Research on egress training - participants needed!

[erauresearcher]

Good afternoon,

I am a military spouse completing my thesis at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It focuses on success factors of egress training during Navy Aviation Water Survival Training. I would greatly appreciate if all those who have attended egress training complete this short survey on your experience. All responses are anonymous and will be used only for research purposes.

Thank you for your consideration and your service!
SURVEY: https://forms.gle/kxTgiWtdm8jknZ4g8

 

[WannabeAOP]

Good luck! Commenting to increase visibility.

 

[ChuckMK23]

Interesting survey - I completed - what is the premise?

I remember a number of "aqua rocks" from water survival. Most were skinny black guys from urban areas. Those who needed more training got it!

 

[erauresearcher]

Thank you for completing it! The goal is to learn more about human factors that contribute to success (or failure) during aviation survival training. There is a really interesting Naval Postgraduate School thesis from 1981 about how anxiety plays into egress success, but it only briefly touches on prior water experience. I am building off of this research to increase overall knowledge in the subject area. This thesis is the last step in earning my masters in human factors, with the ultimate goal of serving the military aviation population afterwards.

My dream job is to become a Navy Aerospace and Operational Physiologist, but would also love related federal work. I hope to continue to learn about this subject and improve training for our servicemembers, in order to ultimately decrease training-related errors and injuries and improve safety and success in real emergency scenarios.

Please let me know if there are further questions or suggestions! I'd love to discuss further.

 

[Griz882]

I completed it as well. Good survey with interesting questions. As I remember it the “Dilbert” was a non-event but the helicopter rollover caused some pre-swim anxiety.

 

[erauresearcher]

I completed it as well. Good survey with interesting questions. As I remember it the “Dilbert” was a non-event but the helicopter rollover caused some pre-swim anxiety.

Thank you very much! That's what I initially heard too. I toured a Navy training center recently and the director stated exactly that. He said they used to start with all of the classroom instruction, but because most students developed pre-swim anxiety, they changed the curriculum to begin with a swim on day one (and rip the Band-Aid off so to speak).

 

[taxi1]

My first time through the dunker (85) we didn't have spare air, and I remember watching my brethren flail at it while waiting my turn. That gets the juices flowing.

At some point, including my last time through in 2014, we did have the HEEDs bottles, which felt like cheating. But on one of the runs I had a partial bottle and ran out while snaking my way out of the dunker. You find you're out of air by exhaling and then not being to inhale. That was suitably consternating mid-exercise.

I'd look at mental rehearsal techniques as a method to lower anxiety.

 

[erauresearcher]

You find you're out of air by exhaling and then not being to inhale.

That sounds almost worse than not having a HEED bottle at all! Glad you made it through alright.

I'll look into mental rehearsal techniques as well, great idea. That could be a good suggestion in response to this research (in addition to possibly suggesting increased exposure to water/swimming prior to training, for example). Thanks again to everyone completing the survey! I appreciate it.

 

[taxi1]

I'll look into mental rehearsal techniques as well, great idea. That could be a good suggestion in response to this research (in addition to possibly suggesting increased exposure to water/swimming prior to training, for example). Thanks again to everyone completing the survey! I appreciate it.

I wrote this some time ago. Egress trading would be a good intro to it.

CQ Notes from an old paddles

OK, last one, until I think of another one. This one was the best, though... Be the Ball Danny This one had a 100% success rate with students going to the boat in intermediate (T-2’s), which I still find amazing. I only brought it out for students who specifically came to me with concerns...

www.airwarriors.com

 

[erauresearcher]

I wrote this some time ago. Egress trading would be a good intro to it.

CQ Notes from an old paddles

OK, last one, until I think of another one. This one was the best, though... Be the Ball Danny This one had a 100% success rate with students going to the boat in intermediate (T-2’s), which I still find amazing. I only brought it out for students who specifically came to me with concerns...

www.airwarriors.com

This is a great resource, thank you! I also just added Peak Performance by Charles Garfield to my Amazon cart per your recommendation. As an outsider looking in, this is very helpful feedback.

 

[HAL Pilot]

I thought of water survival as a day of fun in the pool. The dunkers were just another fun ride at the amusement park.

 

[Mos]

I remember being nervous about the dunker before I did it for the first time. Thereafter, I haven't felt much anxiety about it, and actually find it to be kind of fun. Tread and float is a different matter. I feel close to death the first 15-20 seconds of doing that every time.

 

[OscarMyers]

My first time through the dunker (85) we didn't have spare air, and I remember watching my brethren flail at it while waiting my turn. That gets the juices flowing.

At some point, including my last time through in 2014, we did have the HEEDs bottles, which felt like cheating. But on one of the runs I had a partial bottle and ran out while snaking my way out of the dunker. You find you're out of air by exhaling and then not being to inhale. That was suitably consternating mid-exercise.

I'd look at mental rehearsal techniques as a method to lower anxiety.

I had a bottle swapped out between rides and thought they had opened the valve prior to handing it to me in the dunker. Went under and took a huge empty pull on the mouth piece. Talk about disappointment. Egressed no issues and asked them if I could count that as my no bottle ride. No dice.... :-(

 

[Farva01]

Thank you for completing it! The goal is to learn more about human factors that contribute to success (or failure) during aviation survival training. There is a really interesting Naval Postgraduate School thesis from 1981 about how anxiety plays into egress success, but it only briefly touches on prior water experience. I am building off of this research to increase overall knowledge in the subject area. This thesis is the last step in earning my masters in human factors, with the ultimate goal of serving the military aviation population afterwards.

My dream job is to become a Navy Aerospace and Operational Physiologist, but would also love related federal work. I hope to continue to learn about this subject and improve training for our servicemembers, in order to ultimately decrease training-related errors and injuries and improve safety and success in real emergency scenarios.

Please let me know if there are further questions or suggestions! I'd love to discuss further.

good survey for an interesting topic. Two thoughts:

First is I don’t think you need to be a strong swimmer, you just need to not freak out when you swallow a little water or go past what you think is running out of breath. I remember listening to a SEAL talk at school about the knot tying portion of BUD/S. His view was your body had another minute at least of Oxygen past what you think is your limit, and if you run out you will pass out and the instructors will pull you off the bottom of the pool. Obviously that is a batshit extreme mentality on why he is a SEAL, but if you learn to be comfortable under water you can get through swim Phys.
second, pretty much to a person, all my friends that dread the helo dunker during our 4-year rehack, had a bad experience with it in API.

Anywhoo, good luck on the study and would be interested in reading the final product!

 

[taxi1]

I had a bottle swapped out between rides and thought they had opened the valve prior to handing it to me in the dunker. Went under and took a huge empty pull on the mouth piece. Talk about disappointment.

Reminds me of in college and we’re playing Beer Hunter, where you take the beers out of a six pack, shake one of them violently, and mix them up. Everybody grabs a beer...