Aircrew respirators
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
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So, it seems that it's nearly gone. Good. Washing the snot and sweat out of those was truly awful. Speaking of decontam, I ran a live one during GW1, unique?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
This was one time I got lucky on the CCS training. We went, with joy as usual, to the sadists that ran the training and were told, as an aside, that there would be a 24 hr sleep-in the following week with a number of 'volunteers' who would wear the to-be-introduced S10 respirator. He revealed the list of volunteers which included yours truely.
Apart from that joy, Mrs PN would have been 100% p*ssed off if I had had to spend 24 hours at ISL when most others did not.
Forwarned I returned to the squadron and adjusted the programme for the following week. The joy then fell to a batchelor AKA the spotted youth who was actually pleased to have been specially selected.
Apart from that joy, Mrs PN would have been 100% p*ssed off if I had had to spend 24 hours at ISL when most others did not.
Forwarned I returned to the squadron and adjusted the programme for the following week. The joy then fell to a batchelor AKA the spotted youth who was actually pleased to have been specially selected.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Nightmare piece of kit. We did an exercise for a week in Germany with Chinook crews operating in AR5. I was DS, thank god, watching people go downhill rapidly. I always said that for real, I would ditch the helmet and wear S10
Glad that bit's over....
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Had to wear the full aircrew nbc kit when i was doing my trade training at cosford. Absolutely hated it. Only wore it for about half an hour and that was just walking around the outside of a. hangar whilst the trainee armorers gave us some strange looks. Then again since trade training i have never seen an AR5 since then in the world of squippery. I wont complain though. They were just as nightmareish to service aswell. Atleast you can have a bit of fun turning other peoples whistling handbags off when its all connected. Usually puts them into a bit of a panic!
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as someone who has actually been gaased (and survived) by cyanide (Cyanogen bromide to be precise) - - simply due to failure of the facial seal with an S10 type mask, I can appreciate the extra safety provided by the hood of the AR5.
Despite training, I simply brushed my face with my forearm in a moment of forgetfulness, dislodged the mask a fraction and collapsed on the floor with an exploding headache. Luckily the mask resealed before I got a toxic dose - but with a organophosphate toxin the incident would have been fatal. And thats the kind of toxin you could expect to be used against you. (used to scare me **iitless when I had to handle them)
I can see the problems of wearing the AR5, but in those days if one had been available to me I'd have used it (especially when handling organophosphates). Of course I only needed to use a mask during specific work periods - I didn't have to eat or sleep in it, so the situation was different.
Despite training, I simply brushed my face with my forearm in a moment of forgetfulness, dislodged the mask a fraction and collapsed on the floor with an exploding headache. Luckily the mask resealed before I got a toxic dose - but with a organophosphate toxin the incident would have been fatal. And thats the kind of toxin you could expect to be used against you. (used to scare me **iitless when I had to handle them)
I can see the problems of wearing the AR5, but in those days if one had been available to me I'd have used it (especially when handling organophosphates). Of course I only needed to use a mask during specific work periods - I didn't have to eat or sleep in it, so the situation was different.
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Although veering a little OT, you know those 'adverts' that used to appear in DCIs advertising relaxing breaks to Winterbourne Gunner? Well as a young, newly promoted SAC I spyed such an 'ad' and thought "I like money and I have a well worn pair of combat boots" and ignoring the advice of my boss and colleagues signed my life away.
The money was nice but running on a treadmill whilst wearing a new type of face welly in an artificially created temperature that mimicked one I would later experience in Iraq was not fun.
And to think, I thought it was about interesting injections......
The money was nice but running on a treadmill whilst wearing a new type of face welly in an artificially created temperature that mimicked one I would later experience in Iraq was not fun.
And to think, I thought it was about interesting injections......
AR5 – Lethal piece of kit in its original form. When I joined a Single Seat Fast Jet Sqn as a Flt Cdr in the early 80s we had just started training with it (Dual only). I was appalled at the Water Entry drill, in which you had to get 2 difficult actions absolutely right during parachute descent to avoid instant drowning, . Crucially, at that time there was no Rip-Off Facepiece, so a last-minute ejection over water was more or less a death sentence.
I was disgusted with this and persuaded our Stn Cdr to write a Flying Order prohibiting flight over water in peacetime while wearing the thing. Really hosed off the Taceval team next Taceval!
I was disgusted with this and persuaded our Stn Cdr to write a Flying Order prohibiting flight over water in peacetime while wearing the thing. Really hosed off the Taceval team next Taceval!
AR-5 tastic.. We used to do the full week of war at 'the secret Lincolnshire airbase' which included getting the crews 'into gear' so to speak. T'was great fun holding the returning QWIs in the entry airlock "because I didn't recognise them sarge" 
Glad we don't have them on t'bungling barrons newest pursuit ship..
Glad we don't have them on t'bungling barrons newest pursuit ship..
Spent 2 weeks in 1987 doing a prolonged trial at RAF Honington - living in a HAS for 3-4 days at a time and doing the don/wear/doff/decontam thing 3 times a day or so. I think the main point of the trial was to see how effective the decontam drills were. Thoroughly miserable experience!
