The depth of readiness: How Shallow Water Egress Training prepares aviators for the worst

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Soldiers with the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade recently traded the comfort of breathing freely on solid ground for the adrenaline-inducing reality of water filling their lungs as they learned how to escape a submerged aircraft.

Throughout September, pilots and aircrews assigned to the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, conducted underwater escape training provided by Survival Systems USA utilizing a Shallow Water Egress Trainer, or SWET.

The training, conducted at the Magrath Fitness Center indoor pool, exposed Soldiers to realistic scenarios they could encounter during an emergency over the water.

"Every person should have that feeling of confidence when they’re flying over the water," said Daniel McInnis, an instructor with Survival Systems USA. "An emergency may happen, but they know how to prepare for it, they know how to deal with it."

That confidence begins with an uncomfortable feeling of helplessness.

Strapped into a floating chair inside a cage designed to simulate an aircraft crew seat, Soldiers are submerged and inverted underwater. While water rushes around them, they must control their fear response, conserve oxygen and identify an escape route.

The training works to turn initial panic into a practiced, calm response. Conquering that fear response allows focus to be directed toward the task at hand, McInnis explained.

Although the training is focused on the individual, the skills gained impact the entire aircrew. Knowing how to escape from a submerged aircraft could mean the difference between life and death.

For Warrant Officer Zackary Estes, a pilot assigned to Charlie Company, 2-10th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, the importance of preparing for a water emergency is personal.

Estes witnessed the consequences of an aircraft crash in the water that claimed the lives of all crew members. Now a pilot himself, he views the training differently.

"Having the proper knowledge and knowing how to egress a downed aircraft in a water situation, this would be what saves my life, essentially," Estes said.

Before the training, he was not looking forward to the discomfort associated with the experience. "I didn’t think this was something that I wanted, but looking at the long scope of things, yeah, this is something that you definitely need."

What can feel like a lifetime between losing the ability to breathe and breaking through the surface of the water is only 10 to 15 seconds. Those seconds of discomfort increase the safety and well-being of an entire aircrew in the event of an emergency.

"All that adrenaline sets in as soon as that water fills and you don't really have that breath," said Spc. Jordan Bobrowski, crew chief and flight instructor for Charlie Company, 2-10th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. "It's best to just be patient, trust the equipment."

Having completed the training previously, Bobrowski demonstrated the effectiveness of that patience and trust, completing the instruction first among his group before calmly assisting his fellow aircrew through the exercise.

As a crew chief, Bobrowski understands the importance of confidence and communication within an aircrew, especially when verbal communication is no longer an option underwater.

When you are underwater, there is no time to reassure fellow crew members. There is only trust in your training and the response it elicits.

For the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, that response, that confidence, is formed before an emergency ever happens.

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