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Safety gear everybody should have!

KC10Chief

Member
I've read several threads on here recently about flying through remote areas, ditching into water, and other serious situations. I haven't seen many recent posts on survival gear so, I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

I started flying GA aircraft in 1996 in Oklahoma. I joined the Air Force and did some flying in Texas and New Jersey. These days, I live in Alaska and fly here. I also fly for the Air Force. I have been to several different survival courses. I have been to a water survival course in Florida, a combat / outdoor survival course in Washington state, and an arctic survival course near Fairbanks, Alaska. I'm by no means an expert but I did learn a lot. I found them a lot more useful for flying GA, than for flying a big Air Force jet where I likely wouldn't survive any kind of crash. HA! The course I learned the most from, was probably the arctic survival course in Fairbanks. It was a truly miserable experience. It was -40 degrees when I was out there and we stayed out there for three days, building shelters and fires, catching rabbits and other not fun stuff. None of these courses were fun at all. But I suppose that being stranded out in the wilderness wouldn't be either. I'm confident that I could survive out in the woods for a few days, even though it would totally suck.

Some of the things I took away from those courses that are good for GA flying, are some of the gear you need to survive. When I was flying in Oklahoma and New Jersey, this stuff wasn't too big of a deal. If you go down in one of those places and survive, you aren't far from help. Here in Alaska and other areas in the western US, that's not the case. When I fly, I bring quite a bit of survival gear with me. Especially in the winter. Some of them are common sense things. Others, are things most people don't think about. If you find yourself on the ground out in the middle of nowhere unexpectedly, your first priority is to be warm and dry. If you're wet, you need to get dry as fast as possible. If you start getting hypothermic, you're going to be in serious trouble. You'll start making bad decisions that will only worsen your situation. Get dry! You need shelter and water as well. You can live for weeks without food. You need to be warm, dry and hydrated. With these few items, you can do all of that.

In the back of the plane in a duffel bag, I carry a two man tent, wool blankets, Mountain House food, camping stove with a small propane canister, towel, water filter, water bottle, plastic tarp, etc. Mostly, it's the same stuff that I take with me when I go hiking plus a few extra items for passengers if I have them. I'd be pretty comfortable if I went down and had all of that stuff. However, there are a few items that I keep on my person at all times. They are the things that I'd absolutely want to have on me if I had to get out of the plane in a hurry and couldn't get the rest of my gear. For example, if the plane were on fire or it were sinking in a body of water. I'll cover those items.

