New lateral drift trainer improves safety for ENJJPT students

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Meredith Hein
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 82nd Training Wing's Aerospace Medicine Squadron here recently finished building a new lateral drift trainer to aid in undergraduate pilot training for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program.

"The lateral drift trainer helps to improve the training we give the new student pilots," said Senior Airman Katia Cordon, an aerospace physiology instructor for the 82nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron. "It is safer and gives a more realistic feel of what an ejection scenario would be like."

The new lateral drift trainer cost $194,000 to build and was a joint project between the 80th Flying Training Wing and the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard.

"We were going to simply upgrade the old trainer," said Tech. Sgt. Justin Hannaford of the 82nd Aerospace Medical Squadron. "But in the end, we were able to construct an entirely new one that is much safer and more effective."

The project took about 12 months to complete.

The space enables instructors from aerospace physiology to conduct training in many areas which would be encountered during an ejection.

The area includes hanging harnesses to practice descent under canopy, concrete platforms to conduct parachute landing falls, and four zip lines to practice lateral drift training. It only takes a few hours for the pilots to get through all the stations.

Prior to the lateral drift trainer being built, training was conducted in the swing landing trainer.

"The swing landing trainer was outdated," said Cordon. "The new trainer gives a much more realistic picture of what it is like to be under canopy."

The swing landing trainer was designed in 1967 and either had to be upgraded or replaced to improve safety for instructors and students.

Aerospace physiology training lasts seven days for student pilots, and includes egress and ejection seat training, altitude chamber training, and oxygen labs.

Training occurs about every five weeks as new classes come into ENJJPT. The student pilots have been happy with the training thus far.

"I really enjoyed the training," said 2nd Lt. Ryan French. "It gives you a feel of what it's like under canopy."

With the new trainer, students now receive the twice the amount of training they got in the swing landing trainer in half the time.

"We have modernized training while saving the future cost of maintenance," said Maj. Eydin Hansen. "The new lateral drift trainer allows us to better train and inspire our student pilots in a fiscally responsible manner."