THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 1996 TAG: 9605210355
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 29 lines
The movie ``Top Gun'' inspired Angela Webster to become an aviation physiology technician when she joined the Navy 12 years ago. She liked the thought of teaching aviators how to survive the possible ditching of their aircrafts.
Webster not only went into the career she wanted, but, after basic training as a hospital corpsman and advanced training as an aerospace medical technician and aviation physiology technician, she became an instructor.
She's been assigned since November to the Aviation Survival Training Center at Norfolk Naval Air Station - one of five centers on the East Coast. The only civilian job comparable to what she does, she said, might be working with astronauts at Johnson Space Center in Texas.
Every four years, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviators must attend a one-day refresher training session in aviation survival training to learn the newest technology to cope with both land and sea crashes.
Webster said part of her instructor's duties are to talk about the hypoxia - lack of oxygen - that results from low air pressure in planes, then to observe aviators subjected to the condition in a special chamber.
``It creates a sense of euphoria, and they get big grins on their faces,'' she said. ``We get them to play pat-a-cake. Then, after a couple of minutes, tell them to correct the air pressure situation.
``But they don't want to stop grinning and playing.'' by CNB