In my opinion, the most important piece of survival gear that I have, is my combat survival knife. Forget the combat part. Just think of it as a survival knife. If you're looking for one on the internet, most of them will be called combat survival knives or bolt knives. These things are extremely useful. You can chop a tree down with one if you need to. They are excellent for splitting wood. If you have a log, put the knife on the end of it and hit it with another log to split it. These are tough knives and built for the abuse. The knife I have, is a Cold Steel SRK. It is a 6" fixed blade knife. I think I paid about $60 for it. It's a simple yet very tough knife. You can clean an animal with it, make a spear with it, and do anything else a knife is good for. If I had to get dropped off out in the middle of nowhere and could only have one piece of gear, this would be it.
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The next few items are all of equal importance I feel. The first is a magnesium fire starter. If I crashed down somewhere and found myself all wet, my immediate priority would be to get a fire going. I'll start a forest fire if I have to! Forest fires are good for helping somebody find you too! :D If I had ALL of my gear, I'd simply use my camp stove to get a fire going. It's a piece of cake. But it's a little bulky to carry all of that stuff on my person. So, I have a magnesium fire starter. It's super simple to use. Basically, you scrape the steel blade down the magnesium shaft. It makes a lot of hot sparks that you can use to light some kindling on fire with. Birch bark, witches beard, dry leaves, etc. Matches and a lighter will get a fire going too, but they are not as reliable. Using this thing, isn't much more difficult than using a lighter anyways. It will work when it's soaking wet. I also carry a film canister with cotton balls soaked in Vaseline inside. They are very easy to light on fire and make a good kindling starter. The starter that I have, is this one sold at REI. You can find them just about anywhere. Even Wal-Mart sells one.
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Another very handy item is a folding saw. Gerber makes one that most people are familiar with. It's a bit over priced in my opinion. I use a Corona 10" folding saw. They cost about $10 and can be found in the gardening section at Lowe's. I like the curved blade on it. It's easy to use and is very light weight. Obviously, it's for sawing up logs. You can eventually hack them up with your survival knife, but this works a lot better. I would find a 3 to 4" dead tree out in the woods. Something that's still standing, but obviously dead. Birch, Pine or Aspen. These trees are common in the areas where you might find yourself far from help. You don't want one that's laying down as it is absorbing more water. Find one that's still standing, but dead. You can stab your knife into it and see if it's wet under the bark or if it's splintering up when you pry a chunk out. If it's dry, saw it down and saw it into logs. Then, use your survival knife to split it. Just hit the knife with another log. This saw is excellent and cuts logs very quickly.
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The next item I keep on my person, is a good pocket knife. Personally, I carry a CRKT (Columbia River) M-16-13T. I think it was about $60 as well. It's all metal and has a 3.5" blade that is partially serrated. I use this knife for all sorts of things. Any good quality pocket knife will do. I'd get a 3 to 4" blade. A pocket knife like this has a much sharper angle on the blade than your combat knife has. If you've sawed up and split some logs, you can use this to cut little shavings off of the log if you don't have any other kindling. If it's wet outside where you are, your kindling might all be soaking wet. Your best bet might be to cut some shavings off of the dried wood you chopped up. It's also a lot easier to handle when cutting smaller things.
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Another extremely useful item, is some 550 cord. You might hear it called parachute cord or paracord as well. You can find all different types. It can be ordered on Amazon, from REI or found at an Army surplus store. You can use it to tie up tarps for a shelter, to collect water, use it to tie logs together for a shelter, etc. You can make snares out of it to catch a rabbit or something too. I carry 100 feet on my person and another 300 feet in my bag in the back. There are all sorts of uses for this stuff and there's a ton of videos on YouTube about making shelters and what not.
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Another item I recently started flying with on my person, is a personal locator beacon (PLB). In a remote area, you might not be able to count on anybody hearing your ELT. Some ELTs send signals to search and rescue through satellites these days but if your plane is underwater, on fire, or the antenna is trashed, it's going to be useless to you. Even if it is working, that doesn't mean that anybody will hear it. I hear ELTs all the time here in Alaska. Never on the ground. Only when I'm actually in the air. I carry an ACR Electronics SARLink 406 GPS and keep it on me. If I'm pinned in the airplane, I could activate it and toss it on the dash. It's very easy to use. Open the antenna and press the red button. This doesn't come with a lot of frills like the SPOT does, but it's a lot better product in my opinion. I've read too many reviews about SPOT being unreliable or they break. This isn't a problem you want to have if you're stranded or injured somewhere. You want something that's going to work and can take some abuse. It's water proof too. You can still pay a subscription and send the "I'm Okay" messages, but the main purpose of this thing is to save your bacon if you need it. It won't do the flight tracking like SPOT will. SPOT is okay for that stuff. I wouldn't trust my life to one though. This thing is $500. They have cheaper versions as well that are a little less than $300. But it sends your GPS coordinates to a satellite and then to the corresponding rescue center. You register it with NOAA. I guess you have to do the same thing with SPOT. SPOT would definitely be better than nothing at all, but in my opinion, the ACR is a much better product. A friend of mine was on an elk hunting trip on Raspberry Island a few months ago. Raspberry Island is a remote Island in the Kodiak Island Archipelago. A bush plane dropped him off and wasn't coming back to get him for a week. Long story short, the weather turned bad and he got wet. He couldn't get a fire going and could not warm up. After a full day of that and feeling like he wanted to strip all of his clothes off, he had the good sense to push that button. Less than two hours after he pushed the button, the Coast Guard was there loading him onto their rescue helicopter. It definitely saved his life. By the time they got him back to Kodiak, he had warmed up some but his core temperature was still 91 degrees. It was still in the low 50's outside at that time too! The worst temperatures are the mid 30s to 50s. I'd rather be stranded in 20 degree weather than 50 degree weather any day. The beacon saved his life. $500 isn't a lot to pay for your life, in my opinion.
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These are all good items to have. It's kind of annoying to have all of that on your person. If I were flying in Oklahoma, I'd fly in shorts and a T-shirt. You don't need this stuff out there. Here in Alaska and many areas out west, these things are a good idea. Especially in the winter. Here in Alaska, the snow in some of the remote areas is so deep, it would take you all day to move a half mile. You'd be dead in less than 24 hours up here. Unless there is some sort of immediate danger where you are at, your best bet is almost always to stay put! Don't move. If you have the resources you need to survive, stay there. When I fly in remote places, I always wear some sort of water proof foot wear. I wear my hiking boots pretty much year round up here. I would never ever consider wearing tennis shoes any time of year here. Keeping your feet dry is very important. I also fly while wearing my coat and keep my gloves and sock hat nearby.

