Training
Title
Training
Description
Covers some aspect of aircrew training including decompression chamber and parachute training.
Coverage
Language
Format
One page printed document
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
MPotterPL1878961-150914-23
Transcription
[underlined]TRAINING[/underlined]
Training for aircrew was intensive and encompassed every aspect that we were
likely to need to know and circumstances or difficult situations. For instance, we all
spent several sessions in a decompression chamber carrying out various physical
exercises. This gave every individual information about the altitude in which they
could operate safely without oxygen supplement and the effect decompression had
on the body, such as nitrogen bubbles in the blood. This was very similar to the
drunken exhilaration of alcohol, the odd bod depression, or aggression, laughter
etc.
As a crew we were all aware of the limits of the rest of the crew also.
Parachute training did not mean jumping from a plane. Instead the parachute
harness was attached by rope to a high point in a hangar. The rope was just long
enough to deposit a body in the harness at just above floor level at the lowest point.
The wearer had to release himself just before the lowest point and roll in a coiled
posture along a length of coir (coconut fibre) matting to avoid injury. Anybody
jumping from above, even slightly at an angle, would cause the equipment to spin
and have an odd angle at the lowest point as injuries still happened. However, as it
could occur in an actual drop it was advisable to learn how to cope with as many
angles as possible. None of our crew experienced any trouble thank goodness.
Training for aircrew was intensive and encompassed every aspect that we were
likely to need to know and circumstances or difficult situations. For instance, we all
spent several sessions in a decompression chamber carrying out various physical
exercises. This gave every individual information about the altitude in which they
could operate safely without oxygen supplement and the effect decompression had
on the body, such as nitrogen bubbles in the blood. This was very similar to the
drunken exhilaration of alcohol, the odd bod depression, or aggression, laughter
etc.
As a crew we were all aware of the limits of the rest of the crew also.
Parachute training did not mean jumping from a plane. Instead the parachute
harness was attached by rope to a high point in a hangar. The rope was just long
enough to deposit a body in the harness at just above floor level at the lowest point.
The wearer had to release himself just before the lowest point and roll in a coiled
posture along a length of coir (coconut fibre) matting to avoid injury. Anybody
jumping from above, even slightly at an angle, would cause the equipment to spin
and have an odd angle at the lowest point as injuries still happened. However, as it
could occur in an actual drop it was advisable to learn how to cope with as many
angles as possible. None of our crew experienced any trouble thank goodness.
Collection
Citation
“Training,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 20, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/30899.
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