Crashing in the wilderness... some thoughts

[meloosifah]

I didn?t read every response so if this was covered - sorry.

Space blankets are tiny, light weight and WORK! Have 3 means of making fire. Wear a paracord bracelet - gives you means of tying things. Have a good knife. Water purification or filtration and something to hold the water. LifeStraws work reasonably well and are small/light. A compass, whistle and mirror take up little room. This is not comprehensive - just some thoughts.

Now, dose of reality. I grew up homesteading in AK. I can survive with a toothpick and fishing line (joking). But how many non-military (or even military) pilots would have a clue what to do with a signal mirror, compass, spool of fishing line and a hook? Be real. Most of my pilot friends would snag their eyeball while tripping over a tangled mess of fishing line. They would walk in giant circles while holding their compass, never understanding why they seem to be going east but keep coming back to the same spot. A compass in your hand in the woods is NOT the same as a compass mounted to your panel while flying through unobstructed air.

Bottom line is to carry gear that you know how to use. For some, it?s a spool of fishing line, bare hooks, flint and steel, signal mirror, etc. for others it?s a candy bar, cell phone and a tiger-print snuggy. Maybe a lighter and couple of cigars for smoke signals. I know guys that carry 35 lbs of gear everywhere they fly and wouldn?t have the first clue on how to use it. On the other hand, I believe I could survive most situations with the equipment that is in my pockets when I fly.

Last thought. Someone wrote that survival equipment is area specific - YES!! Arid, tropical, arctic...what are the risks and hazards? Tailor your gear to the specific flight. Are you over water, desert,etc.? Winter or summer?

Great conversations to have with your local EAA chapter.

[polishpilot]

Excellent advice.

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by KRviator

Pretty much all of them...

Personally, I have a GME MT410G in a pouch on my survival vest. Cost around $300 Australian (probably about $22.50USD now our dollar has tanked...) and is about the size of the original iPod. It incorporates a GPS that they say is good to <100m accuracy, and has to be registered at no cost, with your national SAR orginisation, in my case, AMSA. They send you update reminders, and you can even upload photos of what you'll be using it in (boat, plane, 4x4) so rescuers know what they're looking for.



Like IronFlight, I feel if I'm not wearing it, I may not have it after spearing in, to that end, I utilised one of those tactical vests to stuff full of goodies intended to help after breaking my -9. I wear it every flight, notwithstanding the weird looks I get at the bowser - but using the logic "I fly in an aeroplane I built in my back shed", it makes explanations a lot easier.

This is great advice!

Two things I would add:
1. Mosquito netting / cover.
2. Solar phone charger

[Canadian_JOY]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

Sure - Google ?Caving Supplies? - cave explorers use bags that need to keep things dry when completely submerged in muddy water, and they need to be able to find them in muddy caves, so they are often quite bright.

However, I subscribe to the maxim that :if you aren?t wearing it, you don't have it? in a crash. Your first instinct in a crash is to get out of the airplane. If it then catches fire, your survival gear is gone. Of course, you can only wear so much, so a separate ?supplemental bag? isn?t a bad idea...just think about having the essentials (like a PLB and other signaling equipment) on your person when flying over wild country.

Paul

[ed. What Paul said!!!! On me over wilderness,etc: https://dougreeves.smugmug.com/Hardw...Survival-Vest/ v/r,dr]

Paul - thanks for sharing this suggestion - I see Petzl makes some good bright yellow bags. This is excellent.

As for the "if it's not on you, you won't have it" theory, I fully subscribe to that myself. I have survival vests for both seats. Over the vests I have CO2-inflatable personal flotation devices. In the Canadian climate one needs far more survival gear than one can carry on oneself, hence the desire to get my "aircraft survival kit" into a bag that's very visible and easy to extract from the airplane... if enough of the airplane survives the crash.

[KRviator]

Originally Posted by Bruce

I have attended two survival schools and these need to be added to above:

Whistle
Signal mirror
Compass Mil spec
Fishing line
Small hooks
Super glue
Aluminum foil
Cotton balls in ziplock bag with
Petroleum jelly. Fire starter
Gun??Where legal

Water is most important

You can live for days without food!!!