Even if you don't know how to use all of these things or all of the things you can do with your survival knife or whatever, it's still good to have them. If you found yourself stranded somewhere, I guarantee you, you'd figure it out! A couple other things that wouldn't be a bad idea, are a roll up canteen. Basically, it's a heavy duty plastic bag that you can roll closed and it's water tight. Also, iodine tablets for sterilizing the water you collect. Whether it's melted snow or collected from a stream, you'll want it to be clean! Drinking water that you collected in the wild can make you deathly ill.

Hopefully, you'll never be in one of these situations. Perhaps I've lived in Alaska too long and seen and heard too many horror stories. Excellent pilots survive crashes here and then die from exposure because they weren't prepared and didn't know what to do to survive. Even in the summer. Your airplane is providing you with a tiny little environment that is making it comfortable for you to survive as you pass through a much bigger and much more hostile environment. It's a great big world though when you find yourself outside the protection of your cockpit. You might have a PLB, but that's no guarantee if nobody can come get you! Perhaps you went down due to weather! If you can't fly your RV in it, chances are, nobody else can either. These things don't cost a lot of money other than the PLB. They're lightweight and can be carried on your person. The inconvenience and cost are minor compared to the payoff if you ever need them. All of the gear I take with me, even though some of it is a little bit overkill, is about 35 pounds all together. That's not a problem for just about any airplane. If you fly in remote areas, spend a couple hundred bucks one some of these things. It might save your life.
 
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Thanks

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise in this area.

I must admit I need to do a little better in this area.. I carry the PLB and my Wife is briefed on its use before every XC flight.

The idea is if were are going down she sets off the PLB while still airbourne and it is tied off in tha airplane. Just seems highly likely that one or both of us would be knocked unconcious is an unplanned landing out in the boonies..

It just seems to provide a little extra insurance.

Cheers

Frank
 
I really appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise in this area.

I must admit I need to do a little better in this area.. I carry the PLB and my Wife is briefed on its use before every XC flight.

The idea is if were are going down she sets off the PLB while still airbourne and it is tied off in tha airplane. Just seems highly likely that one or both of us would be knocked unconcious is an unplanned landing out in the boonies..

It just seems to provide a little extra insurance.

Cheers

Frank

Aah, yes. I forgot to mention that. I always brief my passengers on how to use the PLB even though it is extremely simple. Open the antenna, press the button, and give it as clear of a view of the sky as possible. Especially kids that are in the plane. I show them where it is in my coat or where ever. It's not outside the realm of possibility that the front passengers are knocked out and the ones in the back aren't. Kids are a little tougher as well.

I've thought about whether or not I would activate it in flight. Here's my thoughts: When you press the red button, it powers up the PLB and starts to get a GPS lock on your location. Once it has that info, it then starts working on getting a signal out to a satellite. That takes a few minutes. When I fly XC, I'm usually 2,500 to 3,500 AGL. That gives me about three or four minutes or so before I'm on the ground in an engine out situation. If I were to activate it in flight, it might not have time to get a signal out before landing. In a crash, if it flew off somewhere or sank in some water, it's not going to work. However, it continues to send out a signal every few minutes and updates your location. So, what I think I'd do in that situation, is activate the PLB in flight and then stick it back in my pocket. Even though the antenna is down, it's better than nothing. I'd hit my ELT switch as soon as possible too. Once on the ground, I'd get it back out and let it see the sky.

