equipment shop supplies the expertly packed equipment, which provides aircrew with practical experience and helps them gain confidence with the vital tools they would have to use in a real-world situation.

We all took turns trying on giant survival suits, which you had to pull over your head, and were tight around the neck, to create a watertight seal. These suits are used by aircrew in the event of a plane crash-landing into the sea.

Once we took those off, we strapped on the life preserver unit over our flightsuits, and were then given a short safety briefing by the instructors. Next, we lined up along the side of the pool, while they showed us how to lift up a parachute, and pull ourselves along underneath it.

Jump ... just do it

Standing at the edge of a 16-foot-deep, special-purpose pool, preparing to jump was absolutely petrifying!

This part of the training is vital. On evacuation from an aircraft, if the parachute lands on the survivor in the water, it could drown him or her if the life preserver unit isn't inflated, and that person doesn't know how to get out from underneath the parachute.

The other guys doing the training - all aircrew, from the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, 352nd Special Operations Group, 48th Fighter Wing, 488th Intelligence Squadron, 95th Reconnaissance Squadron and 56th Rescue Squadron - just jumped straight in without batting an eyelid.

After finally finding the courage to jump in, I managed to get over to the parachute and hold it up and over my face, pulling myself along to the other side. It was actually easier than I expected it to be, as you could breathe easily under it.

Capt. Chris Redmond, 351st ARS pilot, was one of the aircrew participating in the water survival training, and said the training, in conjunction with pilot training, is designed to be recalled in moments of extreme stress.

"It depends heavily upon instinctive recall, in order to keep you alive in dire situations," said Redmond. "Therefore, it's beneficial to refresh these trained skills on a regular basis, to maintain that knowledge base, from which one day you may need to pull from, in order to stay alive."

He explained that his initial water survival training experience had been in Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., in Pensacola Bay (Gulf of Mexico), rather than a pool.

"That made it very interesting and realistic; it was jellyfish season, and we were constantly dodging them," he said. "But the pool at Lowestoft provided aspects which the Gulf of Mexico couldn't provide on demand, such as rain, lightening, thunder and massive waves."

Taking it to the limit

Considering they fly planes for a living, it's hard to imagine that pilots would find any training tough. But aircrew have to do survival training, just in case the worst happens and they might need it some day.

"I think the toughest part with training is always taking what your instructors have given you, and executing it in the correct way during the exercise that you're applying it to," Redmond said. "It's always difficult to find a balance between the simulation of the exercise, and the real-world skills you're trying to practice and hone. You always want to excel and do exactly as you were trained, but that's not necessarily what always ends up happening.

"Of course," he continued, "there's always overcoming your personal aversions and fears. I've never been a big fan of the open ocean and deep water, but during water survival, the SERE instructors do such a great job equipping you not only with the necessary skills and training, but with the confidence that with your training, you're going to be fully capable of surviving and excelling, even in the face of your fears."

The training included turning a one-person raft upright, pulling yourself onto it, before getting out and swimming over to the 20-man life raft.

We then had to haul ourselves up into the raft. Once a few of us made it into the raft, one of the instructors showed us critical parts to know in an emergency situation. This included how to use the bright pink canopy, designed to be seen from a distance and enable a rescue to happen as quickly as possible.

Once we were all packed tightly in the raft, the instructor handed out different parts of an accessory pack, and briefly explained how it all worked and the importance of each item.

Weathering the storm

Once we'd had our training in the raft, we once again hauled ourselves out of the pool and lined back up along the side. The instructors moved the 20-man life raft to the middle of the pool, and their fun began ...

Suddenly, all the lights went off, the wave machine came on - and it started to rain!

Then, aided only by the beam of a small flashlight - we had to jump back into the pool. After making sure you and your partner both got in safely, everyone formed a chain over to the life raft.

We all had small glow sticks fastened onto our helmets so we could see each other. Then we helped one another get into the life raft, and pull the cover over our heads, to try and stop the water pouring in.

When the storm finally calmed, and we once again scrambled out of the life raft into smoother seas, we were shown how to strap ourselves onto a winch, similar to what a helicopter would lower down to rescue you, before the finale of the day.

The only way is up

We got back into the water and finished by climbing up a cargo net to the mezzanine above.

As all the guys were climbing up, I nervously waited in the water for my turn.

Ruch told me I didn't have to do it - though I'm sure he said that on purpose, so I would - and as I'd done everything else these guys had done, I wasn't going to back out now.

With him next to me in the water, and another instructor standing at the top shouting out encouragement, I gradually hauled my way up the cargo net. I found it incredibly exhausting, and halfway through, just didn't think I could go any further.

But the instructors were shouting, "You can do it!" at the tops of their voices, and I really didn't feel like falling backwards into the water, so I had no choice - the only way was up.

I barely had the strength to pull myself to the top, but the bootcamp classes I've been taking had definitely increased what little upper body strength I had, and I did it. Plus, I didn't want to be the only one to fail at climbing the cargo net!

These SERE instructors teach this training every month. In their black wetsuits, they swim through the water like sea lions, and continuously show aircrew how to survive if they ever end up in treacherous waters.

They save lives.

"The great thing that SERE instructors do is lay down a foundation of very basic knowledge and skills which will kick in automatically in a real-world situation, and immediately start helping you survive," Redmond said. "It's been proven time and time again, with real-world survival examples, whether it's how to get untangled from your parachute, how to find a water source, or how to evade enemy forces, the invaluable training that these fine individuals give you sticks with you even when you don't know it."