Yellowknife (May 10/06) - Fifteen seconds. That's all the time you have to get out of the floatplane that has just crashed into the water before you panic and most likely drown, according to Bryan Webster, pilot and water emergency trainer.

Lindsay Armer gets ready to be submerged and flipped over - the same way she would be if she was in a floatplane that crashed in the water. She participated in the Aviation Egress Systems training course. - Jessica Gray/NNSL photo

Webster is the owner of Aviation Egree Systems - a business designed to train people how to react in water emergencies, like what to do if your floatplane crashes into water. "In airplanes, when things go bad, it happens really fast and there are no brakes," said Webster.

He teaches this course with first-hand knowledge.

"I was the passenger in a plane with a friend, and he was landing with a low setting sun in his face," said Webster.

The pilot couldn't see the new power lines that had been strung across the lake. He hit the lines, careening off course and flipping the plane, he said.

The problem with surviving a floatplane crash is getting out of the plane once it hits the water, said Webster.

This can be incredibly difficult as floatplanes flip upside down when they crash because the pontoons are buoyant.

"Everything becomes inverted. Once it's flipped, it can stay that way forever," said Webster.

A crash like this can prove fatal, like it did last year when two people died on the Taltson River, 70 km from Fort Smith. The passengers were unable to get the doors open while upside down and under water.

Hal Logsdon, president of the NWT Floatplane Association, took the course last week. He has since recommended that everyone part of the association take the course.

"You get a nose full of water," he said jokingly. But more seriously, "I was surprised by how disorienting (being upside down) is."

Webster teaches the basics of getting out of the plane in the classroom, then takes the rest of the lesson to the pool.

People taking the course, wearing everyday clothes, are strapped into Webster's home-made, submergible "cockpit" with real airplane seat belt and door handle.

With the help of a certified lifeguard, Webster submerges and flips the person in the seat, and then watches them underwater with a snorkeling mask to make sure they do it right.

If a person starts to panic, he pulls the "cockpit" out of the water.

The course isn't just for pilots, but anyone who flies on floatplanes regularly.

Lindsay Armer, with Environment Canada, "died" three times before she got it.

It's helping her feel more prepared in case of an emergency.

"I'm always thinking about the landing," said Armer.

Webster will be teaching 11 courses over the next few weeks. He said he will be back next year. He has been teaching this course full-time for six years. He is based in Victoria, B.C.