My friend that was hypothermic out on Kodiak island, hit the PLB when he was about four miles from camp. He didn't know anything about the PLB as it was borrowed. It doesn't really give you any confirmation that it's doing anything other than a blinking light. Once he activated it, he folded the antenna up and stuck it back in his backpack. He then hiked the four miles back to camp in the two hours that the Coast Guard was tracking him down. They first flew to the spot where he had originally activated the PLB and were able to see that he was on the move. This is while the thing is in his back pack too. When he got back to camp, he threw the whole thing in his tent and the Coast Guard still came to his exact location. Matter of fact, there is a show that comes on the Weather Channel called Coast Guard Alaska. It's one of those reality / documentary type shows where they follow the Coast Guard guys around Alaska and film some of their rescues. They just happened to be filming his rescue and the episode aired a few weeks ago. This guy is one of the smartest people I know and he and his hunting partner made a few bad decisions that got them in trouble. He tells me that he doesn't even remember much of it. He thought he was fine and wanted to take his clothes off! Anyways, here's a clip from their part of the episode, in case anybody is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqnOctAOmok
 
survival

I agree, thanks for your insight! The 406 ELT's now require the remote activation switch in the cockpit. Once you know you are going down, turn the ELT on right then and there, while the plane is still flying. It only needs about 30 sec to hit the SAR satellites.
 
Hey! I forgot something that could be pretty important to you. A light! While not as critical as the above items IMO, it's still pretty useful. A regular flashlight is better than nothing, but a headlamp is what you really want! If you go down somewhere and it starts to get dark or it IS dark, it's going to make your problems worse. If you're trying to get a fire going or build a shelter, you'll want to have both hands free. I keep an Energizer LED light in my coat pocket. It has a head strap on it. They also make the LED lights that clip on to a hat bill if you like wearing hats. I hate hats. Anyways, anything like that would be great to have. You can get an Energizer LED lamp at Wally World for $15 to $20. Mine takes AAA batteries and is supposed to last about 50 hours. LED is definitely what you want. They're small, durable, bright and drain batteries very slowly. Much slower than a regular bulb will.

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Practice

One of the elements that most people miss (deliberately) is all of that needs to be practiced. I don't mean once a week, just once would be better than buying the kit and thinking your all good even thought its never even left the wraping.

Having served in the Australian Military its not as easy to use it all if your injured, dehyrated, confused or just totally pumped to the eye balls with adrenaline you are going to be served well with remembering how you do it, rather than figuring out how you do it, from scratch. Let alone in the dark, while raining, freightened etc...

Go out, just once and use your equipment, saw a branch, cut a small tree down with your combat knife (yes you can do that, its easier than you think) try putting up a hoochie (shelter) in a barren area like a desert, it takes a little nack and once you have done it you will be proud as punch with yourself and you could save your life by doing it.
 
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Most important piece of safety gear...

An instrument rating.

Excellent advice. If not an IFR rating, at least a good understanding of flying in IMC conditions and what you should do if you suddenly find yourself in the soup.

One of the elements that most people miss (deliberately) is all of that needs to be practiced. I don't mean once a week, just once would be better than buying the kit and thinking your all good even thought its never even left the wraping.

Having served in the Australian Military its not as easy to use it all if your injured, dehyrated, confused or just totally pumped to the eye balls with adrenaline you are going to be served well with remembering how you do it, rather than figuring out how you do it, from scratch. Let alone in the dark, while raining, freightened etc...

Go out, just once and use your equipment, saw a branch, cut a small tree down with your combat knife (yes you can do that, its easier than you think) try putting up a hoochie (shelter) in a barren area like a desert, it takes a little nack and once you have done it you will be proud as punch with yourself and you could save your life by doing it.

This is true. It's easy to read about it, but the practice is a bit different. I'll take my son out occasionally and show him how to use a bolt knife, or chop wood or start a fire, build a shelter, etc. I'm nowhere near as fast as a survival expert, but I'll get er' done eventually! Don't just practice it, teach somebody else! Especially if it's somebody that flies with you all the time.

By the way, if you watch that survival guy, Bear Grylls, he sucks. He's a total tool bag. That's shock TV. Some of the stuff that he shows you on his show, would likely get you killed in real life, out in the wild.
 
By the way, if you watch that survival guy, Bear Grylls, he sucks. He's a total tool bag. That's shock TV. Some of the stuff that he shows you on his show, would likely get you killed in real life, out in the wild.

Don't worry, I wasn't planning on trying to drink water from elephant ****. And contrary to popular belief, no you can not drink your own urine and survive.
 
Another consideration.

Put a nice easy to see strap on your emergency equipment bag/container.

Have this strap clipped/taped/hung somewhere easy to see, easy to grab and above all of your luggage.

If you do need the stuff and you have to exit the plane real quick, the last thing you need to do is hunt for the emergency bag under all of yourr other stuff....:rolleyes:

I found orange 1 inch webbing did the trick for my emergency kit. The container I used is a stuff bag from the camping store.
 
