[F-35A] Pilot’s quick thinking resolves in-flight emergency

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by spazsinbad » 08 Oct 2019, 10:42

Pilot’s quick thinking resolves in-flight emergency
07 Oct 2019 Airman 1st Class Leala Marquez, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

"LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- From initial pilot training to mission qualification training, U.S. Air Force pilots complete intensive training and preparation to learn critical skills to fly, fight and win, as well as prevent mishaps. However, F-35 and F-16 trainees in the 56th Fighter Wing also receive cutting edge human performance optimization training across physical, mental, and emotional domains. In May 2019, Capt. Robert Larson, a 61st Fighter Squadron student pilot, was on a training mission when he found himself faced with an in-flight emergency.

Larson called upon his human performance optimization training and saved not only himself but the F-35A Lightning II he was flying from any damage. “I was pretty high up, about 34,000 feet, and all of a sudden everything got really quiet,” said Larson. “I tried to call my flight lead and realized I couldn’t talk to anybody. I started descending, working through my checklist and rocking my wings to try and let my flight lead know that I didn’t have a radio. As I got further into the checklist I realized I had lost one of the flight computers that was responsible for controlling oxygen, pressurization, and some parts of communication.”

Larson eventually visually communicated with his flight lead to relay the situation and decided to return to the base. As he worked through multiple checklists with additional failures, he determined that the aircraft’s landing gear could possibly collapse upon landing. “At that point my plan was to land and if the gear collapsed as I was landing I was going to eject,” said Larson. “Luckily it didn’t and I was able to pull off to the end of the runway and shut down there and wait for maintenance.”

Larson succeeded due to his ability to keep a level head during a high-stakes emergency, and his training helped prepare him for it. Unique to Luke AFB, student pilots receive holistic performance training and support to optimize their physical and mental skills for the stress of flying and coping with an emergency situation. The Human Performance Team’s Fighter Tactical Strengthening and Sustainment (FiTSS) program is normal part of the F-16 and F-35 Basic Course training, and also available to all Luke AFB instructors and student at all levels.

“We have an academic portion that covers mindfulness, awareness, intensity regulation, focus and attention, self-talk, goal setting, confidence, motivation and team cohesion,” said Dr. John Gassaway, Clinical Sports Psychologist with the Human Performance Team. “Then we meet one-on-one about twice a month to talk about how they are implementing these strategies.”

In an advanced, fifth generation fighter like the F-35 serious malfunctions are extremely rare. For Larson, the incident was solved not only by his knowledge of the jet’s systems but his ability to assess the situation with composure. “I had practiced for all this time and it worked in a way where I was able to stay calm, successfully work through everything, bring the jet back and land safely,” said Larson. “All those mental skills helped so much, and it’s not until you have the time to reflect that you realize how useful and necessary they are.”

Emergencies or life threatening situations are never ideal when flying; however, Larson believes the experience reinforced the importance of his training. “It’s not what your hands and feet are doing to fly the jet but what you’re doing mentally to process what you’re going through,” said Larson. “How you can improve that whole process has been my biggest take away for it.”

For Gassaway, the incident emphasized the importance of practicing and improving mental skills. “The thing that was so impressive with Larson, and the thing that I really take the greatest amount of pride in, was the fact that when he was flying, he didn’t think about any of these skills until he landed,” said Gassaway. “That showed me he was aware he had used the skills, but they were automated, ultimately that is the optimization of these skills.”"

Source: https://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Di ... emergency/
NOW: https://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Di ... emergency/
Last edited by spazsinbad on 09 Oct 2019, 09:21, edited 2 times in total.


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by outlaw162 » 08 Oct 2019, 15:43

Holistic 'human performance optimization training'.....HPOT?

In the 60s I think it was called 'the right stuff'.....next they'll have them killing goats just by staring at them.

I'll go out on a limb and say this sounds like aeromedical empire building; I'm surprised Dr. Gassaway beat the airline medical gurus to this 'unique' concept.

Clinical Sports Psychologist??? :shock: I imagine the key phrase is "We just have to go out there and execute."


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by spazsinbad » 08 Oct 2019, 15:49

:D Very funny. :mrgreen: Just give 'em sugary jujubes and they'll be OK on a sugar high. :roll: :shock: 8) :roll: :)

SEEMS the article has been moved: https://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Di ... emergency/


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by Gums » 09 Oct 2019, 14:25

Salute!

The incident reminded me of Outlaw's "Eject-a-phone" concept and thread

For less than $1,000 we could provide the pilots with a "proven", ejection-tested iPhone. Had a thread about this years back when someone actually bailed and used the smartphone to "call home". Still laughing.

Of course, in the days hen Earth was still cooling and several of us were flying combat we had the survival radio, maybe two of'em.. So you could make a brief call on Guard, then go SAR "delta" for comm - 282.8 best I recall.

I like the Ejectaphone better, s it is private and you could always check your 401K or play Angry Birds while waiting for the chopper. Hell, with the addition of Bluetooth to the Stubbie, we could use the thing to play music or even get a GCA/radar vector or ........

Gums sends...
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by mor10 » 09 Oct 2019, 15:57

Gums wrote:I like the Ejectaphone better, s it is private and you could always check your 401K or play Angry Birds while waiting for the chopper. Hell, with the addition of Bluetooth to the Stubbie, we could use the thing to play music or even get a GCA/radar vector or ........

Gums sends...


It also lets friend and foe know where you are, so perhaps not the best tool in an all aspect stealth aircraft 8)
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by outlaw162 » 09 Oct 2019, 17:09

Looking at the Luke homepage, it appears that the physical conditioning portion of this program does provide a major portion of the justification for an extensive renovation of the gym and the installation of some really nice high dollar workout equipment. I guess you can't just call it the base gym anymore, there's probably some more exciting acronym for it now.

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by Gums » 09 Oct 2019, 23:13

Salute!

You cannot determine or transmit your location using iPhone GPS if the damned thing is off!

In 'nam we disabled the chute line to our beeper. Could manually turn the damned thing on, but they were a real nuisance due to clueless dweebs that did not disconnect the 'biner link.

OTOH, I can link an audio that has two folks talking as they floated down over Hanio after getting smoked by a Mig. Matbe post it, huh?

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by quicksilver » 10 Oct 2019, 14:57

outlaw162 wrote:Holistic 'human performance optimization training'.....HPOT?

In the 60s I think it was called 'the right stuff'.....next they'll have them killing goats just by staring at them.

I'll go out on a limb and say this sounds like aeromedical empire building; I'm surprised Dr. Gassaway beat the airline medical gurus to this 'unique' concept.

Clinical Sports Psychologist??? :shock: I imagine the key phrase is "We just have to go out there and execute."



...and this from Gums — “I like the Ejectaphone better, it is private and you could always check your 401K or play Angry Birds while waiting for the chopper.”

:lmao:

The pilot had an IFE, did was he was supposed to do and recovered the jet. Whew...couldnt a dun it without all this 21st century aeromed stuff, eh? :wink:


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by laos » 12 Oct 2019, 12:47

We had a crash in Poland where a phone would be useful. Pilot in the MiG-29 CFIT in a deep forest. Visibility was so bad that they couldn't bring a chopper to look for him. They searched for him overland for several hours. The pilot was slightly injured and if he had a phone he would not have to go and seek help himself.
By the way. MiG-29 is tough as tank. I don't know of any other fighter aircraft that would get into the woods and the pilot would get out of it without too many injuries.


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by botsing » 12 Oct 2019, 15:24

A smartphone would be another means to have contact, not the means.

Approaching this from multiple vectors is what gums is aiming at, I like that broad mindset.
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