This year marks the 100th year of Naval Aviation — a milestone, to be sure.

The Navy’s amazing flying machines are exceptional largely due to the skill of those who fly them. And that is why the mission of the Aviation Survival Training Center (ASTC) on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is so critical.

“Our mission statement could not be more straightforward in regards to what we do here,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rich Folga, ASTC Director. “Simply put, it is to maximize performance and survivability of the war fighter.

“Anyone who flies or is” aircrew on a naval aircraft is required to complete the training we offer here, and to have it renewed every four years.,” he continued.

The rationale could not be more justified — aviation is a hazardous occupation, even under optimal conditions.

Add in a few variables such as poor flying weather, or combat situations, and the necessity of good training becomes self-evident.

“This is a busy place,” said Folga.  “About 45 students is a pretty typical week, with Mondays and Thursdays being our busiest days.”

Roughly 20 personnel are on staff at ASTC. Among them are two naval aerospace physiologists, one of whom is Folga.

Four others are qualified aerospace physiology technicians. They include hospital corpsmen, Navy divers, and civilian instructors with diving experience. All are eminently qualified for a task that integrates the latest in medical research with the demands of naval aviation training.

“We train by (flying) platform here,” said Folga. “The type of platform used dictates the type of training we will give.” He described the platforms as varying between fixed-wing aircraft with or without ejection seats, and rotary wing craft.

ASTC staff members employ a variety of devices to deliver a realistic training scenario.

A low-pressure chamber allows students to experience the effects of hypoxia. The modular egress training system drills them on how to escape a downed aircraft that is also underwater.

Those who fly the Prowler and Growler aircraft, which are equipped with ejection capability, will spend some time on the ejection seat trainer.

Because of advances made in aircraft engineering, Folga says the training is constantly being fine-tuned to enhance the real-world applications.

“We seek to tailor the training at ASTC to keep up with changes in the fleet,” he said. “Flexibility on our end is important so that we can keep instruction relevant to our customers.”

And Folga says well-trained personnel are paramount to the mission of ASTC.

“Individuals with interests and training in the physical sciences, bio-medical backgrounds, and behavioral sciences — those are the ones likely to be successful in what we do here at ASTC.”

“They should also possess a certain level of proficiency in the water, since much of our work consists of teaching aviators to handle emergency situations there,” Folga said. He described the job itself as being “extremely rewarding.”

It may come as a somewhat of a surprise to learn that many of the students at ASTC are not in the Navy at all.

“We probably serve more diverse joint customers and curricula than any other ASTC,” said Folga, referring to other branches of the military.

“For example, this week alone, we are scheduled to train members of the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, in addition to Navy. We very much provide joint-force training in the truest sense of the definition,” he said.

In fact, Folga recently co-chaired a scientific panel that dealt with dynamic hypoxia training challenges and future directions. He views it as just one more facet of his job.

“All of them are war fighters – all of them need the training,” he said.

“At the end of the day, should something go wrong for them, it’s rewarding to know that they can rely on quality training to help them deal successfully with whatever challenging situation they may find.”