Survival is not about how long you can stay lost, it's about how soon you can be rescued.
I often see many survival kit manufacturers building kits that boast to keep you alive for weeks. Some carry every component imaginable with exception of the kitchen sink! You have sleeping bags, tents, cooking utensils, and all the neat stuff that will occupy your time until rescue arrives. The only thing missing in these very expensive and heavy "camping" kits are the components that will get you found!
Here's my take on this. Survival is all about being rescued, and to be rescued, you have to be found. You can carry all the comfort items in the world in your airplane, but if the searchers do not know where you are, then perhaps you will be glad you spent that extra two thousand plus dollars. Personally, I would rather use a small portion of that money on a kit that gives me the essentials to build a shelter, a fire, procure water, and food, and to sustain my life long enough for either my ELT or my PLB to quickly get rescuers to my position. By pushing the "ON" button of a Personal Locater Beacon you connect via satellite to a search and rescue resource that will immediately send rescue to your position. You can then use a laser flare, a signal flag, smoke from a fire, or signal mirror to vector them straight to you.
Some would argue that you should always prepare for the worst. What if the ELT and PLB is destroyed, what if you did'nt get a may-day out, what if your cell phone is not on the Verizon network (jk), what if the plane or boat sinks, or is destroyed in a fiery crash and it takes your gear with it? I guess we can go on and on with the "What ifs". My point is this, for less than a thousand dollars you can buy or build a very light survival kit that comes out of the aircraft with you (by wearing it, or placing close at hand in a small crushproof case) that carries a PLB, a forty plus mile range signal mirror, a thirty plus mile range laser flare, a waterproof bag to place your cell phone in, and plenty of supplies to keep you warm, hydrated, and alive long enough to be rescued now, not two weeks from now.
Note: Please don't get me wrong, I have no problem with placing a light weight tent and some sleeping bags in your aircraft, it's actually a good idea, but do not completely rely on them to be there when you need them in a survival situation.
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Placing hermetically sealed life-preservers under the seat of a commercial airliner is a good idea, but is this preserver a good idea for Part 91 General Aviators?
I have to go back the opening statement on my web-site. "What you have on you is what you will have with you". Statistics show that most water ditchings take place either during desent for landing or during take-off and climb-out. Lets say you are climbing out at 1500 feet and suddenly your engine comes to a abrupt stop. Do you seriously believe that you are going to be able to put this vest on and fly your aircraft to a water ditching at the same time?
While doing a demo a few years back, a participant handed me one of these inflatables and asked me to demonstrate how to put it on. After two or three attempts, I finally had to read the instructions on the bladder. Needless to say, this was kinda embarassing, but Im pretty sure after my experience, that a pilot faced with a ditching deliema is not going to have time to read instructions, much less figure out how to get this vest on with one hand while gliding the aircraft to the water. The other notable issue with this vest is that it has lots of loose straps on it. It is very likely that these straps can become snagged while trying to egress from the tight space of a small cockpit. These straps are rated at around 1000+ lbs.
The solution is simple. WEAR a vest or inflata-belt type lifevest while flying over water (Put it on and tighten straps prior to climbing into the aircraft).. If an emergency comes up, you will have one less thing to have to deal with.
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Dry-Suit or Immersion Suit?
I get this question often. Usually the answer is not very well received. There is a certain amount of sacrifice that must be endured with both suits. First of all let me describe both suits and what they do for you.
The Immersion suit, also know by some as the gumby suit, is a aprox. 5mm neoprene suit that encompasses the entire body. Here's where gumby comes in to effect, that is what you look like when wearing this over sized cocoon. The best way to get into a immersion suit is to lay it down on the ground zipper (opened) facing up. You sit on top of the suit while placing your legs in the bottom portion. Then you lay down and place your arms in the arms of the suit. Once your legs and arms are inside, you stand up and pull the zipper all the way to the top (til it stops). Then close the face flap. It is important that the zipper is all the way up and that the face flap is closed, otherwise you stand a chance of getting water in the suit. This procedure is practiced routinely by cold water sailing vessels.