Great thread

I have been to the same courses except the cold weather one and here
is a list of a few items that are light weight and can be put in
pockets of a fly fishing vest:

Compass
Iodine pills
collapsable container--zip lock freezer bag
whistle
signal mirror
small first aid kit--butterfly bandaids
emergency blanket-foil-2 oz
Gun and Ammo--check laws
wire saw
Book--How to catch live animals:D

All of these items are easily put in the vest and then all the other items
that are listed on the first two post.


Good Hunting
Boomer
 
If it's not on your person, don't count on having it. Consider Todd's RV-10 explosion (sorry, Todd). If it had happened after even a nice off-field landing in the wilderness, any survival gear he had been carrying would be gone.

I wear a Casio Pathfinder, everything else I need could go in my pockets though a vest would be handy as a carryall along with being some extra clothing. I do like a bush knife when hiking or camping but wouldn't be able to wear it comfortably in a plane - it's a 12" blade, serrated on both edges and 3/16" thick at the tang. I also have a Gerber multi-tool in a holster on my belt; heck, I use that often around the hangar.

Add some strong twine, a space blanket, a small first aid kit that includes some sutures, and one of those magnesium strikers and I should be able to get out of the woods in a few days, if I'm ambulatory. If I've got the vest, I'd be sure it carried a water bag.

Better still, the best thing you can take with you is your brain. Stock it with training. Real survival courses are less about tools and techniques and more about attitude and planning. I can't name any good ones because my uncles took care of it when I was a kid; they and my mom grew up on a farm in Mississippi. I don't know where you can get that kind of training anymore.
 
Book--How to catch live animals:D

This should be placed along side your "how to pick up women" Book

Both Text are equally as effective.

There is a certain art to both of these practices that need some experience or else you will be as effective as a blink man looking for a black hat in dark room.
 
the petzl tikka comes in a variety of options (red cover for night vision, etc) and is better made than some of the other headlamps.

you could use hi quality energizer or duracell batteries, but one thing i've liked to do recently is use eneloops- available at costco for a good price. they used to sell them with the charger but now they come without it.

http://www.eneloop.info/ why are they better than other rechargables? they keep their charge longer.
 
Survival gear

This is one of the items I carry in my baggage compartment, along wih a full survival kit and a Spot. The knife and Hatchet are built like a tank.

Timberline Alaskan Bush Pilot's Combo

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Emergency kit

One of the things I have not heard any of you mention is a pot or vessel of some kind to heat water or melt snow.

My "Possibles Kit" is housed in a #7 can (Juice can size) with a wire bail and a wide mouth quart plastic bottle inside. Inside the bottle are all the bits and pieces of the kit (fire-starter, first-aid, needle & Thread, tea, Kendall mint cake, para-cord, wire, wire saw etc.) The whole kit weights about two pounds and can be grabbed with one hand. I wrap some sheets of plastic around the bottle before squeezing it into the can.

The object of the can is to enable me to heat water, melt snow, and keep hydrated without a lot of further improvization.

Bob Kagle, the guy who taught me most of this had the philosophy, "you can simply survive, or you can survive simply" if you surviive simply, (aka comfortably) you are probably also doing it safely.

I have practiced these skills on the NOLS course in the Wind River Mtns and in the winter in the Cascades, and find spending the overnight on snow in the mountains to be nothing more than an inconvenience if I have the above mentioned gear. It doesn't have to be an ordeal.
Jim
 
That's why I mentioned a water bag carried in the vest. Again, if you have to grab something, it probably won't be with you in an emergency. But a bag can be stashed on your person and can be filled with cold water or snow and kept near your body to warm it up (and also cool you down as you exert yourself).
 
Survival Gear

All of this is great gear. Everyone should decide what they need and place it all on the kitchen table in front of you. Then get yourself a multi pocket vest with built in CO2 cartridge inflatable floation. Load your vest with the bare minimum you need to make it. Put the rest in a pack, not a duffle, that can be reached quickly. The pack is for comfort (a relative term) the vest is what you must have. If you not wearing it, it's camping gear. I have been there and done that on this one. Plane crashed, and sank within seconds. Wife and I had floation on and it made all the difference. All other gear went to the bottom of the lake.

On my person I carry:
1. Matches in water tight container, Water Proof Lighter, Magnesium fire starter and tinder.
2. Knife, a good one
3. Parachute cord
4. Space Blanket
5. 1 large gause bandage
6. Pocket flares (2)
7. Smith & Wesson 500 with extra ammo in sholder holser under vest.
8. Whistle
9. Laser flare.

