Danb Posted September 15, 2015 Report Posted September 15, 2015 (edited) on Saturday evening at the PPP we had a Coast a Guard Commander speak to us regarding ditching in water, how to survive and what he is required to carry I think he said about 40 lbs. of stuff. I carry minimal items for survival(dumb) and I would like recommendations of what some of my fellow aviators carry for there survival in case of an emergency. I plan on revisiting many safety items in an effort to improve my odds. just a listing of item(s) would be greatly appreciated. Dan B Edited September 15, 2015 by Danb Quote
Marauder Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 on Saturday evening at the PPP we had a Coast a Guard Commander speak to us regarding ditching in water, how to survive and what he is required to carry I think he said about 40 lbs. of stuff.I carry minimal items for survival(dumb) and I would like recommendations of what some of my fellow aviators carry for there survival in case of an emergency. I plan on revisiting many safety items in an effort to improve my odds. just a listing of item(s) would be greatly appreciated. Dan B Dan -- next time you are killing time, give me a call. I will walk you through my survival pack. Sneak preview: When I make a change to it, I reweigh it: Depending on where I am going or what I am flying over, I remake the pack. It is configured now for winter flying over wooded area (upcoming hunting season). All kinds of goodies... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
Piloto Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Do you have toilet paper in your kit? José Quote
Marauder Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Do you have toilet paper in your kit? José Nope... That's what leaves are for. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
Danb Posted September 16, 2015 Author Report Posted September 16, 2015 Great Chris I'll slip over one day, I'm tied up this weekend, maybe we can get together after this weekend and start some flying, I'll email a little later DB Quote
MooneyPTG Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 I talked to the coast guard guys that fly regularly over Lake Michigan. At water temp less than 70 they wear an immersion suite. They suggest at least bottoms on while you fly over the lake. An Imperial immersion suite is 250.00 and will allow you to be in the water for hours. With a raft onboard and the suites you are under 40 lbs. cheep insurance. Attach a PLB and they say it will take one hour to get you. Very survivable with the suite. Not so with a life jacket. Water is just to cold. Quote
Piloto Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Nope... That's what leaves are for. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Palm tree are the best. That's what Tom Hanks used in the "Cast Away" island. Quote
mike_elliott Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 on Saturday evening at the PPP we had a Coast a Guard Commander speak to us regarding ditching in water, how to survive and what he is required to carry I think he said about 40 lbs. of stuff. I carry minimal items for survival(dumb) and I would like recommendations of what some of my fellow aviators carry for there survival in case of an emergency. I plan on revisiting many safety items in an effort to improve my odds. just a listing of item(s) would be greatly appreciated. Dan B make sure your health insurance card is for PPO not HMO Quote
Cyril Gibb Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Nope... That's what leaves are for. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Learn to recognise (and avoid) poison ivy 3 Quote
steingar Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Forgive my ignorance, but the OP appears to be from Delaware. Why fly over the ocean if you don't gotta? There aren't even any decent sized hills to get in your way. Where on the East Coast are you going to crash where locals won't get to the crash site quicker than you get get out your handy-dandy survival suit? Lotta folks live there. My big worry would be about running into one of more of them if the mill quits, not how I'm going to survive in the wilderness. If I flew over big mountains or in the desert southwest I'd probably go for one of these. Folks are spread pretty thin out there. But where i fly I doubt strongly that a crash landing would be unwitnessed. As far as Lake Michigan goes, I pretty much figure if the mill quits while I'm out of gliding range I'm dead. They won't get to me before I drown or die of hypothermia. That said, the Mooney won't be long out of gliding range, and who ever said this was devoid of risk? Lots of things to worry about, I just try and prioritize. Quote
Marauder Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Forgive my ignorance, but the OP appears to be from Delaware. Why fly over the ocean if you don't gotta? There aren't even any decent sized hills to get in your way. Where on the East Coast are you going to crash where locals won't get to the crash site quicker than you get get out your handy-dandy survival suit? Lotta folks live there. My big worry would be about running into one of more of them if the mill quits, not how I'm going to survive in the wilderness. If I flew over big mountains or in the desert southwest I'd probably go for one of these. Folks are spread pretty thin out there. But where i fly I doubt strongly that a crash landing would be unwitnessed. As far as Lake Michigan goes, I pretty much figure if the mill quits while I'm out of gliding range I'm dead. They won't get to me before I drown or die of hypothermia. That said, the Mooney won't be long out of gliding range, and who ever said this was devoid of risk? Lots of things to worry about, I just try and prioritize. The original poster is a Bravo owner and has taken some pretty extensive trips in his plane. And being from Delaware, you would be surprised at the number of locations on the East Coast where it will take a day or two to locate you. I have been over the "hills" of West Virginia. There are some really desolate places there. Just ask Hank and Bob about those hills. We have the Appalachians and the Adirondacks with plenty of places you could get lost for day. Doesn't sound bad? Try hanging out in it for a day when the outside air temps are 10°F and you have a 20 MPH blowing snow in your face. When I lived in WNY, there were accidents that the wreck wasn't discovered for a few days. It happens, even on IFR flight plans. I carry enough survival gear to keep me warm in the winter and deal with any medical issues. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
