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JBSA News
NEWS | June 2, 2015

International flight surgeons learn about night-vision goggle course

By Robert Goetz Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs

Three flight surgeons attending a course for international medical officers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, took a brief break from their studies to visit the 359th Aerospace and Operational Physiology Training Flight May 20.

Surgeon Commander Polpakkara Promod of the Indian navy, Lt. Col. Choi Kyungpil of the Republic of Korea air force and Capt. Tahir Nawaz of the Pakistan air force, students in the Advanced Aerospace Medicine for International Medical Officers Course, traveled to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph for a briefing on the Air Force's Night-Vision Goggle Advanced Academic Instructor Course.

"The purpose of the informational meeting was to discuss how the Air Force conducts night-vision goggle training and to talk about the opportunities the Air Force has in training our international partners about night-vision goggles," Lt. Col. Dan Roberts, 359th Aerospace and Operational Physiology Training Flight commander, said.

The course offered at JBSA-Randolph, the only one of its kind in the Air Force, provides advanced instruction to Airmen who are already familiar with NVGs, allowing them to share their knowledge with novice NVG users. It is required for aircrew flight equipment specialists and anyone who teaches initial NVG training.

"We take experienced aircrew members and train them on advanced concepts," Roberts told the three flight surgeons. "We immerse them in the technology and also teach them what they can't do - that there are limitations with NVGs."

In addition to discussing the course, which maintains a ratio of 12 students per one instructor, and showing the visitors teaching devices such as a virtual terrain board, Roberts informed them of the flight's international course, which is taken to the United States' international partners and tailored to their mission.

"Our international course is not in-residence," he said. "Rather than bringing folks here and showing them our technology, we train them to the technology they have."

Roberts said the flight sends two instructors to international courses. Recent courses have included one in Lithuania and a NATO session attended by participants from nine countries.

Roberts' presentation impressed Promod.

"It was evident that the U.S. Air force imparts training of high quality to future NVG instructors," he said. "This training involves use of didactic lectures as well as a good infrastructure in the form of dark rooms, a virtual terrain model and other accessories."

Promod said his country is looking at the possibility of starting an NVG instructors' course based on the U.S. model.

"The setting up of an NVG instructors' course would help in making a maximum number of aircrew more proficient in the use of night-vision goggles and enabling them to be more aware about the capabilities and limitations," he said.