Air Force trains Coast Guard students in altitude chamber

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Russell Wicke
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  Coast Guard aircrew students completed altitude-chamber training taught by the 1st Fighter Wing Airmen here April 23.

The base provides training for all Coast Guard members and the instructors tailor the class specifically to them, said Master Sgt. Rodney Morris, the 1st Aerospace Medical Squadron NCO in charge of aerospace physiology.

The two-part training involves a classroom portion where Langley AFB instructors travel to Elizabeth City, N.C., to teach. The second portion involves the altitude-chamber and is conducted here at a later date. The Coast Guard students are usually aircrew members on C-130 Hercules aircraft and a variety of helicopters, he said.

Airman 1st Class Brendan Davis, an 1st Aerospace Medical Squadron class instructor, demonstrated the hazards of spatial disorientation to the students using a spinning device, called a Barany chair, to simulate aircraft maneuvers using centrifugal force. The chair produces disorientation similar to what pilots commonly experienced during flight maneuvers. The training assists students in recognizing their body's false indicators on positioning during aerial missions.

A large portion of the training involves the altitude chamber. Based on their aircraft types, the Coast Guard students experience a simulated altitude of 25,000 feet. The simulation induces hypoxic symptoms in a controlled environment for the students.

Hypoxia is a physical state resulting in low oxygen levels in the body. High-altitude environments (anything above 10,000 feet) will produce this condition because the air pressure isn't strong enough to force enough oxygen from the lung's air sacs into blood cells. 

The training is a safe way to teach students how to recognize symptoms of hypoxia, and don oxygen masks, before the ultimate symptom occurs -- loss of control or consciousness, Sergeant Morris said.

Students are taught to recognize symptoms such as blurred vision, tingling sensations, dizziness, sleepiness and mental confusion.

"(The chamber) allows students to get hypoxic in a controlled situation," Sergeant Morris said. "We have instructors there so it's completely safe." 

It also allows students to witness the symptoms in other people, he said.

Airman Davis said the chamber is necessary because experiencing the symptoms makes a deeper impression as opposed to learning about them. Also, not everyone's body reacts with the same symptom of hypoxia, he said.

"If you haven't had the chamber training then you don't know what your symptoms to hypoxia are -- and that's the scary part about it," Sergeant Morris said. "Hypoxia doesn't hurt -- it actually feels good. One of the most common symptoms is euphoria; a state of well being."

He compared the feeling to having two or three alcoholic drinks.

"Unfortunately, it's a significant downfall after that," he said. "After the state of feeling good, you'll get mental confusion, dizziness, and eventually you won't be able to do your job." 

The biggest danger comes from not being able to recognize the symptoms, he said.

The 1st FW holds classes for the Coast Guard about every other month, Sergeant Morris said, with many of the students experiencing the altitude chamber for the first time. 

Coast Guard Airman Andrew Wood, an aviation maintenance technician student, said the overall training was very helpful. His training with the Air Force has been his best experience in a joint environment, he said, after training with two other services.

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