Hurricane Hunters participate in aeromedical evacuation training

by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens
403rd Wing Public Affairs

4/28/2014 - POPE FIELD, FORT BRAGG, N.C.  -- One day they could be flying a storm mission through a Category Five hurricane, and another they could be flying an aeromedical evacuation mission in support of global contingencies. As part of their training for these medical flights, members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" participated in aeromedical evacuation training here April 26-27 with trainees from several Air Force Reserve aeromedical evacuation squadrons.

One WC-130J weather plane from the 53rd WRS, assigned to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., flew three different aeromedical evacuation training missions during the two-day event, providing a platform for aeromedical students and instructors to play out their medical exercises on mannequins used to simulate patients. C-130s from the 96th Airlift Squadron, Minneapolis-St. Paul Joint Reserve Station, Minn., and the 95th AS here also participated in the exercise.

The purpose of this training is to teach aeromedical students how to respond to scenarios involved in evacuating sick or wounded personnel from one location to another. It also teaches them how to handle medical situations that might arise while transporting patients to their destination, such as simulating patients having a stroke or going into shock, or dealing with the affects that changes in altitude and air pressure can have on various injuries.

"It's real important for us to be able to provide the type of training these students could encounter in the real world so that, if situations like these do occur during evacuation flights, they'll be ready," said Master Sgt. Gary Taiclet, an instructor with the Detachment 1, 440th Operations Group, Aeromedical Evacuation Formal Training Unit here.

The flight portion of the aeromedical students' class is part of a 28-day process of academic and ground-based training and simulations provided by Det. 1, which instructs members of aeromedical evacuation squadrons from all over the Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard.

The training offered to aeromedical evacuation squadron members also provides them with hands-on experience interacting with aircrews during various in-flight scenarios they might face during a real-world medical evacuation.

"We'll usually simulate some of the situations they could encounter during an evacuation flight, such as rapid decompression of the aircraft or an emergency landing scenario," said Maj. Dominic Barberi, 403rd Operations Group pilot and aircraft commander for this mission.

The Hurricane Hunters try to support these types of training exercises at various Air Force bases across the country whenever scheduling allows, said 1st Lt. Chase Allen, 53rd WRS pilot.

"Sometimes we could fly two of these aeromedical training missions per quarter (or eight per year), but it could be less depending on how heavily tasked we are during the hurricane and winter storm seasons," said Allen.

As a further example of the capabilities of the 53rd WRS aircraft, earlier in April 2014 eight Hurricane Hunter WC-130Js flew in a 16-ship formation with C-130Js from the 815th Airlift Squadron in an exercise called Operation Surge Capacity. This exercise tested the 403rd Wing's ability to surge in a large ship formation to meet the warfighter's demands and involved simulated airdrops of troops and equipment over two separate locations along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The 53rd WRS and 815th AS both fall under the command of the 403rd Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.

"This aeromedical exercise is just another example of the versatility of this airframe," said Allen regarding the Hurricane Hunter WC-130Js. "Not only can we perform our weather taskings, but we can also support a variety of other missions, such as airdrops, troop and cargo transport, and aeromedical evacuation."