The reason that you lay the suit down is so you don't stumble while the vessel is listing. As a C-130 Crew-member in Kodiak Alaska, we practiced getting into the suits in the back of the aircraft, and then practiced egressing while wearing the suit. Not an easy task, since the primary water egress route for the crew in the back was the overhead hatch! Then, the second phase of training took place in Old Woman's Bay adjacent to the hanger. We were required to enter the 45 degree water (it was a warm day), in our flight suit only, then open a immersion suit and climb in while floating in the water. This was a trick, but it was either get the suit on, or wave your hands frantically to be pulled out.
The point I'm trying to make, is that if you are flying in North Seas (Trans-Atlantic) and you think you are going to be able to donn a immersion suit prior to ditching, you are dead wrong. If you think that you are going to donn an immersion suit, then wiggle out of a window, you are dead wrong! These suits are too bulky to fly in too. I have had some pilots tell me that they fly with them on up to the waist, then the plan was to pull them up before impact. First of all, I really doubt that you would be able to wriggle the top portion on while flying the plane in an emergency situation, and then, how do you get out of a already tight space (cockpit) with this cocoon around you? Your best chance, is to egress with the suit in hand and donn it while in the water. This is something that has to be practiced in a controlled area (pool) with assistance. Doing this in warm water during the summer is better than not practicing it all. Ideally, a cold water scenario would be better, just make sure you have someone nearby to assist you if needed. Once the suit is donned properly, squeeze yourself up in a ball to push the water out of the suit through the purge valves. This may require one or two tries. Yes, you are wet and there will still be water inside, but the insulation from this suit will warm the water and you in no time. The life-vest must be worn in-side of this suit.
The Dry-Suit must be put on PRIOR to the flight. The dry-suit works with two components, the vulcanized rubber outside suit, and the insulation wear underneath. Without the insulation (fleece wear) your body would touch the rubber material and conduct the cold water temperature to your body. A good analogy for this would be like laying on a water-bed with no pad, sheet or heater. The water, even in a controlled room temperature would suck your body heat away in no-time!
As uncomfortable as it is, you must put this suit on prior to climbing into the cockpit. The best I can tell you, is to keep the cabin cool, and un-zip the suit down to the waist to keep yourself from over-heating. The dry suit keeps your body completely dry and does so by using neck, arm, and leg seals. This is a opening with cut -outs. To size the suit, you cut the marked areas on the seal until you reach the one that best fits without choking you. You have to be careful not to cut it too far as this will cause leakage. If you use a dry-suit, then you will need foot wear, good thick neoprene gloves, and a neoprene hood. These items as well as the fleece insulation wear are usually sold separate.
Note: Lifevest is worn on outside of dry-suits.
In my opinion, I would prefer the dry-suit. It is already on you (so you can concentrate on flying the aircraft), it is snug against your body, thus giving it a less bulky egress, it's easier to swim in, it will keep you warm and dry, and you can easily place a life-vest on the outside of this suit to help with buoyancy and provide necessary signaling equipment. Yes it will be somewhat uncomfortable during the flight, but that would be worth it compared to what it would be like to egress into cold water with nothing.
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Why 406 MHz Beacons Are Better than 121.5 Beacons
Hopefully by now, most Airmen, Sailors, and Hikers have some knowledge of this fairly new satellite technology.
So what exactly is a 406 MHz Beacon? Simply put, It’s a life-line! It connects you in-directly to your rescuers. You turn it on, and within minutes it relays who you are, your a/c number, phone number, what type of vessel you are in, what survival equipment you have on board, and your precise LAT/Long position. See article; "After The Plunge" in Downwind Magazine.
New technology has replaced the technology available during my Coast Guard career. When we searched for a 121.5 signal, we usually picked up the whirl sound made from an EPIRB on our aircraft radios at about 15-20 miles from scene. The Coast Guard C-130 had a direction finder (DF) that locked on to the 121.5 signal and the plane literally flew itself to the source of the signal.
As we know, the 121.5 EPIRB became the toy of many false alarms by pranksters and caused millions of dollars of Coast Guard resources. There was no way to identify the user or the validity of the case. I can’t tell you how many long hours I spent within my twenty-three years looking for false alarms!
When the 406 MHz EPIRB came about, it was designed to be registered to a user. The registration requires you to enter your name, and home phone number When a signal is received, the Command Center will call your entered phone number to inquire on the signal prior to launching. If no one answers, they launch. If someone answers the phone, they can obtain the information needed to start the search or to cancel. Many of the calls are canceled due to accidental turn-on during testing. This call not only saves you many tax dollars, but it can also save valuable battery time on your PLB or EPIRB.
