Pilots from CFB Cold Lake are proving they have what it takes to brave the elements in Exercise Frosted Flier.
From Jan. 22 to Feb. 14, 4 Wing aircrew personnel spent three days and two nights surrounded by boreal forest in the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range, with little more than their emergency landing kit.
“This is a cold weather survival exercise to teach pilots and aircrew how to endure in this environment if they ever had to eject or put down hard,” explained Master Cpl. Jonathan McArthur, deputy officer for Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR).
Before heading out, participants spent two days learning all they need to know. Once they're in the field, it's their job to set up a camp, build a shelter, and eventually construct a signal fire.
Material to build the shelter, and three days worth of rations, are provided in the kit, along with a few other useful tools.
Safeguards are in place, with regular checks completed by instructors. But, if the downed pilot is to complete the exercise, they'll have nobody but themselves to rely on.
“They come in, get a safety briefing, and then review a presentation. That covers everything they need to know. From there they go to a demonstration area where they see the different stages of their shelter and fires, and then they go it solo,” said McArthur.
Members of volunteer GSAR crews across the province of Alberta were invited to take part in the exercise. Instead of being on their own, they were broken up into teams of three for the task.
Both the aircrew and volunteers were able to benefit from expert knowledge provided by guest and 4 Wing GSAR instructors.
“We have 24 volunteers who are all members of Search and Rescue Alberta. They're here to take-in the same training with a little bit of a twist, as they'll go out in teams of three. It's basically intermediate level survival,” McArthur explained.
With the help of Canadian survival experts Mors Kochanski and Randy Breeuwsma, participants were prepared for any obstacle they might face.
Despite temperatures of -20 C during the day, Frosted Flier participant Capt. Jani Athukorala said he spent most of his time warm, well hydrated, and feeling good.
“It was pretty pleasant actually. It wasn't that cold, and this is definitely something I wanted to experience before leaving Cold Lake,” he detailed. “The most challenging thing is probably night time. It gets dark at 5 p.m. until around 7:30 a.m. It's a bit long and you have to keep the fire stoked. Otherwise, it's a quiet the experience. You get to be alone with your thoughts.”
SAR Alberta volunteers that hadn't been out were grateful and excited for the chance to test their limits. Many participants will now take what they've learned back to their local SAR unit.
“I'm so excited. I just joined search and rescue, so this is a great opportunity to get thrown into the mix. I'll absolutely be taking what I learned to my team,” said Cindy Lillico from Cold Lake SAR.
With Feb. 14 fast approaching, nobody has been forced to abort their mission yet. So far, anyone who has participated in Exercise Frosted Flier has come out with a brand new skill set.
“With volunteers from across the province here along with military, it allows us to do some cross pollination of skills,” expressed McArthur. “We really enjoy having people with a wide-range of skills come in. We have something to offer them, and they teach us back. That sharing of knowledge is why this is important.”
