Home > Survival Systems Ltd > Training Products > METS™

METS™ devices simulate underwater disorientation caused by a rapidly sinking, inverted helicopter. Statistically, one helicopter ditching can be expected every 100,000 hours of flying time. In 92% of cases, aircrew will experience less than one (1) minute warning, and 78% will experience less than 15 seconds warning. A realistic aircraft ditching training program and underwater escape trainer must, therefore, be made available for aircrew and passengers who fly over water.

The design of Survival Systems' Modular Egress Training Simulator (view 3D Animation movie) meets the requirements for a modular, robust, highly realistic, low maintenance, re-configurable training device in which students practice emergency surface evacuation drills, underwater escape techniques, and use of emergency breathing systems / spare air devices.

The modular design of the METS™ renders it capable of replicating any aircraft type in a ditching training scenario. To date, Survival Systems has manufactured more than 140 different METS™ emergency escape exits, and a total of 70+ METS™ have been commissioned in 21 countries.

METS™ configurations incorporate the use of exterior panels housing escape exits that replicate exits found on specific aircraft. Additionally, the framework of the METS™ allows for placement of interior bulkheads and other props, such as avionics panels, crew stations, and troop seats to represent the size and configuration of the aircraft types specified by the client.

Survival Systems developed the high-fidelity METS™ and training methodologies to specifically address difficulties most commonly encountered during a ditching. Training sequences cover a variety of ditching scenarios involving inaccessible and/or blocked exits, stroking seats, darkness, smoke, and fire, for examples. The types of training exercises that can be performed using the METS™ include the following:

Hover abandonment	Partial/off-angle submersion
Surface evacuation	Upright and inverted evacuation with casualties
Night and smoke exercises	Aircraft fire extinguisher exercises
Inverted with Emergency Breathing System (EBS)/HEEDS - Spare Air	Life raft/emergency equipment retrieval
Movement to secondary exits/cross-cabin - port, starboard/forward, aft of initial position

The result of performance-oriented training in a high-fidelity METS™ is that trainees develop confidence and are able to effectively perform emergency egress following a helicopter ditching.

In Canada alone, 11 Canadian aircrew personnel have testified that they have survived actual helicopter ditchings because of the aircraft ditching training they received in the METS™ (see METS™ Testimonials).

The METS™ underwater egress training solution, involving hardware, courseware, and years of empirical research and development in human factors affecting egress, offers a safe and authentic training environment that results in greater success of escape for the training recipients when faced with an actual emergency escape situation.

In February 2002, the United States Marine Corps contracted Survival Systems to construct two Modular Amphibious Egress Trainers, a variation of the METS™ Model 40. Due to the METS™ modularity, the basic design is modified to accept amphibious vehicle hatches, so that not only aircrew and passengers can be trained, but personnel operating AAV and LAV25, for examples, can learn to escape from a sunken amphibious vehicle.

The amphibious variation of the METS™ Model 40 demonstrates Survival Systems' continued commitment to enchancing our technologies to meet advanced and changing training applications required by our clients.