While a fighter jet can be a potent weapon, an F-15 can also take a heavy physical toll on the pilots who fly them.
The ‘Top Knife’ training program at Kingsley Field is helping doctors provide better care for those pilots.
Major Eric Chumbley understand first-hand what it’s like to fly in an F-15…
“I tell people it’s like learning how to play a piano, while you’re playing dodge-ball – and occasionally, you’ve got to stop and pick that piano up.”
Major Chumbley teaches a medical training program at Kingsley Field.
“Top Knife is a program that we offer here at Kingsley Field.” Explains Lieutenant Colonel Martin Balakas. “That gives flight surgeons the opportunity to come and experience the high ‘G’ forces that a fighter pilot exposes himself to.”
Major Chumbley notes that those ‘G’ forces place stresses on the body that can even lead to unconsciousness…
“There’s a host of things that fighter pilots face that people on the ground don’t.”
Doctors in the Air Guard can take some of the training online, which keeps costs down…and the in-flight training is a bonus for the doctors, and for the Guard.
“Plus, we have a lot more two-seat F-15’s than any unit in the Air Force.” Adds Lieutenant Colonel Balakas. “It allows us to maximize those seats and keep them full.”
Major Chumbley notes that Top Knife got its start at Kingsley in 1990, and it’s back after a seven year hiatus…
“It’s the time of your life. It’s a ton of fun. But it also tells you how hard these guys have to work to be able to do this.”
About two dozen doctors are expected to take part in the week long Top Knife training program at Kingsley each year.
Governor Kitzhaber is a Top Knife graduate, having taken the training in 1995.
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