Aerospace Physiology flight trains, protects pilots

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Chuck Broadway
  • 9th RW Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., (ACCNS) --  Tucked away in a corner of the flightline area sits Bldg. 1029, home of the 9th Physiological Support Squadron and one of the most unique operations in the Air Force. The building houses the Aerospace Physiological Training Flight, an 18 member flight entrusted with the lives of the pilots who fly the U-2. 

As Beale is known as the world's premier high altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance organization, PSPTS plays an important role in providing physiological support to Beale's U-2 pilots. 

The APTF acquaints pilots and other aircrew with the physiological hazards of high flights by training more than 800 aircrew members each year on topics including oxygen equipment, cabin pressurization, fatigue, stress, rapid and slow decompression and hypoxia. 

"Our flight is fantastic," said Master Sgt. Michele Armstrong, APTF flight chief. "Our Airmen perform jobs of NCOs and our NCOs are great trainers and instructors. We are unique because we are the only chamber flight which supports the U-2 mission. We are the gate that all pilots go through when training and re-training." 

The human performance division of the flight focuses on teaching in a classroom environment. APTF members train aircrew about possible physical and mental affects during flight such as hypoxia, which is a condition pilots are susceptible to at high altitudes without oxygen, said Senior Airman Virgie Waite, APTF aerospace physiological technician. Other topics include fatigue, stress, situational awareness, and ergonomics. 

"We give briefings on human performance to minimize the accidents that can occur as a result of these situations," Sergeant Armstrong said. 

After pilots receive the briefings they prepare for high altitude training in the flight chamber. 

To help combat the dangers of high flight, all pilots preparing to fly are fitted with custom suits, largely resembling what is commonly known as a space suit, which regulates the pressure on the body at high altitudes. Three APTF physiological support staff help the pilot in suiting up, and then perform several inspections on the suit to check for air leaks.
"Two people are suiting the pilot while one person supervises," explains Staff Sgt. Joe Mesa, a life support technician. "This way no mistakes are made." 

Once the pilot is suited up, they breathe 100 percent pure oxygen for up to one hour. The oxygen is used to cool the body down inside the suit, Sergeant Mesa said. Pilots then are then hooked up to liquid oxygen coolers which they carry with them to the chamber or aircraft. 

The APTF also has a maintenance division to ensure proper function of the high-altitude chamber. This chamber simulates the different air compressions that a pilot may feel at different altitudes. According to Airman 1st Class Evan Schuelke, an APTF chamber maintenance technician, the six-person chamber at Beale has achieved an altitude of 130,000 feet. In order to allow the chamber to achieve these altitudes, Airman Schuelke and other flight maintenance personnel perform numerous inspections weekly, as well as any time a flight is scheduled. 

Prepping and inspection includes starting the vacuum pumps used to simulate the altitudes; turning on the oxygen flow to the chamber; making sure instruments are working properly and checking for cracks and leaks in windows and seals. Maintenance must also inspect the safety equipment used in the chamber, such as oxygen masks and helmets. 

Once the inspection is complete and emergency checklists are in place, the chamber is ready for flight. 

The actual chamber flight is where all divisions of the APTF come together as one. While a pilot is inside the chamber, administrative personnel are equipped with headsets and flight plans instructing the pilots on what is about to happen. Maintenance professionals are on hand to operate the chamber and keep it functioning properly, while support technicians are inside the chamber showing pilots how to properly use their equipment.
 
"We usually take pilots up to 75,000 feet to give them confidence in their equipment," Sergeant Mesa said. 

Pilots are taken up slowly and monitored at different altitudes. A highlight of the chamber flight is the rapid climb portion. Pilots are taken from an altitude of around 25,000 feet, and shot up to an altitude of around 70,000 feet in a matter of one second. When this happens, the pilot's pressure suit expands rapidly to keep the pressure on the body at an altitude around 36,000 feet. If not for the specially designed suit, the pilot's blood would start to boil at around 60,000 feet, Airman Schuelke said. 

Once the chamber flight is over, all equipment is inspected again to make sure everything is working properly, and pilots are escorted to their aircraft. APTF life support Airmen strap the pilots in and perform one final inspection of safety equipment. 

When the plane finally takes to the skies, the mission for the APTF crew is complete and they head back to Bldg. 1029 to await their next mission.