1964-M20E Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 All good ideas everyone should consider some type of survival gear in their plane based on how and where they fly. I keep minimal items in my plane to take care of most situations. Shelter material, space blanket, water, matches, life jackets, signal mirror, whistle, firearm. Can the argument be made to keep more yes it can. Should I keep more? That can be debated and might be a good idea. The same can be said for you 4 wheeled vehicle for long trips and even your normal commute to work. 1 Quote
Piloto Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 Plan your route over roads. Rescue access is much easier if you are next to a road. Over water it helps flying over marine popular routes, like ferries, fishing and cruises. Carry a PLB with you, the one on your plane is gone when it sinks. I also carry a marine VHF handheld radio. You can contact a nearby boat before you ditch. I carry a life raft when over water flying and always life jackets. Mooneys will float for several minutes giving you time to deploy the raft. The success to survival is a prompt rescue. The rescuers need your location and immediate access to you. José 2 Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 The main reason power plants quit over the water is lack of fuel. This is a good thing! An empty Mooney fuel tank provides enough flotation to keep the plane afloat. 1 Quote
M20F Posted September 16, 2015 Report Posted September 16, 2015 I carry a variety of things depending upon the terrain but as others have suggest a PLB is first and foremost. Clip it to you and use as needed, best piece of survival gear you can have. These days they can get to you fast if they can find you. Most of the bad incidents though are related to inability to find the plane or more importantly the passengers timely. Quote
peevee Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 any thoughts on these?https://preciseflight.com/safety/shop/product/aviators-rescue-ruck-survival-backpack-kit/ I think I could put my own together for less. Quote
helitim Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 How many of you that spend the time and money to make up these nice survival kits have a 406 MHz ELT? If they function like they are reported to, wouldn't that really minimize the need for a lot of survival items? Quote
Piloto Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 (edited) If you survive the crash but are unconscious the survival kit is useless. If you are conscious is because the airframe is in good condition and can provide shelter. In the wild, specially at night there could be wild animals (bears, wolves, snakes) that a tent would not provide protection but the airframe would do. Have a Cell phone/GPS, a PLB and a hunting knife with you. Locating you is more important than going camping. You can buy the most expensive survival kit but if the rescuers cannot find you your kit and you will be eaten by the wolves and bears José. Edited September 17, 2015 by Piloto 1 Quote
peevee Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 How many of you that spend the time and money to make up these nice survival kits have a 406 MHz ELT? If they function like they are reported to, wouldn't that really minimize the need for a lot of survival items? Just because they know where you are doesn't mean they can get to you right away. Especially out west here. Quote
carusoam Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 NJ lost two planes this week. One was a lake amphibian, that went down in the trees. Missing for a couple of days... our friends north of the boarder have interesting survival gear for winter flying... i think I used up my 'rely on stranger points' for the decade. i'll be taking notes on what bag to pack... best regards, -a- Quote
carqwik Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 Check out Doug Ritter's website at http://www.equipped.org Doug is an expert on this topic and conducts extensive tests of equipment. He's here in AZ...I know him personally. Quote
Oscar Avalle Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 how about one of these GPS beacons, like the one offered by spot. http://www.findmespot.com/en/ Quote
peevee Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 how about one of these GPS beacons, like the one offered by spot. http://www.findmespot.com/en/ I carry one. It's nice to share my tracks with people and a little more reliable than flightaware if going VFR 1 Quote
Jerry 5TJ Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 Graph from http://live.cgaux.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Hypo-Graph-2-fix.jpg Lean, fit males don't do as well in the cold water survival, and no one does very well when the water is below about 50F / 10C. Note these are mean times to fatal hypothermia. That said, I have a PFD that I wear flying over water, warm or cold. I have a 406 MHz PLB clipped to the harness. Quote
Gone Posted September 17, 2015 Report Posted September 17, 2015 any thoughts on these?https://preciseflight.com/safety/shop/product/aviators-rescue-ruck-survival-backpack-kit/ I think I could put my own together for less. I did. I know what it is like to live in the bush in the winter in Canada and my kit weighs 14 lbs. It has what I need to stay alive for a while. My planning scenario is propped up against a tree in the bush with a broken leg and wrapped up in my winter sleeping bag with wolves prowling outside the light of the small fire. Quote
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