One of the most valuable sensors installed in any AuxAir aircraft is the experienced eyes and ears of a boater.   

The addition of two seats behind the pilots in the simulator now allows TCOs, Coxswains, and Boat Crews to experience operations from an airborne perspective.

In several proof-of-concept experiment, two four-person crews were created, each consisting of a pilot, an aircrew, a TCO, and a surface crewmember.

Each crew initially played either the role of an aircraft crew or as a ground-based communications and tracking facility.

Following the conclusion of two evolutions of the river patrol, in which each four-person crew exchanged their respective air/ground positions, each communication and surface crew had now actively participated in an airborne patrol, and an AuxAir crew had actively participated in maintaining a guard and plotting the progress of an airborne facility. 

Everyone exchanged thoughts, questions, and ideas throughout the exercise that focused on the reason everyone was there in the first place, which is a timely response to assist someone having problems on the water.