Because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Air Force water survival courses have temporarily relocated to Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., was suspended June 4 when oil was discovered inside the training area used by Detachment 2 of the 66th Training Squadron. The instructors at Det. 2 teach students how to survive in cases where the aircrew has to abandon their aircraft over water. The course covers a variety of open-water scenarios. Up to 55 students a week attend the three-day course, said Lt. Col. Christopher Tacheny, the 66th TRS commander. The Pensacola facility is just one of the locations the 66th TRS has used. Previously, water survival was taught off the coast of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle and at Homestead Air Reserve Base, south of Miami. It's unclear how long training operations there will be suspended. (Source: 92nd Air Refueling Wing, 06/17/10) The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil from the well has spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since then.
NEWS: A digest of aerospace, defense and technology news from the Gulf Coast I-10 region
Friday, June 18, 2010
Water survival course moves
Because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Air Force water survival courses have temporarily relocated to Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., was suspended June 4 when oil was discovered inside the training area used by Detachment 2 of the 66th Training Squadron. The instructors at Det. 2 teach students how to survive in cases where the aircrew has to abandon their aircraft over water. The course covers a variety of open-water scenarios. Up to 55 students a week attend the three-day course, said Lt. Col. Christopher Tacheny, the 66th TRS commander. The Pensacola facility is just one of the locations the 66th TRS has used. Previously, water survival was taught off the coast of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle and at Homestead Air Reserve Base, south of Miami. It's unclear how long training operations there will be suspended. (Source: 92nd Air Refueling Wing, 06/17/10) The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil from the well has spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since then.
