Training the Best

So you've safely ejected from your $40 million aircraft which is on its way to becoming a twisted pile of nothing on the bottom of the ocean, what now? Prepare for water entry. Inflate your LPU, (life preserving unit; a C02 inflated collar around your neck and two shoebox sized bladders attached at your waist), release your life raft, pull off and throw away your oxygen mask, activate your four line release so you can steer into the wind, and enjoy the ride. Once you get within about 200' of the water, release your chest strap and left leg strap while holding your shoulder straps together with your right arm. Switch to holding with your left arm and put you right hand on your right leg strap. Look to the horizon, put your feet together and wait. Once your feet hit the water, pop the right leg strap off and you are free. Now climb into your raft and wait for pickup.

The final event in the water with NSTI is the live helo hoist. For this evolution we suited up the whole class in wetsuits (the water was 43 degrees fahrenheit!), flight suits, boots, gloves, helmet, and airsave survival vest with LPU inflated and boarded boats. The boats looked like a fiberglass version of the old WWII Higgins boats. There was a high bow and lower stern with seating around the outside facing inwards. The controls were located amidships at a podium style helm and a ladder hung off the back.

Once in the boats we headed out into Pensacola bay for our drop-off. The boat trolled along and one at a time, at a spacing of 50-60 yards, students jumped off into the water. The helicopter, a Navy UH-3 assigned to NAS Pensacola, followed behind the boat. The idea is for the helicopter to position above you, drop you a hook, you hook yourself up, it lifts you 6-8 feet, puts you back in, you unhook, and the chase boat picks you up. Good fun.

When I hit the water it felt like I was in one of those polar bear clubs jumping into the lake through a hole in the ice. We were supposed to give a thumbs up to the drop-off boat as soon as we hit the surface and I did, but I still was in shock from hitting that cold water. I assumed the HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture - feet crossed at the ankles and knees drawn towards chest, hands and face out of the water) position and waited on the boat. It was a beautiful day and after a few minutes the wetsuit warmed up and I started to enjoy my float in the bay. Every once in a while the current would turn me away from the helicopter and I would have to paddle with my hands or kick with my feet. Exposing the covered areas on my legs and putting my hands in the water reminded me once again how cold it was in the water.

As the helicopter picked up the student in front of me the waves from the rotor wash started kicking up. Not big waves, but not something I was expecting. Watching the helicopter pick up the student in front of me, I thought to myself "how fucking cool is this!" I've been under a heavy lift helicopter once before, a CH-53E in the desert at CAX several years ago while hooking up a water trailer, and it is pretty cool. Much like boarding the helicopter, as it gets closer to you, the noise and wind become so intense that there is really nothing else in your world at that point. It's also pretty cool to have this massive helicopter overhead for the sole purpose of plucking you out of the ocean. Now this won't be so cool if it happens to me again, because that means I'm going to have to answer to the CO as to why I came back sans aircraft, but this time it was really cool.

The helicopter stopped overhead and dropped the rescue hook and strop. I swam over to it and grabbed it, waiting for the hook to hit the water first so I didn't get shocked with a couple thousand volts of static electricity. It was a bit of a struggle to connect the hook to the gated carabiner on my right shoulder with the inflated LPU blocking my access and vision. Yet another thing the T-34 guys have a raw deal on; the T-6 guys hook up to a ring on their chest. I connected the hook, crossed my right arm across my chest, and gave a thumbs up with my left. Within a few seconds I was being plucked out of the water just like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. I'm certain I looked just as cool too. They picked me up a few feet and dropped me back into the water.

Back onboard the chase boat with a huge grin, we shared some stories and watched our classmates get picked up. Almost everybody got back onboard with an ear to ear grin and a comment or two about how cool that was. Indeed very cool but I hope I don't have to take that ride any time in the near future. Not until I have to come back for my 4 year re-cert anyway.

// posted by Josh @ 2/02/2006 12:30:00 PM