The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Looking for how to/best way to spread cremains from a 170? Open door and pour as far aft and down as possible to reach? Open window? Paper bag and let go? Cessna 120/140 site has a pic of a device someone made. Might try that. Suggestions please?

This was discussed waaaaay back in the Yahoo days of this group. While I don't have any personal experience to offer, I have some general recollections from that discussion:

First, it's a two person operation - one to fly the plane and one to handle the cremains. Second, there seemed to be two methods used. Some people used a paper bag and others used a length of PVC that was plugged at both ends with tissue until ready to let go. Third, Be sure whatever method you use doesn't run the risk of fouling the elevator and/or rudder if it gets away from you in flight.

A couple other things to consider is that there's a reasonable chance that some cremains MAY adhere to the fuselage or tail in flight and be visible to folks upon landing - something they may not wish to see. Also, there's the chance that some may blow back into the cockpit. There was one story about a couple guys who, after landing and everyone left, had to take a shop vac to the inside of the plane because some blew back into the cockpit.

It can be done by the pilot, but a second person would be prefered. The trick is to get the container out the window completly sealed, then open it while holding it aft of the rear part of the window. It can then be poured slowly or dumped depending on the amount of spreading desired. Ashes will stick to the side of the plane some if it is raining, not as bad in dry wx. Never put a open container of anything not solid straight out the window. The powder or liquid will enter the cabin through the rear part of the window and swirl around the complete cabin including the windshield. Depending on the substance it can be a bit of a chore to clean it up. Shouldn't be a trick to think of the most likely stuff, can be a bit stinky sometimes.

Don't expect it all to be some sort of fine ash, either. Expect lots of chunks of bone and teeth, etc. It will chip the paint on the stabilizer, and it will blow back into the cockpit if it's not held sufficiently aft. (It'll also be on your hands and shirt cuffs, etc.) Things just ain't always so simple.

Last spring I had the honor of distributing a close friends ashes over Stuart Island. His son was in the right seat and did the actual tossing. He had prepared a plastic kitchen trash bag by tying a strong string onto the bottom then had inverted the bag and filled with ashes with the string coming out the top. He then rolled the bag up and we tied the end of the string into the plane so that there would be about 6' of string and bag out the window when the bag was tossed.

The plane was flown slow at 20 degrees flaps and at a comfortable (read 200 feet) height above the runway. I remembered an earlier post that suggested that the pilots window be open as well. We timed it perfectly and the ashes fell about 50 feet in front of the small crowd that gathered. The bag worked perfectly. No ashes into the plane at all but some stuck on the lower part of the aft fuselage and tailwheel. I told his son that a part of Fletch would get to ride around with us for a while that summer. He thought it was neat. I waited a month to wash the plane off.

Two friends of mine have scattered cremains more than once from their airplanes. Each made a bazooka-looking aparatus out of PVC pipe. One had a passenger aim it down & aft thru the RH door opening, once with the door cracked open & the second time with the door removed. Worked out OK. The other guy offers aerial scattering for hire thru his flying business, his bazooka mounts on the LH gear leg. Both bazooka's used some sort of soft plug (tissue?) at the trailing end, and a hard plug hooked to a string or trigger of some sort at the leading end.
I've heard a good way to do it is to trail a hose of some sort (not a garden hose--too small) out the window a few feet, then stick the inside end into your bag of ashes. The venturi effect of the slipstream will suck out the ashes slick as a whistle. You just have to be real careful with opening the ash-bag with the window open! Plus, the ashes can blast the tailfeathers, and the trailing end of the hose whip around on your airplane.
I've given my family instructions that I wish my cremains to be "ejected" from a tailwheel airplane (preferably my 170) over Discovery Bay near my home. I told them if it was easier, to just chuck me out the window, bag & all!

Eric

Eric,

Would that bag be Black with Fringe and an Silver Inlaid Harley Logo? Maybe at one time a Saddle bag.

Johneb

Nah, all that biker stuff is just a (hazy) memory.......probably more appropriate now would be one of those give-away plastic Trade a Plane bags from the Arlington Fly-in!

Eric

Years ago I scattered remains from a paper bag out of the open window of a 180. Much of it blew back in my face. I'll always remember that salty taste...
Rudy

I have a friend that does this abit. He use's a brown paper bag; A little bigger than a lunch bag but smaller than a A+P shopping bag. He say's you want the bag to hold the contents with about four or five inchs of outtage left over. Once you have gotten the desired size bag you will need some string and glue. You will need around thirty feet of good strong string preferable a flat nylon. Glue the string to the insides of the bag covering the intire surface of the bag useing a random pattern. When you have done that make sure you end up with the string coming from the bottom of the bag straight up the middle of one of the sides. After the glue has dryed place your contents in the bag. Fold the top over to one side. Use the remaining string to wrap around the bag. The string does three things; acts as a static line, holds the bag closed and shredds the bag on deployment. Now that you have the package made go flying. What kenny likes to do is to tie the loose end of the string to his seatbelt then unroll about four feet or so of string, coil it and place it on the seat next to him with the bag sitting on top of the coil. When you reach your drop zone open the window hold the bag out and down release. Do not hold on to the string it will cut you. The string uncoils from around the bag opens it then tears it up all behind your aircraft. No damage to the paint, no mess to clean up. Pull the string back in go home. There are some papers you need to file with the EPA to spread ashes Or So I'm Told, But that's another story.

True story. There was a life long San Francisco gentleman that died a few years ago. His last request was that his ashes be baked into several loafs of sourdough bread, then fed to the pigeons. Got his ashes spread all over the city.

lowNslow wrote:True story. There was a life long San Francisco gentleman that died a few years ago. His last request was that his ashes be baked into several loafs of sourdough bread, then fed to the pigeons. Got his ashes spread all over the city.

I don't like the idea of being left in hundreds of little piles of pigeon sh**.

It would probably be more appropriate for most of us to be fed to eithers chickens, or bulls!

zero.one.victor wrote:It would probably be more appropriate for most of us to be fed to eithers chickens, or bulls!

.......and in my case a little to each and some to the Apes.

According to George S. Patton in his remarks about another soldier whose exploits he thought might be commemorated by public statues of the man, ..."Pigeons will sh** on you in every town square of America."

I guess it's better in the afterlife to be sh** on by pigeons...than be sh** by pigeons.