Air Force Reserve 911th Airlift Wing Conducts Water Survival Training in Pennsylvania

The 911th Airlift Wing is an Air Force Reserve airlift unit based at Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station in Pennsylvania. Its main missions are to organize, recruit and train Reserve airmen to:

• Provide strategic and tactical airlift of troops (airborne forces), equipment and supplies.
• Deliver those forces and cargo by airdrop, normal landings, or specialized cargo‑extraction systems.
• Provide intratheater aeromedical evacuation (moving sick or wounded patients by air within a region). The wing currently flies the C‑17A Globemaster III cargo aircraft to perform these missions worldwide.

The Air Force Reserve is the part‑time, federal reserve component of the U.S. Air Force. Reservists usually train one weekend a month and about two weeks a year, but can be activated to full‑time duty when needed. Key differences from active duty Air Force units:

• Status & time: Active‑duty airmen serve full‑time as their primary job; Reservists normally serve part‑time alongside civilian careers.
• Control: The Air Force Reserve is a federal force whose primary mission is to support and augment active‑duty Air Force missions; active‑duty units are the core full‑time force.
• Location: Reservists typically serve at bases closer to where they live; active‑duty members can be stationed worldwide and move more often. Both components can deploy overseas and perform the same types of missions, but active duty does so continuously while the Reserve is a surge and support force that can be called up when requirements exceed the active force’s capacity.

Air Force water survival training for aircrew typically includes:

• Egress and parachute skills: Safely exiting an aircraft or ejecting, descending by parachute, escaping from under a parachute canopy in the water, and dealing with being dragged across the water by a parachute.
• Personal flotation and life‑raft use: Properly inflating and using life preservers, righting and boarding one‑man or multi‑person life rafts, and organizing survival in the raft.
• Open‑water survival: Techniques for staying afloat with gear on, conserving energy, signaling for rescue, and surviving in waves, wind and rotor‑wash from rescue helicopters.
• Coordination with rescuers: Practicing being hoisted into a helicopter basket or rescued by boat so aircrew know what to expect and how to stay safe during pickup. These skills are normally taught and refreshed by Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) specialists.

Airmen would use water survival skills if they had to abandon or crash‑land an aircraft in or near water, for example:

• Bailing out or ejecting over the ocean, large lakes or coastal areas and descending by parachute into the water.
• A “ditching” or crash‑landing of an aircraft on water where the crew must escape and survive until rescue.
• Missions that routinely fly long distances over water (such as airlift, weather reconnaissance or transport flights) where an engine failure, structural damage, weather, or combat damage could force an over‑water emergency. In those cases, knowing how to exit the aircraft, avoid being entangled or dragged by the parachute, stay afloat, use life rafts and signal rescuers can make the difference between life and death until a Coast Guard or military rescue team arrives.

Available reporting does not state exactly why Montour High School was chosen, but the DVIDS coverage of the same event shows the training was conducted in the school’s indoor pool in McKees Rocks/Allegheny County, suggesting it was selected because it offers a suitable pool facility close to the 911th Airlift Wing’s base at Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station. Publicly available sources also do not say whether Montour High School is a routine location for military training, though there is evidence of an ongoing relationship (for example, Montour students visiting the 911th Airlift Wing for leadership and aviation‑focused experiences).

Formal Air Force water survival training is part of the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) program, which is governed by Air Force instructions (such as AFI 16‑1301 on the SERE program and AFMAN 11‑202V1 on aircrew training). On the ground, qualified SERE specialists and aircrew‑training staff run and certify the training for airmen. Common safety measures during these exercises include:

• Close supervision by SERE instructors and lifeguards/safety swimmers.
• Use of life vests, helmets and other protective gear during pool or open‑water events.
• Safety boats or rescue personnel on standby, especially when simulating parachute drag or helicopter hoists.
• Inspection and maintenance of training equipment to prevent malfunctions. These controls aim to make the scenarios realistic while tightly managing the risk of drowning, injury or hypothermia.