It might not seem intuitive, but the burgeoning oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has actually impacted training of US Air Force pilots.

Primary water survival training for Air Force pilots is conducted at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.  Every pilot who goes through Air Force training spends a few weeks at Pensacola undergoing the open water training of the Gulf of Mexico.  It is also home to one of the more unique sights in the service: a boat with “US Air Force” on the side.

As of June 4, oil was discovered inside the training area; as a result, all courses have been relocated to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, which also houses the primary land survival school.

Though the change should be largely transparent in training, it is likely the students will not relish the fact the water off Washington’s coast is nearly 30 degrees colder on average than that in the Gulf.  For the time being, however, it appears open water training is not yet fully operational off the Pacific coast.