Training for Gripen Intensifies
In part two of the training for Gripen video, test pilot Major Abdon undergoes a series of exercises that include water survival training, safe landing in case of injection, and intense G-force training. This video is a part of a new series by Saab Brazil which gives us a glimpse of what the training for a Gripen pilot entails.
Major Aviator Abdon de Rezende Vasconcelos is a Brazilian Air Force Test Pilot who recently started his five-month Gripen pilot training course in Såtenäs, Sweden. “I am very excited about the beginning of the course and I hope to learn a lot with the Swedish Air Force, of how they operate the aircraft, how they use the aircraft on daily basis amidst the different kinds of weather they have here,” Major Abdon says.
As the more intense part of the training begins, Major Abdon has to endure high G-forces and maintain his posture and technique while training in the human centrifuge, which is a must for all fighter pilots. He must also undergo a water landing training which will prepare him to land and survive in water in case of ejection.
“This training was very interesting because I was able to apply in practice all the necessary procedures in case of a landing in harsh water with waves or if I land during a storm or at night-time. The pool simulated all these conditions for a more realistic training,” he says.
After the completion of the five month course, Major Abdon will live in Linköping and work for the Gripen programme with Saab.