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Cremated Remains Dispenser

wfinnell

Well Known Member
I spent a long time searching on this forum and google, but I couldn't find the photo I have been looking for.

There was a photo of an airplane, I think it was a Cub, with a cremated remains dispenser. I wanted to show my son.

If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

Thank you,
 
Try Google ...

I spent a long time searching on this forum and google, but I couldn't find the photo I have been looking for.

There was a photo of an airplane, I think it was a Cub, with a cremated remains dispenser. I wanted to show my son.

If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

Thank you,

Had to research this recently and found much info on YouTube.
Try "youtube cremains airplane" for starters, but you may find variations. It's a fairly common question.

You might look over the exhibitor list for CopperState Fly-in 2015, there was a booth and he had such a 'dispenser'.
 
Don't open the window on the other side

Don't open the window on the other side of the aircraft,makes a mess inside the a/c .
 
Make your own.

We built one out of a large drink cup that we positioned open end aft and open end covered with plastic wrap held on by a rubber band. The rubber band had a string attached that we pulled from inside the plane. This was all mounted on the strut of a PA-11. The second iteration drilled a hole in the bottom of the cup (facing forward) to make sure all ashes were released when string was pulled. I think in the end it worked fairly well. we had run several test flights with bar-b-q pit ashes but the really ashes do not resemble them so there was a few issues during actual execution. We did avoid ashes in the plane which was our primary measure of success.
I have not thought of a good way to mount the rig on an RV. I will look to see if I can find any pictures of the set-up on the PA-11.
 
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Remains

A guy from Tx was at our airport in N Fl and he spread ashes of Gerry Mock the lady that was the first female to fly around the world solo.He was flying a Cessna 180.
Bob
 
I spent a long time searching on this forum and google, but I couldn't find the photo I have been looking for.

There was a photo of an airplane, I think it was a Cub, with a cremated remains dispenser. I wanted to show my son.

If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

Thank you,

Here is a whole thread on similar things. Post #44 is one that might be interesting. No specific designs as legality might come into play.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=80528

"Site:vansairforce.com bomb bay doors" in Google was the search method. Memory was used to know of its existence. Good luck.


Found a youtube video - nice review, good results, big time investment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZ9WFW3Vus
 
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DSC_0047.JPG


This one attaches to the float fitting on a Legend Cub. It would be relatively easy to develop a similar underwing tube-type dispenser for an RV. Front of the conformal mount would be a cuff ( a J-hook shape) wrapped up around the leading edge. The tail of the mount would bolt into place using the tie down point. I'd use glass or carbon with a 1/4" thick foam core. Make it about 6" wide, with whatever keel is desired to attach the tube. Lay it up over a wing still in the jig; just cover the surface with packing tape. The rest of the device would be pretty much as shown.

With the Cub, a passenger simply reaches down and pulls the trigger loop. An underwing mount would require electrical control. Rotate the release with a MAC servo or Firgelli linear actuator.

Basic principle is simple enough. It's an aluminum tube with hinged doors on each end. A length of landing gear bungee pops opens both doors when the rotary release is pulled, and propeller blast clears the tube.

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We load it off the airplane and then hang it on the mount point. A "safety" at one end allows locking that end closed while the other is open for loading with the tube standing on end. Relatives often like to help, which is fine. There is no muss or fuss, so it can be done in public or in private.

I built this one originally for the dedication of the Tuskeegee Airmen Museum at Moton Field; two of the Airmen had asked to be at rest there. The ceremony was scheduled with a large audience, so it had to be right.

It's important to understand that creamains are not really ashes. The cremation process leaves no ash residue of significance. After cooling, what remains are bone fragments. The cremation staff removes foreign material (usually joint replacements and fracture plates/screws), then grinds the fragments in a special machine. When finished, the standard max diameter is a 1/4" fragment. Most technicians will grind almost to powder, but it remains important that you do not allow high speed contact with the tail surfaces. Our testing (the photo you see above) was done with a mix of pea gravel and sticky athletic field marking lime.

There are lots of ways to address the task, but this approach as been entirely dignified and reliable.
 
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There is a guy here at Stead (KRTS) that built one for his experimental SeaRay. He used 2" alum tube with 12v electric dump valves from the hot rod shop. Apparently the dump valves are used to open exhaust pipes to make more noise. Two switches to open valves, he opens the aft valve first the the forward valve. Mounted on the wing strut. Seems to work well with flour and sand. Dan from Reno
 
On the cheap.

A friend and I built a very inexpensive device from a piece of 6" PVC pipe, about a foot long and duct taped a funnel on one end. From the funnel, we duct taped a 6' section of clear 1" flexible clear hose. We'd fold the clear hose double, to seal off the flow of the contents and tied it there with nylon string. When we arrived over the site, we slowed the Skyhawk down, opened the passenger door and untied the hose and stuck it just outside. within seconds, the cannister was empty.