Soon after the 406 MHz technology came about, the FCC mandated that the power on the 121.5 EPIRBs be reduced from 75 milliwatts to 25 milliwatts. This reduction of power was brought about because of the “Whirl” sound that I mentioned earlier. The “Whirl” bled over on the other channels and became very distracting during a rescue. I suppose another reason would be that they no longer needed that much power since the satellites no longer tracked them.
The U.S. Coast Guard is currently outfitting their aircraft, ships, and small boats with the new and advanced 406 DF equipment. The 406 MHz is much stronger and clearer than the previous 121.5 signal, and in fact, a 406 DF outfitted Coast Guard aircraft flying at 24,000 feet can now pick up and lock on to the signal from your 406 EPIRB or PLB from as far as 150 miles away!
Along with this technology, 406 DF towers are being positioned around the U.S. coastline to assist in close up cases since 90 percent of the EPIRB cases happen within 20 miles of shoreline.
Personal Locater Beacons (PLBs) and EPIRBs are continually getting smaller and better. The prices have now dropped below $300.00 for a 406 MHz PLB with GPS and they are getting smaller and smaller. You can now place a 406 MHz PLB in your jacket pocket or on your lifevest without even knowing it’s there. Why would you NOT carry this life-saving tool?
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Is your Personal Locater Beacon an Active or Passive Signal?
There are two types of signals, Active and Passive. An active signal is one that you have to operate, such as aiming a signal mirror or firing a aerial flare. In either case you have to actively use your hands and attention to operate it.
A passive signal is one that you deploy, then leave it alone, allowing you to use your hands and attention elsewhere. An EPIRB once activated is a passive signal. You turn it on and let it float while attached to you or your liferaft.
So here's the question. Is a PLB an active or passive signal? I say on land it is a passive signal, but in the water, it becomes an active signal. Well wait you say, my PLB floats!
Here is what you need to know about floating PLBs.
Although a PLB may be designed to float, it does not mean that it will stay upright, or that the antenna will stay above the waterline. Why is this important? Because the PLB will not transmit a full signal as long as the antenna is submersed in water! By submersing the antenna (no matter how deep), it cuts the signal transmission enough that it probably will not reach the satellite. If you think that a floating PLB is going to stay upright, and the antenna is going to stay dry with waves crashing over it, you are sadly mistaken.
So let's get the PLB up and out of the water. You have a choice, either you can hold it up in the air, making it an active signal, or you can attach it to a high point (up and out of the water) on your person.
The U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crews have attached a piece of Velcro to the top side of their helmets where they stick the PLB.
Since you probably don't use a helmet, you can attach a piece of pile (soft side) Velcro w/adhesive to an area on your lifevest bladder. To do this, you must open the lifevest casing, exposing the bladder. Place a 2x2 piece of pile Velcro (soft side) in the area close to where your head comes out (see picture). Then add the "hook side" (coarse side) of the Velcro to the back of the PLB.
Most PLBs come with a attachment line w/ a small halyard type clip on the end. This attachment line (See Picture) should be used as a "back-up" in case the PLB comes loose from the Velcro in a heavy sea state. Note: I have jumped from a diving board several times with the smaller McMurdo FastFind 210 PLB on Velcro and it did not come off.
By placing the PLB in this location, it becomes a passive signal, allowing you to use both hands for other functions, and because of the PLB placement, you can keep an eye on it as well.
There is only one way to ensure that you have a PLB to attach to a lifevest. By wearing a lifevest with a PLB attached. I see many pilots that keep the PLB in a separate place. This only causes you to grab one more item prior to egress. If the PLB is already attached to your lifevest, and you are wearing the lifevest, you will have both hands free for the egress and the lifevest and PLB will be there for your survival. Once you find yourself in the water, inflate the lifevest, pull the PLB out, activate it, and place it on the Velcro on the bladder, then attach the back-up line to the vest. You now have a passive PLB signal, allowing you to use both hands to perform other signaling functions such as using a signal mirror to vector searchers to you.
Aviation Survival Technologies sells a 5"x5"x 1.5" Deluxe Lifevest Signal Kit with the McMurdo FastFind 210 (406MHz) PLB with all components for attachment it to a inflatable lifevest bladder.
Click here for more info.
