Students Attend Survival Systems “Ditching Course”
As commercial pilots, we can anticipate being exposed to very many environmental conditions, and being prepared for unforeseen circumstances can prove very valuable not only for our own lives, but also to the passengers we’ll carry. The “Ditching Course” with Survival Systems in Groton, CT, offered a very wide variety of scenarios, anything from extinguishing a fire in the cockpit, to utilizing simple techniques to minimizing your exposure to hypothermia, to working your way around a rescue hoist. The most important part of the day was of course the aircraft egress exercise. The goal is to get a sense of what to expect and how to react should we find ourselves having to make an emergency landing into the water.
The simulator is equipped with 6 different kinds of doors, so that you can work around the kind that is closest to the aircraft you normally fly. Each of the 6 dunks into the pool is a different scenario, most set you up in an inverted position that you must recover from. The first dunk can feel awkward, but with each following one, you become more and more calm and efficient in getting out of the “aircraft”.
The entire day was geared to teach us about water survival and safety, a well worth investment, not to mention a ton of fun!
Ivona Redlinska - Pro-Trac student
Posted on June 19th, 2008 by Rhonda
Filed under: News