Sea 2 Sky: test, special ops units combine for water survival training Published Aug. 22, 2022 By Samuel King Jr. EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 96th Test Wing and the 492nd Special Operations Wing came together Aug. 16 to provide realistic hands-on training that met each unit’s different and unique objectives. The 96th TW’s rotary-wing developmental test squadron, the 413th Flight Test Squadron, conducted hoist training in the squadron’s UH-1 Huey. The 492nd SOW’s Airmen received water rescue experience as part of the Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape training. Water survival training A 413th Flight Test Squadron UH-1 Huey lifts a 492nd Special Operations Wing Airman out of the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The 413th FLTS, the Air Force’s only rotary wing developmental test unit, provided an extra bit of realism to the survival, evasion, resistance and escape training letting the Airmen experience the feeling of a real water rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Water survival training A Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape student from the 492nd Special Operations Wing gets hoisted out of the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The Airmen completed their water survival portion of SERE training with the help of the 413th Flight Test Squadron’s UH-1 Huey’s hoist system. The UH-1 lifted each student out of the water hoisting them to the bottom of the aircraft and back down. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Water survival training Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape students from the 492nd Special Operations Wing toss a flotation device into the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The Airmen completed their water survival portion of SERE training with the help of the 413th Flight Test Squadron’s UH-1 Huey’s hoist system. The UH-1 lifted each student out of the water hoisting them to the bottom of the aircraft and back down. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res This combination was only the second time the units utilized their resources to accomplish training goals. The UH-1 Huey crews regularly practice non-live hoists for currency. The live hoists, however, adds realism to the training as it forces the pilots to hold a stable hover to maintain precise position over the team, while managing wind gusts and strong currents in the waters below. It also allows them to feel the weight shift in the aircraft when there is an actual person on the hoist. For the special mission aviators within the helicopter, it creates more difficult power calculations and planning and allows them to practice coordination with the ground team. They also have to maintain physical control of the hoist cable in more challenging conditions. Water survival training A 413th Flight Test Squadron UH-1 Huey hovers waiting to hoist a 492nd Special Operations Wing Airman out of the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The 413th FLTS, the Air Force’s only rotary wing developmental test unit, provided an extra bit of realism to the survival, evasion, resistance and escape training letting the Airmen experience the feeling of a real water rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Water survival training A Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape student from the 492nd Special Operations Wing leaps into the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The Airmen completed their water survival portion of SERE training with the help of the 413th Flight Test Squadron’s UH-1 Huey’s hoist system. The UH-1 lifted each student out of the water hoisting them to the bottom of the aircraft and back down. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Water survival training A special operations instructor reaches the 413th Flight Test Squadron UH-1 Huey during a test of the hoist system above the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The 413th FLTS, the Air Force’s only rotary wing developmental test unit, provided an extra bit of realism to the survival, evasion, resistance and escape training letting the special operations Airmen experience the feeling of a real water rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Besides testing, one of the UH-1’s mission sets here is search and rescue. The real-life scenario creates highly applicable training for potential real world situations. For the special operators in the water, the hoist provides an experience of what a real water rescue could be like. For most, it will be their first time experiencing that sensation as the water rescue portion of the training is usually simulated due to timing, availability and access to a helicopter. Water survival is only a portion of SERE training that specific Air Force career field must accomplish every three years. Combat Aviation Advisors and nonstandard aviation aircrew made up the class that received the training here. Water survival training A 413th Flight Test Squadron UH-1 Huey hovers as a 492nd Special Operations Wing Airman gets into the hoist device in the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The 413th FLTS, the Air Force’s only rotary wing developmental test unit, provided an extra bit of realism to the survival, evasion, resistance and escape training letting the Airmen experience the feeling of a real water rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Water survival training A Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape student from the 492nd Special Operations Wing reaches the 413th Flight Test Squadron's UH-1 Huey above the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Aug. 16. The 413th FLTS, the Air Force’s only rotary wing developmental test unit, provided an extra bit of realism to the SERE training letting the Airmen experience the feeling of a real water rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Water survival training A 413th Flight Test Squadron UH-1 Huey lifts a special operations instructor out of the waters near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida to test the aircraft’s hoist system Aug. 16. The 413th FLTS, the Air Force’s only rotary wing developmental test unit, provided an extra bit of realism to the survival, evasion, resistance and escape training letting the special operations Airmen experience the feeling of a real water rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res