PENSACOLA, Fla., July 26, 2017 — The Navy's Aviation Survival Training Center Pensacola recently sent one of its instructors to Fort Benning, Georgia, to learn and share parachute training practices.

Navy Lt. Joshua Muffett, who leads the aviation water survival department at ASTC Pensacola, completed the Army's Basic Airborne Course, a three-week class designed to teach soldiers the techniques involved in parachuting from airplanes and landing safety.

Muffett said he kept a journal with entries for each day of the course to help him better retain the processes and techniques he intends to implement at ASTC Pensacola.

"Now that I see how the Army does things, I see how we can improve things here," he said.

Best-Practice Methods

ASTC Pensacola has sent enlisted sailors to the course in the past, but as a high-level instructor, Muffett is now able to teach best-practice methods to instructors and students alike. "Having instructors go through the course allows ASTC staff like me to remain subject-matter experts," Muffett said.

Muffett explained that both ASTC Pensacola and the Basic Airborne Course teach a similar curriculum, but he wants to incorporate one difference at his command soon, based directly on how the Army trains. During the ASTC course, students in parachute harnesses are dragged by four personnel on the ground to simulate harsh jumping and landing situations. 

"The Army was using only two personnel instead of four, due to their gear being modified to reduce wear and tear," Muffett said.

The modified gear consisted of a simple metal sled that was placed under the student. Muffett said that using this sled could help these training scenarios require less manpower, reduce cost of replacing gear, and potentially increase safety.

Suppressing any concerns of major changes to the course, Muffett said the device would not affect the realism of the training. Finding alterations like this was his main goal when he left for the course, he added.

Now that he is back, he said, he continues to work on ideas from both the Navy and Army courses to make sure his command stays at the forefront of Navy medicine education and training.

"Is what we are teaching the best way?" he asked. "How can we make it better?"