This will all fit in a Sterns vest and when inflated you can still float...I have done it...
 
I carry a hikers cook set and stove with me. I didn't mention this because I felt that most pilots would think it to be not necessary. I do some overnight hiking trips here in Alaska. Basically, I carry everything with me in the plane, that I'd take on an overnight hiking/camping trip. Including my tent. I carry my down sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cookware, food, etc. If I went down somewhere and was able to get all of my gear out of the back, I'd be comfortable for days if I had to wait. The only thing I don't bring along, is my actual backpack. I put everything in a big stuff sack instead. If you look at REI.com, they have all sorts of great gear. All of the gear I take flying with me, is about 35 pounds. If I take my 12ga, that's another 6 or 7 pounds with the ammo. Hiking gear is designed to be tough and light weight. REI sells real good stuff. I love REI. Here's the cook set I have. Everything shown, fits in the bag. They make smaller ones as well. It's about 5" in diameter and 6" tall. Weighs about one pound.
http://www.rei.com/product/798275/gsi-outdoors-halulite-microdualist-cookset
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Here's a stove similar to the one I have. It fits in the bag with the cook ware.
http://www.rei.com/product/653565/msr-superfly-stove-with-piezo-igniter
gp-stove-manual-clshand.jpg


If I had to do it over again, I'd probably go with a Jet Boil. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and get a Jet Boil for this coming year's hiking season. It's $100 and comes with everything you need but the propane canister.
http://www.rei.com/product/791308/jetboil-flash-cooking-system
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For food, I like the Mountain House meals. They can be found at REI or even Wal-Mart. It's freeze dried food, basically. Some of them are actually pretty good. They store for a long time. You'd heat the water in your cook ware and then just pour it into the bag that the food is in. Shake it up and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, it's ready to go! They pack down small and are very light weight.
Mountain-House-Freeze-Dried-Food.jpg
 
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And obviously, you want to cater your survival gear for the area in which you fly. Things I carry in Alaska, wouldn't be needed in Arizona. It's up to you, what to carry and what you think you'll need. There's a lot of remote areas out there, even near big population centers. Go out and hike through the woods sometime. Not on a trail. Just through the brush. It's definitely not easy. A few years back, a couple buddies of mine got lost down on the Red River in southern Oklahoma while out hog hunting. They spent the night out in the woods and got hypothermic. They couldn't find their way out and were only a couple miles from I-35! The sheriff's department found and rescued them.
 
I have practiced these skills on the NOLS course in the Wind River Mtns
I used to work for NOLS. If you can survive 30 days in the Winds on NOLS cheese I think you're good to go. I've seen those kids gather brookies with a towel and eat 'em like smelt.

P.S. I'm pretty sure a 500 smithy would sink me like a rock.
 
I have one of these

An interesting thread and very useful with some sound lifesaving tips. The requirements as KC10 Chief says, vary with where you are. Here we fly over a lot of very dry country, that can be stinking hot during the day and then freezing at night. (It can also be boiling hot at night as well depending on the season)

However one item I carry no matter the season is a spirit stove made by Triangia. The pic below is the unit all packed away


triangia1.jpg


This is how it looks assembled

Triangia2.jpg



The unit only weighs about a pound and it is very good for all of your cooking needs
I don't like carrying Propane cans, I feel better with a small container of Methylated Spirits. The unit will boil water in a few minutes. I can also fill the spare space in the assembled unit with most of my basic survival gear.

I use to do a lot of bushwalking (hiking) and have had my unit for years. Always worked well and have had many a meal and hot cuppa produced by it.

One of the main things I think about is water. You don't need to be in a desert to have problems. Here in summer a lot of the streams etc in normally quite temperate areas dry up, and there is no surface water for many miles. In severe heat you don't last long without water, so I carry at least 2 litres spare water. Hopefully you will be found quickly if you activate your PLB. (I won't fly without it)

P.S. I heard this story a couple of years ago and can't swear to its truth..but.

