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I had a friend in AK who got floats stuck on gravel (ebb tide). With the engines help, he managed to pry it loose. Then the airplane skipped away across the water leaving him standing on shore, edge of nowhere, with NO gear.
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Injuries Change Everything
I recall a pilot going down at night in a heavily wooded, sparsly populated area in N. Carolina where I used to fly on trips. He had two broken legs or a spinal injury (can't recall which) but was within eyesight of a residence. He perished from two nights of 40F exposure. He was lightly dressed and had zero survival equipment. A space blanket the size of a wallet would have saved his life.
There's a lot of really innovative thinkers on this forum. How many pieces of airplane parts could be designed to be dual purpose survival items? |
I've been giving this topic a lot of thought lately in preparation for cross country flights in my RV-12. I've read many of the threads in the safety forum on the topic and there is a lot of excellent advice in the various threads. If I took everything that's been suggested, I'd need another airplane!
So I forced myself through an exercise to list out all the "possible" contents and make decisions and assumptions about what was critical, what was truly needed, and what was nice to have. Very interesting exercise. I came up with a couple of assumptions that pertain to me, my flying, and my aircraft. They are: 1. Remember the rule of three's. That makes my priorities accident/injury survival, shelter/heat, signalling, water. You'll notice that food is not on this list. 2. I am assuming rescue within three days. I know this could be iffy but I will carry a 406 MHz PLB so it's not unreasonable and I fly close to roads. 3. If it's not on me when I leave the airplane, it's not available. 4. Hypothermea is the biggest killer once you survive the initial accident. So I started to lay out all the possible contents of a safety vest and then, searching the web, I cam across Doug Ritter. You can Google him to read about him but he puts together some survival packages for pilots including this one: http://www.dougritter.com/dr_essentials_vest.htm It has a couple of items that I don't necessarily think I need but for the most part, it covers everything else I thought I might need. I plan to add some additional trauma items because I think any off field accident in the -12 will result in trauma/cuts of some sort and I don't want to bleed out. I also plan to add a canopy break tool as well. If you include the upgrade to the Green signal laser and the PLB, it comes to around $1135. I think I am going to go with this unless any other survival experts out there think that there's more to add to this. |
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To your list, I'd add a good modern LED flashlight with spare batteries and a roll of TP. |
Randy - thanks for sharing. The list from that website give a good overview of what to consider.
I don't carry gauze or bandages any more. I make "bars" of Duct Tape which are nice and flat, along with a handkerchief and bacterial ointment. This combination can cover a wide range of injuries including cuts, punctures, gashes, blisters, and - with a couple stripped tree branches - can even deal with a broken leg or arm. While it wasn't pretty, I've used the Duct Tape solution to survive a bad cut that would have caused incapacitation - the tape served to both hold the cut closed and apply enough compression to prevent excess bleeding. One thing struck me - assuming you want to be found, khaki nor olive would have been my first choices. |
Yikes
I am all for safety and having the basics but $750 before you ad a plb. Thats a lot of coin.
When I crossed the big rocks of BC and Alberta, I did some looking on here and found great lists to use. I found a good vest at Dunhams or Sports Authority on sale for $30, and started filling it up. Weight is about 6 lbs with all the basics very well covered. I am all for having what you need, but cant justify that kind of $$ to have someone pack it for me. Its actually fun fillling it yourself. You will always find upgrades, better stuff etc. On another note, a few of us were flying way up to Moosinee Ontario. One of my buddys had a passenger going who thought he was helping by bringing a true survival kit from a citation. Weighed about 45 lbs. :eek: Pilots said...ummmm NO. No need for a full axe etc...just the basics for fire, firstaid, shelter,signalling, plb etc. Keep it simple, you will not be stuck in the artic for a week. |
colors?
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There's a fluorescent yellow/green reflective tape that nearly glows, even in daylight. It's what they use for school zone signs, and even at dusk, really stands out in almost any background...it just doesn't belong there, so you notice it. 3M #4083, Avery T-7513, 9513, 11513. I put a little chunk of it on all my flashlites, gear bags, etc etc. Rick, I too loaded up a vest....but got a flyfishing floatation vest with the inflatable bladder..only adds a few ounces, and might save my bacon one day if ditching is the only option. |
Spot tracker
Used this product to give position updates
To friends and family from the middle of the Atlantic. Worked very well. Has also an emergency SOS switch. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...?clickkey=5407 |
other items
How about baby wipes, toilet paper, makeup, small mirror, umbrella, and a picnic basket with a blanket and goodies?
Sorry, I had to share. This is what I got to bring when I asked my spouse to go deer-hunting with me many years ago.... I hate to admit it but it ruined me from ever roughing it again.... |
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Those propane canisters have been known to leak. This causes two problems; 1) You could have an airplane full of propane and 2) You could have an empty canister when you need it most. Some of the people I have hiked with weigh each canister when they buy them and write the weight on it. After each use, they weigh them again and write the new weight on the can. After awhile they learn how much fuel they will use each trip and plan accordingly. Me, I just look inside my Colman and add fuel. The Colman is very close to the same weight and can burn 100LL in a pinch. While it is not recommended and you want to keep your food covered to keep the led out, you can do it. Better yet is a pocket stove because they take solid fuel. Just pack a bunch of extra fuel and some kitchen matches AND Bic lighters. The food listed above is actually very good and will keep you going for a long time. |
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