Thoughts on Survival and Evacuation

[GAHorn]

The thread on "How cold will you fly" got me thinking again (Jamie said she smelled burning rags. )

This provokes several thoughts about how to better plan for bad things like Survival gear and aircraft Evacuation of the aircraft due to accident or fire.

1-We will all likely be replacing ELTs to comply with new requirements in the not to distant future. My own is mounted aft of the baggage bulkhead on it's own avionics shelf-mount. Although it has a spare "portable" antenna attached to it, there's no way I could take it with me in a hurry because I'd have to disassemble the baggage bulkhead to get to it. My next ELT will be mounted on the floor beneath the rear seat where it can be easily inspected and/or taken out. Not suggesting anything other than an aviation-approved ELT for the airframe, but a PLB article I found interesting is: http://www.aeromedix.com/aeromedix/art/plb/

2-My fire extinguisher is already mounted within reach beneath the rear seat. It's a Halon unit and it's in current inspection status. But I usually don't recall briefing passengers about it's location or use. I'll have to add that to the pre-flight briefing.

3-My survival gear is kept in a small red TIC170A duffel-bag in the bag compartment. It's contents are listed elsewhere in another thread but I probably need to go back thru it and inspect that stuff for expiration, condition, etc. I always pack baggage first then place that red duffel on top. Life jackets are the first things under it's zipper.

4-In particular I'll bet my inflatable life jackets are out of date. If anyone flies regularly over water it might be a good idea to look into the new style of inflatables that are worn like a hunting vest. Small and lightweight and available at many sporting goods/marine outlets. (Unfortunately most of them are camoflage rather than bright colors.)

5-I know that many First Aid kits carried are simply toys in plastic boxes with Band Aids and ointment. A serious look at quality bandages, and medical equipment might be in order. (And don't forget to visit with your personal physician about your own immunization status.) Doc Blue's kit is not cheap and not what I carry, but it gives insight to what we should be considering for our kits. I used the info to develop my own but at least it's nice to know what's out there. http://www.aeromedix.com/aeromedix/art/medkit/

6- Water is more important than food. I do carry bottled water. Two bottles per person. And water purification tablets/method.

7-??

[thammer]

http://www.equipped.org is an excellent survival gear resource site and they have some aviation specific stories and information.

I fly across Lake Michigan frequently in my 140 or an R-22. I wear a Multifab survival suit (dry suit), a Switlik helicopter crew vest, carry flares, mini-elt, streamer, mirror, handheld nav/com, handheld GPS, HEED (mini scuba bottle), etc. I fly solo across the lake and needed a raft I could get out of a helo with one hand. Helos are top heavy and don't float so well. I selected a one-man raft that is the same model as the one used in F-16 seats packs. It looks like a giant black hi-top sneaker and is blaze-orange when the hi-top is opened up. Weighs only 10lbs. A Switlik 4 man weighs 33 lbs and is a pretty good sized bundle, I decided it was too big and heavy for my anticipated conditions. I wear everything but the raft because what I'm carrying may end up being the only things I can get out.

I will be upgrading to a 406mhz beacon for the airplane and a personal one for me to carry pretty soon. I also plan on building a more general survival kit to carry.

tye

[iowa]

wow
you guys are prepared!
there isn't much need for this
here in the midwest where i fly.
heck, there's always a farmhouse nearby.
iowa

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

iowa

Living in the north east just north of Philadelphia what we call a farm is not much more than a big front yard to the rest of the country. Our Pocono Mountians highest peak is about 2500 ft. and most have a road in the valley. Our biggest problem when we have an emergency landing is missing houses.

So most pilots don't think much about emergency equipment or survival.

Yet within any Sunday morning breakfast flight I can find myself over the Jersey Pine Barons or areas of the Poconos less traveled. It is very conceivable and it has happened that planes have crashed and it's taken days to find the remains. If I happen to be one of those planes I'd sure like to have something with me to improve the situation.

Of course you would want to tailor you survival equipment to the area and climate your flying in but some signaling devices, simple first aid, space blankets and the like are not unreasonable for all of us to have no matter where we fly.

Think about it. If you had a forced landing at the other end of the property from the farm house, so one saw you land cause they weren't home. You are hurt and can't walk, could be bleeding and maybe going into shock. Maybe it's your passenger. What minimum stuff would you want to have at hand?

[trake]

Maybe the most valuable survival tool is a charged up cell phone. I have a 'man bag' that I keep within reach. It has tools, batteries, etc

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

There are many places within an hour flight of my place that has no cell service. The Pine Barons being one.

But I always have my cell with me.

[thammer]

Check out the article about 406mhz personal locator beacons on equipped.org. They're getting pretty small and it sounds like the price for a GPS version is about $500. They used to be bigger and closer to $900. The plb could be a worthwhile safety precaution for hiking too or if you drive through remote/desolate territories.

tye