"Ditch, Ditch, Ditch"

I wrap my hands around the controls and watch the water splash in the cabin and try to take one last deep breath before we're completely underwater. The helicopter submerges completely and rolls upside down. What was a familiar environment, is now totally unfamiliar. My vision is limited, bubbles everywhere, my inner ear is totally confused and worst of all, I feel the burning sensation of water in my sinuses.

I fight the feeling of panic and remember my training. My left hand reaches for the door lever, it should be at hip height at about mid-thigh, there it is. I pull the lever and push my shoulder into the door, the door opens. Now I feel around with my left hand. Where is the frame of the helicopter?  It should be right there. There it is, I found it. Now my right hand fumbles with the seatbelt buckle. I buckle and unbuckle my seatbelt at least 5 times a day, this should be a lot easier. Finally my buckle snaps free and I pull myself out of the helicopter and kick free. I get kicked to the head and panic slightly before realizing one of my passengers must have worked their way out as well. My lungs are burning and I'm wondering why I haven't reached the surface. One more kick and I break the surface and draw a deep breath. I see my passenger doggy paddling to my left and follow him to the side of the pool.

That's right, "the side of the pool." I'm in warm water pool in Lafayette, Louisiana undergoing H.U.E.T. (Helicopter Underwater Egress Training) with 20 oil workers. "Isn't he a missionary pilot who flies airplanes?", you might ask yourself. You're completely right, we're currently on furlough and I'm doing some recurrent training. Our organization sends pilots to the HUET training in Louisiana to prepare us for a worst case scenario of where we may have to make an emergency landing in water. The best place to do this training is in Louisiana, where the University of Louisiana Lafayette does their HUET training. Their training is primarily geared towards oil workers who work on oil platforms and commute over the gulf of Mexico in helicopters. However, the helicopter simulator cockpit is almost identical to the airplanes we fly and the gulf of Mexico is similar in temperature to the water over which we fly. This makes it an ideal training ground for us.

Besides you never know who you get to rub shoulders with. "What do you do?" and "Where?" is an excellent opportunity to speak truth into the life of an oil worker who has not yet heard the gospel.

Pictures are courtesy of my friend and fellow pilot, Tim, who did the training with me and brought his camera.