Taped off-Broadway show used in aircrew training

08/30/01 - WASHINGTON -- An off-Broadway play that recounts six real life aircraft emergencies has become a training resource for military aircrews.

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- Defense Visual Information

Thanks to the producers of the play titled "Charlie Victor Romeo," a video of the show was made to allow aircrews to hear cockpit conversations that took place during actual emergencies. The video of the show combines realistic sound effects with a modest setting.

The purpose of the video is to show the interaction and communication of aircrews under duress, said Maj. John Varljen, Air Force global mobility operations training manager at the Pentagon.

The play is a re-enactment of six real-life aircraft emergencies. Actors perform their lines nearly verbatim from the transcripts of each aircraft's cockpit voice recorder.

"'CVR' does a good job of showing the crew's interaction," said Varljen. "(Showing the play) is an opportunity for us -- it replicates what actually happened (in each of the six events)."

Recording the play, shown to Department of Defense aircrews since February, was an ingenious idea on Varljen's part, said Col. Jim Brooks, chief of operational training.

"He came to me about a play he went to see," he said. "He approached me with the idea of using it for the crew resource management program." After following the necessary procedures, it was instituted across the Air Force to improve the way aircrew interact with each other and as a team."

Varljen said he thought the play would be useful in training because many previous training videos only show aircrew members how to do something.

"In past videos, you don't really see aircrews losing control," he said. "The beauty of the tape is that it recreates actual incidents in the air and there is very little of that done (in training videos)."

This also allows aircrews to view actual events and see what the real outcomes were such as damage and numbers of injured and killed people.

"It recreates with emotion, an almost panic," said Brooks. "You see real-life situations unfold."

Brooks described the 64-minute-long "Charlie Victor Romeo" as an ingenious way of getting a serious subject across.

"There's an example of good and bad (crew interactions) in the film," he said. "It shows the importance of communication and asks someone 'how do I handle pandemonium?'"

It was a bonus that there were minimal production costs, Varljen said. All expenses, including filming the play and travel and reproduction costs, were less than $50,000; however, DOD only has limited rights for showing the film. The tape may not be copied and displayed for other than official use.

To obtain a copy for official use, visit http://afishp6.afis.osd.mil/dodimagery/davis/. Under the search menu, type "Charlie Victor Romeo" and add to the shopping cart. A one-minute preview is also available on the site.