Best,
 
A Venturi and Ol' Uncle Fred

Two thoughts about this topic:

I've often wondered why one couldn't use an old external venturi from a post-WWII Cessna gyro system or similar. You know, the kind of venturi that was attached to the side of Cessnas before vacuum pumps were used for gyro vacuum. Then run a clear hose with a pinch valve from the venturi to a container inside the cabin/cockpit. The suction from the venturi should be enough to suck the remains from the container, which should be vented slightly. This is very similar to what Pierre did.

The other thought is a memory I have from a story in one of the GA magazines about a pair of family members who wanted to honor their deceased relative. They didn't plan ahead and thought they could just open the window of the Cessna and then stick the urn out and let the ashes go to the wind. Only problem was the "wind" blew most of the ashes back into the airplane. Ol' "Uncle Fred" remained in the carpet, upholstery and cracks and crevices of that Cessna for a long time. Uncle Fred's ashes, as are all cremated remains, were quite abrasive, too.
 
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Prior to designing the blow-through tube, I spent some time consulting with a gentleman from the local cremation facility.

Creamains are not "ashes", but rather ground bone, processed with a crusher. Actual particle size ranges from powder to 1/4 diameter...which is why (1) you don't want it striking your tail surfaces, (2) we were testing with pea gravel and marker lime, and (3) a suction-based system would need to as powerful as a typical vacuum cleaner.
 
I spent a long time searching on this forum and google, but I couldn't find the photo I have been looking for.

There was a photo of an airplane, I think it was a Cub, with a cremated remains dispenser. I wanted to show my son.

If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

Thank you,

I remember seeing a post on here years ago asking for what you're looking for; this isn't it, but pretty close.

This device was designed for something similar but totally different at the same time click on the link below and roll down to post #3 and then #6.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=118889&highlight=Mugsy
 
This won't help the OP, but is more for Pierre. A cotton farmer here in West Texas requested his remains be scattered on the farm just behind the house by our local Ag pilot. At the appointed time, with family and friends gathered, he came from behind the house in his AT-602, dropped into the field, leveled a little high, and opened the dump gate. A fitting end to a dedicated life.
 
The other thought is a memory I have from a story in one of the GA magazines about a pair of family members who wanted to honor their deceased relative. They didn't plan ahead and thought they could just open the window of the Cessna and then stick the urn out and let the ashes go to the wind. Only problem was the "wind" blew most of the ashes back into the airplane. Ol' "Uncle Fred" remained in the carpet, upholstery and cracks and crevices of that Cessna for a long time. Uncle Fred's ashes, as are all cremated remains, were quite abrasive, too.

Reminiscent of The Big Lebowski...
 
A number of years ago I saw an article in, I believe, one of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) publications detailing a device for this purpose for use in Piper aircraft with the little side window on the pilot's side (Cherokees and Comanches). They had a similar disaster to the "Uncle Fred" episode listed above first, then designed what is essentially a drawer type device that attaches to the inside of the little hinged window. I believe it had a sliding door; when pulled up, the cremains are sucked out into the slipstream.
 
The simplest dispenser I've ever read about (never actually did it) was a paper bag taped to the airframe in a convenient place (top of wing outboard of the tail, under the wing, etc). They used a nylon string as a literal rip cord to tear the bag open at the proper time. Should be doable even in an RV, with thin nylon line slipped through the canopy gap.
 
I flew a Cessna 206 for a mortuary hauling caskets, bodies, and spreading ashes. The first time I spread ashes, I had to vacuum the plane out.

The simplest way I found to spread ashes was by using a heavy sheet of plastic about 14" X 20". Roll the ashes up and use a single piece of scotch tape to hold the roll. Stick that roll out the window down the side of the fusledge and flick the tape loose. The plastic would unroll down the trailing side of the fuselage and no ashes would be sucked back in the cabin. Just make sure to hang on tightly to the plastic sheet.
 
A couple years since the last post, but I figured this could help someone in my predicament.

A good mate of mine from work, also a pilot, passed away earlier this year and his family asked if I could come up with a way to scatter his ashes from the RV. Now, as I have a tip-up this presents some problems...

