JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Every day at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, dozens of
pilot instructors and student pilots take to the skies in three different
aircraft, intent on their mission.
Although most sorties are completed with no major
complications, all fliers and other aircrew members are aware there may come a
time when they face an emergency that requires exiting the aircraft, whether
it’s airborne or on the ground.
For that reason, egress training is an integral part of an
aircrew member’s education.
At JBSA-Randolph, egress training is provided on an almost
daily basis.
“I teach an average of one and sometimes two of these
training sessions per day,” Reynaldo Gutierrez, 12th Operations Support
Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment instructor, said. “During the last fiscal
year we conducted 296 training sessions for the T-1A, T-6A and T-38C combined,
and trained a total of 1,204 aircrew members.”
Gutierrez, who has 35 years of experience as an AFE
instructor, including 23 years on active duty, said egress training is provided
to “basically anyone who flies in our aircraft here at Randolph,” from pilot
instructors, students enrolled in Pilot Instructor Training and Introduction to
Fighter Fundamentals, remotely piloted aircraft pilots to Air Force Academy
cadets, combat camera photographers and distinguished visitors.
He said T-38C egress training for pilot instructors and
students from the 435th Fighter Training Squadron and 560th Flying Training
Squadron comprises the majority of his sessions.
A session for T-38C aircrews includes aircrew flight equipment
training, emergency parachute training, local area survival, an on-scene
commander’s briefing, and ground and air egress training, Gutierrez said.
“In addition I teach non-combat survival training to all of
our assigned aircrews in the wing,” he said. “I also teach T-1A and T-38C water
survival training.”
In the AFE segment of egress training, Gutierrez discusses
the use of flares, mirrors, strobe lights, electronic equipment, medical
equipment and other supplies that can prove vital after ejection. He called it
“aircrew flight equipment familiarization training.”
Egress training covers a variety of topics, including
ejection seat description, features, operation and capabilities; pre-flight
inspection, how to strap in; how to unstrap in case of emergency during an
on-ground incident; commands for ejection and controlled and uncontrolled
ejection procedures.
“I show them the proper body position for ejection, how to
operate the oxygen system in case they have trouble breathing and how to
operate the aircraft canopy,” he said.
Gutierrez said students in T-38C egress training must
execute an air and ground egress.
“They must demonstrate they are able to properly perform an
air and ground egress,” he said. “It’s their evaluation. I have to make sure
they understand the information and can perform an egress.”
If they are unable to demonstrate it properly, Gutierrez
said, “I have to correct them and have them demonstrate it again.”
He said he does not let anybody leave a session “unless they
fully understand what they’re doing.”
The T-38C ejection seat, which replaced the original seat
from the 1950s and 1960s about five years ago, is a “zero-zero” seat that will
eject at zero altitude and zero airspeed, allowing the aircrew to eject on the
ground. In addition, the ejection seat contains the parachute, so aircrew
members don’t have to carry their own parachutes. Another advantage is that the
parachute deploys rapidly.
Gutierrez said proper use of the ejection seat is
imperative.
“Ejection seats will save your life in a second, but will
kill you in a second if you’re not careful,” he said.
Gutierrez said T-6A egress training sessions are the same as
those for the T-38C, with a few exceptions.
“The ejection seats are different and the ground egress is
different because the T-6A has a different aircraft canopy system,” he said.
“Other differences are the aircraft oxygen systems and the AFE survival kits,
which have different survival equipment in them,” he said.
Gutierrez said egress training isn’t over until aircrew
members learn how to use a parachute. He describes the parachute’s performance
capabilities, the function of each part, how the parachute deploys, emergency
post-ejection procedures, how to identify and fix malfunctions, how to check
the canopy, how to pilot the parachute, what to do if the parachute drifts into
trees or other power lines and other procedures.
Designated pilot instructors from the flying and fighter
training squadrons also play a role in egress training, Gutierrez said.
“We do in-depth training here,” he said. “The Air Force has
lesson plans, which we use to develop our aircraft-specific wing lesson plans,
including the equipment we use. We evaluate the plans once a year.”
Gutierrez said incidents that require air egress are not
common at JBSA-Randolph, but aircrew members must be prepared.
“If there’s a room full of pilots, each will probably know
someone who has had to eject,” he said. “It’s a dangerous job. We do our best
to prepare them for the worst so they can get back to their families and the
mission.”