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Pilot Rescuers Go Through Training Drills

EASTERN SHORE, Md. (WJZ) ― Shot down behind enemy lines. It's a real possibility every time a pilot flies a combat mission.

On Thursday, Eyewitness News took a rare look at the people trained to rescue those pilots.

Alex DeMetrick reports some of them fly with Maryland's National Guard.

It all ends with rescuers pulling a downed pilot to safety, but Thursday was just practice on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

It's the real thing when rescuers get to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The closer it gets to the survivor the hairier it gets for us. It can be extremely dicey. It's all really threat driven, so if service air and missiles are out there, that's a big threat. The A-10s are going to knock them out first," said CWO Bob Berdanier, Md. Army National Guard.

That's why search and rescue missions start with A-10 Warthogs flown by Maryland's Air National Guard.

A squadron of four hones in on a downed pilot's emergency radio and then uses whatever force is necessary to keep him safe.

"We're making sure that area is safe for him to be in, and so with the A-10 there's a variety of different ways that we can do that with the different munitions we carry," said Major John Dyer, Md. Air National Guard.

Helicopters are used to complete the rescue, while the A-10s patrol overhead, directing the choppers in.

The scenario for Thursday's drill was two pilots, one injured.

"When the hoist operation commences, you know that takes a little time to move that up and down, and that's when we're exposed the most," said Berdanier.

In recent Maryland National Guard deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, search and rescue was part of the mission.

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