910th aircrews sharpen survival skills at NAS Key West Published March 31, 2010 By Senior Airman Valerie Smock 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, Fla. -- A plane is flying over the Atlantic Ocean and suddenly something goes wrong. The plane crashes into the water and the crews on board must try to survive until help arrives. The skills needed to stay alive in such a scenario come from combat and water survival training. Members from the Air Force Reserve's 910th Operations Group, based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, participated in that course at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. Feb. 21 to 22. The training, which is required every three years for aircrews, lasts two days and is broken into two parts--combat and water. During combat survival training, aircrews learned about signaling, reviewing the different components of the survival vests and land navigation, among others. The main focus of the water survival training is using personal flotation devices and a 20-man lift raft. Training at any survival school helps give Airmen a better sense of confidence, said Master Sgt. Jonathan S. Merckens, a flight engineer assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron. "We fly in relatively safe planes and most people probably don't think about a plane going down, but it is a very real possibility," said Sergeant Merckens. "This training equips us with the knowledge and skills to better prepare us for the unexpected and the ability to survive it." The aircrew trained in Key West because of the opportunity to utilize the ocean. Sergeant Merckens previously participated in this open-water training. He and the crew were "rescued" by a Navy helicopter while marooned in the ocean. "The actual motion of the waves, noise of a helicopter, salt spray and marine wildlife to contend with [during the training] can be stressful," said Sergeant Merckens. "Additionally, it is helpful to be under the watchful eye of trained professionals in the event you do make a mistake which makes the training scenario as real world as possible." Although the helicopters were grounded due to inclement weather during this training, the aircrews completed their training in a pool on the Army's Airborne training site. "Anytime you are in the actual environment, you are going to get a more realistic and meaningful experience," said Captain Jay B. Ference, an instructor pilot assigned to the 773rd Airlift Squadron. Captain Ference said the training helped him realize that a survival situation in the open water is much different than on land. "When you are in a survival situation on a raft with up to 20 people, it can be tricky to get even the simplest things accomplished," said Captain Ference. "You are wet, usually cold and crammed into the raft. You have to establish a good chain of command and everyone has to understand their role." According to Senior Master Sgt. Jim Haupt, the aircrew flight equipment superintendent assigned to the 910th Operations Support Squadron, the training in Key West gives the crews a rare chance to utilize Navy, Coast Guard and Army resources while training in a realistic atmosphere away from their home unit. "It is just hard to break away from home station with all the deployments, with all the support that the 910th gives to other units," said Sergeant Haupt. "Sometimes you don't have the personnel to do that with and when you do, you have to take that opportunity."