WASHINGTON, April 4 -- As American forces race against time and Iran's military to locate a missing fighter jet crew reportedly shot down yesterday, a retired Air Force general told AFP what it takes to hide and survive if parachuted into enemy territory.

"You're like, 'Oh my God, I was in a fighter jet two minutes ago, flying 500 miles an hour, and a missile just exploded, literally 15 feet from your head,'" said retired brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who is now at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

That said, his or her training - known as search, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) - would likely kick in before parachuting to the ground.

"The best intelligence you're going to get is as you're floating to the ground...