I put all in fishing vest.


Boomer

Some good suggestions there, but I omitted a couple of them for my own reasons. Others are already there.

• Whistle - I can do the dog-whistle thing with my thumb & pinkie.
• Signal mirror - Included in the left pouch, cut down to fit the lid of the tin holding everything else
• Compass Mil spec - I can use my watch to find north - even if it is digital one, though an alternative could be the compass app on most phones.
• Fishing line & hooks - Most of my flying is within cooee of civilization though the fishing line could be useful, to that end, I have some thread, though that could probably be replaced with (stronger) fishing line to do double-duty with the strength benefit.
• Cotton balls in ziplock bag - They're there.
• Petroleum jelly. Fire starter - As is the fire-starter. And matches.

Originally Posted by Alex Peterson

Imagine slithering through a small opening, lined with jagged edges of broken Plexiglas, while wearing a vest like this.

That is a very good point. I fly with a welding hammer - the one with the flat chisel tip and a point on the other end - to use as a canopy breaker if I need to. Though in my favor I am not the portliest of pilots and the vest would give some protection to any jagged ends of plexi or aluminium, but it is still something to weigh up.

Originally Posted by David Paule

And in addition to all the above things, might as well add a gallon or two of water. Much of the U.S. is dry. In fact, I'd a lot rather have the water than some of those other things. Survival kits need to be regional and seasonal.

This. You can generally survive 3 weeks without tucker, but only 3 days without water. I don't typically fly with water beyond a personal water bottle, but for extended flights in remote areas it is something that must be considered. In Australia it is even mandated in the AIP. You need to consider where you are going and what you will be flying over and adjust your kit to suit.

Most of my flying thus far has been on east coast where, while you are not guaranteed of a quick (that day) rescue, if you can survive the crash and the day or two afterwards, you will be in pretty good shape if they can actually get to you. Hence I fly with ADS-B, OzRunways (IPad app) tracking enabled and have a GPS-enabled PLB. To that end, most of the things in my vest are geared towards immediate life-saving first aid and location aids. You only have to look at a recent M20J crash near Coffs Harbour that shows the benefits of ADS-B in an emergency, it's that final 5000m you often need to address that says "I'm over HERE!"

[thinkn9a]

What are some recommendations for container(s) and how/where to stow them?

I suspect whatever your favorite brand of water is, the bottle will not survive an impact. If you have a large container,...it only gets harder to locate, keep in place, and survive a high G/ impact with structure, event.

[swjohnsey]

Gatorade bottles are very tough and have a wide opening. They will survive any crash you do. Carry it unopened and you get some calories to boot.

[Canadian_JOY]

Plastic baggies, ziploc style, seem a good idea for carrying liquids post-crash.

One of my recurring nightmares is in the post-crash scenario I see the very last of the gas leaking from the airplane and have no way to capture it for use as a fire starter. Of course I've crashed in an area where all fuel sources are soaking wet so that gasoline is badly needed as an accellerant to start a fire and dry out the wet wood... Yup, gotta add some more ziplocs to my survival kit!

[fl-mike]

might want to test the ziplocks reaction to gasoline first. They might melt.

I have a vest with:
PLB (this goes on my parachute harness if I'm only wearing the chute)
handheld radio and extra battery pack
mirror
line laser
whistle
fire starter and Bic lighter
large trash bags - multiple uses (can also be used in the water (get in it) to protect against stings and hypothermia)
Foil water packs
Zip lock bags
manual inflatable life vest when flying over water

Kabar knife in sheath mounted to the side skin by my left knee (also keeps unruly passengers in check)

What I wear depends on the mission and if I am flying solo or with other planes.

My goal is to make finding me fast and easy. I don't want to make a fire with two sticks, I want to sleep in my bed as soon as possible!

[acroflyrgirl]

I didn't see mention of specific canopy break tools. What is a compact option that can fit into a vest pocket?