Battle against pilots' sneakiest demon continues Published Aug. 28, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs MISAWA AIR FORCE BASE, Japan -- For years pilots have fought against hypoxia, a condition caused by a lack of oxygen that makes the lose capability to function normally. However, pilots are far from giving up the fight against this deadly foe. Just two weeks ago, the base began setting up the portable, high-tech, reduced oxygen breathing device version two, which is the first U.S. military issued trainer of its kind in Japan. This new hypoxia familiarization trainer is made up of two parts, the ROBD 2 and X-Plane 9.0. The ROBD 2 is the main component of this two part operation. This machine is what hypoxia familiarization training instructors use to create a controlled hypoxic environment. But, the thing that makes this HRT different from previous hypoxia training is X-Plane 9.0. The X-Plane is a commercial marketed flight simulator that exhibits a realistic visual of multiple aircraft, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. Because X-Plane is so realistic and flexible, the Air Force has decided to train pilots with it. Prior to this new training device, every five years pilots would go through physiological training in a low pressure chamber. To combat hypoxia, pilots have to be able to recognize their individual symptoms and experience being in a hypoxic state. Some of these symptoms include headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath and a feeling of nausea or euphoria. Unfortunately, when a pilot's focus is on flying, these signs can be easily ignored. This is why recognizing the signs of hypoxia are a mandatory part of a pilot's training. For years this was good enough. But recently the Air Force has begun to rethink that decision. "It felt too artificial in the chamber," said Capt. Jason Schaub, 14th Fighter Squadron pilot. "You're just sitting there and waiting for things to get uncomfortable. With this [ROBD 2], it's like you're actually flying while in a controlled hypoxic state, which is equivalent to flying intoxicated." With this new upgraded training, pilots no longer have to sit in an air-tight chamber with their flight equipment on and wait for the air pressure to decrease and force pilots into a hypoxic state. Capt. Joseph Teodoro, 35th Aerospace Medicine Squadron aerospace and operational physiologist, and Schaub believe that compared to the chamber, there's no real comparison between the two. In the next five to 10 years, they are confident that this will replace the chambers almost entirely. "Already there is a lot of interest," said Teodoro. "I foresee it expanding to train parachutists and back up pilots. As for right now, we're just taking things step-by-step. Making sure our pilots understand they're not superman and their bodies do have limits." USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)