Airmen at Hickam AFB, Hawaii are using a new kind of simulator designed to prepare them for emergency egress situations—when they must eject from their aircraft and use their parachute to land. Called Parasim, the simulator uses new computer programs and virtual reality goggles to allow trainees to practice jumps and perfect parachute procedures. First Lt. John Brantuck II, a pilot with the 535th Airlift Squadron, said: “It gets your mind oriented on the checklist you need to do. When you are in that kind of situation you are not going to be naturally inclined to do the right thing.”
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…