After a bit of headscratching and a few days in the back shed, I came up with something ASIO and the CIA would have kittens about. :p

IT consists of a length of 100mm PVC pipe with two end-caps for the actual cremains-holder-portion. This has a 3"x20" (give or take) section cut out from the bottom of it, and this is closed over by an outer form-fitting fiberglass hatch and rubber seal. A pair of 12V linear actuators drop the bottom fiberglass hatch away from the pod body using a pair of aluminium angle brackets, allowing gravity and the airflow to disperse the cremains with no danger of abrasive damage to the tail surfaces. Two fiberglass caps at either end somewhat smooth the airflow around it, a piece of 25x25 RHS functions as a hardpoint that gets screwed into the tiedown fitting, and two lengths of piano hinge to attach the pod to the hardpoint. This allows you to mount the hardpoint to the wing, and simply use the piano hinge-pins to mount the pod after, uhmm....placing....the cremains into the pod elsewhere.

As it could pivot around the tiedown point in a worst-case scenario, two lengths of HD aluminium-backed tape (shown forward here before I installed the aft sections) secure it to the bottom wing surface to prevent it weather-vaning if you get into a bit of a slip or skid - though slipping down final is certainly not recommended with the pod mounted...The wires from the linear actuators are run over the leading edge, in a straight line back to an inch forward of the trailing edge and secured there with aviation-quality gaffer tape before being run to a switch in the cockpit.

After several flight tests at speeds upto 100KIAS, it was successfully used today for its' first - and hopefully only real-life dispersal. There was no noticeable change to the stall speed surprisingly and only a minor change to the lateral trim was noticed in the test flights - certainly nothing dangerous or concerning.

Full size image here
45579279392_a600d0265d_c.jpg
 
Shout out to professor Horton, how about updating your photo links here? I?ve been thinking about building something like this for a while and I think it?s high time I did it!
 
Done, post #7.

Comrade Vlad and friends took the concept and did a great job adapting it his RV9, complete with tiedown mount point, electric release, and a few nice design tweaks. I'll leave the details to Vlad, but here is a quick video of a test.

https://www.danhorton.net/VAF/Creamated Remains Dispenser/VID_20170225_115745032.mp4


Hey, I resemble that comment!

Yes, here is the you tube link of the test that Dan hosted on his website.

https://youtu.be/9rGubnIWpfA

If you look into my videos, you will see the view from the cockpit as well.

:) CJ
 
I was only the project manager. It is basically a copy of Dan's. They both employ the bungee release mechanism, but the one we built runs on a linear actuator instead of a mechanical release. This allows you to trigger with a single power wire.

;) CJ
 
Yes, CJ commanded the project and BillyH engineered it. I just supplied parts. Actually there were three projects of similar launchers under way in different parts of the country but two hasn't matured yet. One is very attractive it's a machined tube with manual cable activation and controlled flow head.

The one our kolkhoz built is below. FSDO looked at it and recommended 5 hours of flight testing which I did.




This is the bombardier panel hard wired to the cockpit.



First "rider" was John's flying dog Wyatt. A writeup is here. We had a lot of fun.

The launcher attaches to an inspection cover and bolted to the tie down. Gives you some yaw. We tweaked the front hatch a bit and it can open now at 120 knots. Thanks DanH for a leverage idea and calculations.

Several prominent aviators are waiting for the ride but our schedule and wx often don't match. I did some mods to the launcher replaced electrical connectors with more robust and weather proof automotive. Thanks Julian for help.

If anybody wants to borrow the device please feel free to pickup. Captain John also has a modified attach point.



 
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Design work and experiment before launch

A friend of mine designed a release mechanism to drop the ashes out the window of his Cessna. He said when he opened it, most of the ashes ended up in his mouth and ears and down his shirt. His passenger was the widower. Not much was said after they both consumed the ashes. After they landed I knew something wasn?t right when I opened his door and the shear volume of powder in his lap, nose, and ears. I couldn?t help but get tickled about it but he didn?t find the humor, especially since he later claimed it gave him an upset stomach for two days.

I suggest filling your device with talcum powder and trying it out before family arrives. Good luck!
 
Venturi design

I always thought if I did this that I?d design a hopper with a Venturi in the bottom. I had a friend who had been a crop duster, and after he retired he started flying radio controlled models. He built a hopper for one of his models that he could put Sevin garden powder in and dust his garden.

The bottom of the hopper had a venturi of rectangular cross section with a simple 90 deg valve in the throat operated by a servo. I did see it on display but I never got to see him demonstrate it. He claimed it would suck all the powder from the bottom of the hopper.

Every time this topic of spreading cremains comes up, I wonder if Jack?s garden duster design would work.
 
I suggest filling your device with talcum powder and trying it out before family arrives. Good luck!
THIS! :)

I did practice a dispersal before my mate's 'final flight', but if you do plan on trying something like this - particularly if you have the wife/husband/son etc going with you - perform a test run first. I used ground concrete dust & tiny pebbles I had on hand, which turned out to be a very good simulation when viewed against the real thing.

The actual flight is not the time to find out you have botched your design for their loved one. :eek:
 
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