Military Pilots Undergo Water Survival Training

This Author Ginked it bad. He combined the courses, but let me tell you its still the same as when I went through, SERE and Water Survival are 2 different courses.

Sheesh.

THIS IS NOTHING NEW. I AM NOW RETIRED, BUT I WAS A WATER SURVIVAL TRAINING INSTRUCTOR AND A AVIATION PHYSIOLOGY TRAINING INSTRUCTOR. wE TAUGHT PILOTS HOW TO INTERPRET THEIR INSTRUMENTS, HOW TO BAIL OUT OR EJECT-DEPENDING ON THE AIRCRAFT. wE ALSO TAUGHT THEM HOW TO LAND IN THEIR PARACHUTES, AND HOW TO SURVIVE ON LAND AND IN THE WATER. wE ALSO TAUGHT THEM HOW TO RECOGNICE HYPOXIA. I HAVE WORKED WITH USAF, USN AND FORIEGN MILITARY PILOTS.

Guys, you will probably remember the ditching of a USAF F-16 pilot in the ocean near Key West when flying a rented C-172 and engine conked out. He was totally unprepared, no flashlights, no raft or life vest, no hand held radio, no shark pellent, nothing. He was lucky as a boat neary plucked him. I have a question: Does every single USAF pilot go through this training or only a fews of them. The guy in question probably did not.

This is nothing new; just remember that you can lead a horse to water, but you can;t make it drink.
Rango

Been there done that,nothing new, but it was at Homestead AFB FL (1976). I remember those days of looking down from my raft and seeing the Baracud looking for a snack.

I received SERE and Water Survival training in the 60's prior to deploying to Vietnam with a Navy squadron. The course included waterboarding, confinement in tiger cages, and other indignities designed to soften you up for the later phases of the training, which was interrogation. I'm glad to see the training has continued to this day, even though some of the techniques have now been re-defined as "torture," and too demeaning to put the GTMO internees through.

I too remember floating in my one man raft, looking at the barracuda using it as shade. Homestead AFB, 1969 just before I deployed to Vietnam. Whole TV program was much ado about nothing! Gessshhhhh!

News for you AF guys./ All, not just some Navy and Marine pilots and crew go through this training. SOME of you didn't?!!??
Holy S----.
P.S. to Rango. Do not drink the SALT WATER.

byarner,

Can't speak for all AF pilots, but back in the day, the basic survival course (Fairchild AFB, WA) was the primary survival training. If memory serves me right sooner or later every AF crew member attended it. If you were going to SEA it had to be completed before you were assigned there. Water survival (Homestead AFB, FL) was not so mandatory. I think a lot depended on what you flew, with fighter pilots having a higher priority than multi engine types. Made sense as I don't remember in my 28 years of a cargo or tanker that ever ditched at sea. The only other survival school I attended was jungle survival at Clark AB, in the Philippines. I did that on my way to SEA. With the exception of my SEA tour in the C7 Caribou I flew tankers (KC-135 & KC-10)

Retired 12270 AF Survivsl Inst 76-96 thats when. Anyone remember jungle survival at clark AB PI. and red flag SAR?? But to answer your question ALL rated crewmembers had to attend basic and water as well as the High Altitude Chamber

Besides Whiteman AFB water trng is just recurrent training it wasnt mandatory at all bases but a local requirement imposed by the wing commander.