Training

Although it is possible to apply for Navy flight training right after high school, academic background is only a starting point. Pilot selection begins with severe physical and mental tests. If these are passed, a candidate proceeds to the flight simulator. The Navy will check whether the candidate has “pilot’s hands” and the ability to learn flying skills. After medical tests, practical flying selection takes place on the Slingsby Firefly using hired civil aircraft stationed at Teuge airport. Only one percent of applicants pass the pilot selection stage.

Up to this point, the Navy’s selection process is the same as the Air Force’s. Naval pilot education starts with seven to nine weeks of basic officer education at the Naval School in Den Helder. During this time, the candidate will get basic military training in weapons, communication, leadership, and military discipline.

The Navy and Air Force training systems combine again at Woensdrecht air base, home of 131 Squadron with Pilatus PC-7 trainers. At Woensdrecht, the Naval candidate will take six months of theoretical and practical training in the PC-7.

Rotary-wing training is performed in the United States, first on the TH-67 Jet Ranger and the UH-60 Blackhawk. This phase takes nine months, after which the candidate will be given his pilot’s wings.

Back in the Netherlands, the pilot will join the Navy’s 7 Squadron (7 Sq) at Naval Air Station (NAS) de Kooij. The primary task of this squadron is pilot conversion and training. The new pilot will convert from the UH-60 to the Westland SH-14D Lynx in the following ten months. After this, he is an official Navy SH-14D pilot, know as “Second Pilot, Search- and Rescue.” At the moment, there are 30 active Lynx pilots, each flying 200 to 300 hours a year.

Tasks and Qualifications

Search and Rescue, or SAR, is an important duty for the pilots at NAS de Kooij. All Navy pilots are qualified to fly this mission, and a considerable part of the daily training routine is spent on it. Demonstrating that the Navy considers SAR as serious business, two or three Lynxes are kept on alert 24 hours a day. In 2007, the Dutch Coastguard made use of the Lynx 49 times; over its service career, the Lynx has saved over 1250 people. “When you are busy saving lives in the middle of the night in a heavy storm, you can’t call this a regular office job,’’ says John van der Loo, 7 Sqn’s chief flying instructor.

In addition to SAR, the SAR task the Lynx is used for anti-submarine, surface surveillance, and transport/resupply missions. The tasks a pilot can do depend on his qualifications. To make sure that each pilot stays current on the job, a program of qualification exercises is repeated every 90 days.

Crew

The pilot is supported aboard the Lynx by different crew members, depending on the mission. The crew always includes a Tactical Coordinator, or TACCO. This ‘’co-pilot’’ looks after the navigation and tactical movements tasks during every flight. (The pilot configuration in helicopters is different between the Dutch Air Force and the Dutch Navy: a Navy pilot may fly dual pilot or single pilot, while an Air Force pilot always flies dual pilot.)

A loadmaster is carried on most missions,. He operates the winch, the forward-looking infrared receiver (FLIR), and the door guns, and fixes minor technical issues during flight. For anti-submarine missions, a specialized sensor operator is carried to operate the dipping sonar.

During SAR missions, there will be rescue personnel onboard. The ‘’kikker’’ (Dutch for Frog) will be the first person to exit the helicopter to check the situation during a rescue operation. If needed, medical staff will follow him.

Qualification Training at Sea

One of the most significant differences between flying a land-based helicopter and a Dutch Navy one is that the Navy operates from warships at sea. While safe takeoffs are important, landings require the highest level of flying skill from the pilot because they must be performed at the end of every mission. To ensure that pilots can land under all weather conditions during day or night, training is repeated on a frequent basis. Two helicopters will train at a time with a frigate sailing a few miles from the coast. Once the first Lynx has recovered aboard the ship, the second Lynx will enter the circuit to prepare for its landing. Each helicopter will make about ten recoveries every hour. After two hours of approaches the helicopters return to NAS de Kooij.

There are seven different approach profiles that must be practiced; the most suitable profile for each flight is chosen based on the wind, sea state and movements of the frigate. The pilot is supported by the TACCO (co-pilot) but he also gets valuable information from the Flight Deck Officer (FDO) aboard the frigate. The FDO “talks” the helicopter to the ship because the pilot may not have a clear view to the deck all the time. Lynx pilot Cris van Dijk explains, “The lateral landing, where the Lynx makes a 90 degree angle to the ship, is the most difficult. I have to watch through the TACCO’s starboard window to see the signals of the Flight Deck Officer, and at the same time keep an eye on the flight deck through the port window.” Timing is critical for landing because the ship must be as level as possible. Pilots have to count the movements of the ship and the waves and put down the Lynx at exactly the right moment. There are weather limits for sea-based landings but these are very high.

Operating a helicopter from a ship requires a high level of independence and responsibility from the pilot; the ship can deploy thousands of kilometres away from de Kooij. The Dutch Navy’s Lynxes have been used in recent years off the coasts of Honduras, Eritrea, Liberia, and Lebanon; in New Orleans during the flooding caused by hurricane Katrina; and of course in the Persian Gulf during Operation Enduring Freedom. Besides these deployments, there is always a Lynx at sea in the neighborhood of the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. There is frequent interaction with other navies, including regular training with the German Navy that includes “cross-deck” operations on German ships.

If an unexpected situation occurs while he is far away from home, the pilot has to be able to make the right decision. Of course, the pilot is not on his own; the flight unit embarked on a ship consists normally of three flying crews and six engineers. The ship has facilities to maintain the Lynx and carries special maintenance kits with spare parts. If a specific part is not on the frigate, it will be shipped from de Kooij with high priority to keep the Lynx in the air!

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Pauline Handgraaf, John van der Loo, and Cris van Dijk.