ASOG 2022 Focus Area | News & Information
Posted By | ASOG Safety Center
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Benjamin Franklin
Hey, Airborne Sensor Operator, do you have the will to survive? As Airborne Sensors Operators (ASO), our work environment is often in remote areas, over every type of terrain, and during every season around the world. So if an aircrew makes a forced landing, or if an sUAS/RPA ground surveying crew has a vehicle problem in a harsh situation or gets lost on a job in a very remote location, they need to know the basic skills to stay alive and safe until rescue comes.
Up to this period, military ASOs and a large percentage of the public Safety sector ASOs (Law Enforcement, SAR, First Responders, etc.) have received Aircrew Survival Training, be it ground (Summer/Winter) or water survival. However, many on the civilian or commercial side of the ASO community have not.
The point of this post is to provide “food for thought” for those civil or commercial Airborne Sensor Operators. They routinely are in a position to be in “harm’s way” when flying in an aircraft or traversing remote terrain with their sUAS/RPAs. Additionally, because many governments and companies don’t require ASOs to obtain Aircrew Survival Training, they run a very high risk of “not making it” if they have a “bad day at the office!”
For those commercial ASOs who had training when they were in the military or received private training many years ago, a refresher course or a personal “Safety Stand-down Day” to review the basics to knock the rust off would recalibrate your skills. Remember, ”if you don’t use it, you lose it!”
For those commercial ASOs who have never thought of this area of their professional ASO development kit, the essential tracks one can take to prepare better for a “bad day at the office” are:
Track 1 (Self-Study):
A few of the larger civil aviation organizations worldwide and some nongovernment organizations provide free information, courses, or online programs regarding surviving after a forced landing or in a wilderness survival situation. Additionally, you can find open-source training products and videos on the internet. Overall, even though this information is worded to manned aircraft pilots, as you know, the same applies to unmanned aircrew members and all manned aircraft non-pilot crewmembers. Below is just a sample of sources available:
Track 2 (Training Course):
The second track is taking a course for a fee, which should consist of classroom and field exercises. There are many companies around the world which provide such services and the type of training varies. In general, these programs typically provide participants with the skills and knowledge to:
- Prepare for an emergency (Gear/kits, Contingency Planning, etc.)
- React to a forced landing (land/water-based) or ground-event emergency
- Care for themselves in a survival situation
- Utilize available survival equipment
- Participate to the maximum extent in their rescue.
To sum it up, If you’re a professional ASO who works sensors onboard an aircraft or off-board a UAS/RPA in remote locations but have no training, are you prepared to handle or, better yet, have the “Will to Survive” a life-threatening event? Again, “Food for Thought”!
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