A Sneek Peek at How Taiwan's Military Pilots Train To Survive Disaster

Taiwan's military is training its pilots on what to do in the event of an accident.

Transcript

00:00Behind me is Taiwan's Aircrew Survival Training Center in Gangsang Air Force Base in Kaohsiung.

00:05It's one of the only training centers of its kind and the military uses it to train future pilots.

00:10Inside the center is this swimming pool which is used to help teach pilots what to do

00:14if they ever eject or crash the aircraft. Some soldiers here are hooked up to cables

00:19and others sit in a simulated helicopter cockpit. They then splash into the water

00:24and then follow a series of procedures to maximize their chances of getting rescued.

00:30The hardest part for many here is being submerged and then twisted 180 degrees.

00:38We're in the water now. Let's get out of the car.

00:44The psychological pressure and quality of the people who escape in the dark

00:48requires a certain level of resistance.

00:50We use the special effects of this environment to train them

00:54and it can effectively help them with their training.

00:58Now Taiwan's military, specifically its air force,

01:01is constantly scrambling and warning off Chinese warplanes that fly near its borders.

01:06Taiwan hasn't seen any major military incidents since 2022

01:10when an F-16 pilot died in a training accident. Now the training they're receiving here

01:15hopefully trains the aircrew what to do if something goes wrong.

01:18Ryan Wu and Haimei Okon in Kaohsiung for Taiwan Plus.