A flying misadventure...

Trouble in the air is very rare. It is hitting the ground that causes it.

— Amelia Earhart, 20 Hrs 40 Mins 

I used to live in Pensacola, Florida, where I was training to be a Naval Flight Officer.  Seeing as there was a surplus of Ensigns waiting to train in the fall* of 2005/spring of 2006 and seeing as I adore museums, I spent my fair share of time at the base's National Museum of Naval Aviation.  (I may also have gone for food at the Cubi Point Officers' Club and class, where they showed us cut-away engines and such, but we digress.)

The Naval Aviation Museum, one of about a dozen formal naval service museums, was built at the "cradle of naval aviation," Naval Air Station Pensacola.  The building stands just off the flight line, next to the grandstands where interested parties can view the Blue Angels practice every Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  The flight line also provides storage for the many old and/or retired aircraft that cannot fit inside the museum displays.  Most visitors are interested in these planes.  I was interested in the people.  My favorite displays were not the four Blue Angels hanging in a diamond formation in the atrium, nor the aircraft lined up for takeoff in the WWII carrier exhibit.  No, my favorite exhibits showcased the architectural drawings that one LTjg Dan Glenn drew while in captivity at the Hanoi Hilton and the World War II-era raft in which AOC Harold Dixon, and petty officers Tony Pastula, and Gene Aldrich survived for 34 days after ditching their bomber in the South Pacific.

Survival - both water and land - is a huge topic in naval aviation, and one of the earliest things we train to.  In Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, pilots and NFOs spend hours a day in a pool, where we prove our ability to save ourselves when jumping from high points into "debris-filled water" (carrier decks), while treading water in soaked and heavy gear and boots, by disentangling ourselves from parachutes that sometimes are rigged to drag us across the pool (as if a surface wind had caught the chute) and climbing into rafts, through swimming a mile (to the nearest island, presumably), and eventually by being dropped off in Pensacola Bay and successfully signaling to and getting hoisted by a rescue helicopter.  In SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, and escape) school, we learn how how to survive being behind enemy lines and how to return from a Prisoner of War scenario with honor.  As you can see, the POW/water survival exhibits seemed to have more practical applications than the planes that would never fly again.

The raft exhibit, especially, caught my eye.  Such a tiny, worn rubber vessel had brought these three aviators safely through storms, high winds and waves, and scorching tropical heat.  These men had spent 34 days and over 1000 miles in roughly an 8'x4' space and somehow had managed not to go insane or be permanently harmed.  In both API and SERE, the instructors told us that one of the more important things we could do for morale was to assign people roles - say, a fisherman, a spiritual leader, a commander, a storyteller, and a medic.  Just inside the raft display, I could see a book that promised to tell me what these three men had done to keep alive and sane.  This was information and ideas that I could put in my back pocket and pull out at some point when I needed it.  "The Raft, by Trumbull," I said, and wrote it down, only to fail to find it at the Pensacola Public Library (full of pulp fiction) or on Amazon.com (out of print).  I forgot about it.

Enter my grandfather, who this week pulled a book from his shelf.  "The Raft," I mused, and opened the cover, where there was sure to be an inscription.

"Thought you would enjoy this though I hope it does not happen to you!  With love and admiration, Grandpa, Christmas 2006."

Still not sure exactly what I was looking at, I opened to the first page, where, under an image of a survival raft, I read, "Bomber Pilot Harold Dixon was a man that Bligh would fancy..." and gasped.  This was the book I'd been looking for since 2006!  No matter that I no longer fly, I started the book that night and finished it the next.  Fantastic.

Fun facts from The Raft:

- Always know where the carrier is.  When you can't find it and you run out of gas, you end up ditching.

- Planes sink quickly.  Have your gear in your survival vest so you don't lose it when the plane sinks - that which doesn't fit should be in hand before you go down.

- Know how to swim so you don't panic and drop things.

- Shoes can be used as paddles.  Don't kick off the boots when you ditch.

- Rowing/paddling is exhausting on no food.  Save for moments when morale is needed or islands are sighted.

- Know how to create and use a sea anchor as an alternate method of boat control (and safety in high seas).

- Metal tools rust, especially in sea water.  Rust prevents metal-on-metal movement.  Assign someone to corrosion control.

- Fishing line and hooks have far more potential than sidearms in getting you food.

- Sharks are vulnerable at the gills.  Watching Shark Week will probably scare you more than help you, though.

- Fresh water is your friend.  Find a way to collect water ASAP.

- Sea water (especially in the boat) is your enemy.  Find a way to bail ASAP.  Absorbent cloth is one such option.

- The sun is also your enemy, and sunburns are more uncomfortable than clothes on a sunny, humid day.  Find a way to protect your head, shade your eyes, and prevent too much sunburn.

- Always put things away in a pouch that won't be lost when the raft flips.  Shipshape and Bristol fashion and all that.

- Create a routine, like marking days and navigating.  These men also held a "prayer meeting" nightly.

- Celestial navigation is probably the only thing you'll be capable of in a raft in the middle of the ocean.  Not a bad thing to learn, even if today's Navy is all about GPS.

- Have a lot of stories to tell - even if you mess up the details, everyone will be so excited at something new to talk about that they won't care.  Bible stories and hymns were particularly helpful for their prayer meeting.

- Have lots of food that you could cook in your head.  It will gradually become the only topic of conversation.

While I don't expect to use this new-found knowledge in a ditching scenario, it could still be applicable to my bucket list's offshore sails.  Obviously, I now have to bring my brother along, since he's the only person I know who knows how to take and use sextant readings.

*Actually, most falls - this is a product of most Ensigns getting commissioned in May and doing introductory flight training over the summer.

Books referenced in this post:

20 Hrs 40 Mins by Amelia Earhart

The Raft, by Robert Trumbull