Physiological support detachment Airmen earn trust, ensure mission success

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Marie Brown
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  It can take years to build trust, but Airmen from the physiological support detachment in the Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron here are proving that they are an exception to the rule.

“Our primary mission is to keep our pilots safe,” said Staff Sgt. Lynette, the launch and recovery supervisor. “They trust us with their life so everything we do on a daily basis is to protect them from the time they get into the suit until the time they come home.”

Their motto “Hook ‘em up, get ‘em high,” is exactly what these Airmen do every day.

“We inspect and maintain the full pressure suits necessary for the U-2 pilot to survive above 50,000 feet and fly up to 70,000 feet,” said Lynette, currently deployed from Beale Air Force Base, California. “We also assist the pilot with donning the suit and making sure all systems are working.”

The shop is comprised of aerospace physiology and aircrew flight equipment technicians as part of a four-year special duty tour.

“Our job is not like any other. We don’t have technical training school,” Lynette said. “Everything we know is taught through on-the-job training.”

PSD Airmen spend six weeks getting trained on the suit or on survival equipment, Lynette added. For the next nine weeks, Airmen learn how to integrate the pilot into the suit, checking his systems and integrating the pilot into the aircraft.

Along with maintaining and inspecting the suit, the PSD Airmen also maintain and inspect the pilot’s survival kits.

“Everything we do is to ensure the pilots return home safely and healthy,” said Senior Airman Andrea, a launch and recovery technician currently deployed from Beale AFB. “Whether it is at 65,000 feet in the air or on the ground, the equipment we maintain and inspect will aid them in surviving and evading.”

The other half of the PSD’s mission is the physiological support they provide if an incident should occur.

These incidents vary in degree and range anywhere from hypoxia, a condition in which either a part or all of the body is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply, to Armstrong’s Line, which refers to the altitude that produces an atmospheric pressure so low that water boils at the normal temperature of the human body. However, decompression sickness is the biggest concern PSD Airmen encounter.

Decompression sickness occurs when a pilot climbs to altitude and pressure decreases, causing the nitrogen in the body to form a bubble. If a bubble gets stuck in joints it causes pain. This effect can be compounded when a bubble gets stuck in the central nervous system, heart and lungs, and could be fatal.

“The suit is to protect the pilot from decompression sickness,” Andrea said. “The aircraft itself will be pressurized at about 14,000 feet. So the suit is just a backup in case the aircraft loses pressurization.”

PSD Airmen’s duty begins three hours prior to first launch and ends about two hours after the last landing. The duties require Airmen to remain calm and work under pressure, because the pilot’s life is literally in their hands, Lynette said.

For the Airmen of PSD, trust is the most important quality to have with the pilots.

“If the pilot doesn’t trust you they don’t want to work with you,” Andrea said. “They basically trust us with their life. So the trust factor is very important in our relationship.”

The most rewarding part of being a PSD Airman for Andrea is, “walking outside and seeing the jet come down.”

That lets me know I did my job right and the pilot was able to come home safe, she added.

For the pilots, they can all agree on one thing when it comes to the PSD Airmen.

“The job the Airmen in PSD provides is very important,” said Maj. Matthew, the director of operations. “Without them doing their job, the margin of error for us becomes almost zero. So, if anything goes wrong with any of the equipment, the stuff they make sure we have on every sortie is what keeps us alive. So I step out the door with absolute trust, knowing they are doing their job.”