There were some aviators in a C206 who had a forced landing in central Western Australia. They got down in one piece on an old dirt road. However they did not have a beacon and decided that the best way to attract attention was to light a fire and make some smoke. (A local "cockie" an Ozie term for a farmer) will always investigate any smoke on their property. So they lit a fire, using a little petrol to get it going. However it got going far too well, due to them failing to clear the undergrowth around the fire. Soon the fire had consumed the aircraft and several hundred acres of scrub. Mind you it did help them get found!

cheers

Jim
 
I was thinking the same thing. Sounds like people are expecting to land like they do at an airport, deplane, and then leisurely grab their packs and strike out into the wilderness. I'm not sure why no one has mentioned bringing along a sherpa or pack mule. :rolleyes:

It's beginning to sound like the opening chapters of Tunnel In The Sky (Robert A. Heinlein). I admit, though, you guys are pointing out some great field gear. It's just what I'd pack if I were going backcountry or even as a backup kit in case I did have a safe out-landing.
 
How MUCH survival gear????

Lots of good info, and many other threads on this, (one of my favourite subjects).
To help decide whether you just need a knife sewn into your boot ( a la Richard Bach et al) or an entire safari kitchen with butler, one has to frankly asess......am I Rambo, or dumbo? Most of us fall in between.

"Crashkit" has a good idea, ( not affiliated)
http://www.crashkit.ca/

'Alpha' kits for the experienced outdoorsperson, 'Bravo', and 'Charlie' for the tenderfoot who needs a lot of support, food, etc. ( the Charlie obviously costs more, weighs more, etc.)
Plus, they publish the contents of all the kits, so you can make up your own, which I did, as I felt I wanted some much better quality components, ( knives, lights, etc.) and already had some of the miscellaneous gear.
 
you guys are forgetting a kitchen sink

geez

I was thinking the same thing. Sounds like people are expecting to land like they do at an airport, deplane, and then leisurely grab their packs and strike out into the wilderness. I'm not sure why no one has mentioned bringing along a sherpa or pack mule. :rolleyes:

Carry what you want! Go fly in shorts and flip flops in the winter if that's what you want to do! For me, I wouldn't carry nearly as much stuff as I do if I lived in the lower 48. I just mentioned the gear I carry to give people some ideas. Some of the things I have might be applicable to somebody else's area. My main gear bag is about 35 pounds. It's a little inconvenient, but worth it. The stuff I carry on my person isn't really inconvenient at all. I don't even notice it's there when I'm in the plane. The basics like a couple knives, 550 cord and a fire starter, are cheap!
 
Survival Gear

Matt,

Thank you for starting this thread, and creating a list of things to carry when flying over hostile territory. The time you have taken will help all of us who occasionally fly over unfriendly terraine.
 
Lots of useful ideas posted here. A few years ago when I was doing some geology work in AK I took note of what the charter pilots were carrying (aircraft included C180, C206, PA32, Bell 206). Most commonly they brought along a medium sized backpack, big enough to hold a sleeping bag and some form of shelter along with other emergency stuff. Presumably a gun was stashed in there as well.

None of these pilots wore an emergency vest or any noticeable amount of gear on their persons. One did wear a suspenders-type inflatable life preserver.
 
What to wear when flying to Alaska

Thanks all for the great info on emergency gear. One thing that has not been discussed is what the pilot and pas should wear. Cotton and natural fabrics are better than man made for fires, but the newer man made fabrics are best for staying dry and wicking moisture away from the body when walking through the wilderness. I'm considering the layered apparel hikers would wear and not jeans and cotton shirts. What do modern day bush pilots wear? I am in the process of long range planning for a trip from the lower 48 to Alaska in June, 2013, so will not need winter gear.
 
The rule of Three (3)
1) AIR - you need air with in three (3) minutes. Rescue breather.
2) SHELTER - you need shelter in three (3) hours to avoid the beginning of Hypothermia death, under 60 degrees.
3) WATER - you need potable water with in three (3) days to stay alive.

Clothing is 1st form of survival shelter. An off airport landing with an RV in wilderness, three types of clothing, see below.

Wool clothing is fire resistant.
Wool is good for keeping hypothermia from taking you out prior to a rescue.
Wool maintains its insulation properties even when wet.

Cotton: good for tropical, but will kill you at 50 degree or less, when wet.

Polypropylene: (Fleece) The new wool w/insulation when wet. Melts in a fire!
 
Not sure if it was mentioned, besides all that gear, you need some skills. All the **** will get you nowhere if you do not have the skill to use and effect your own rescue. That gear will help you survive but for how long? How long before someone comes looking for you? How will they find you? Can you treat basic injuries? You think you are not gonna get hurt in an off airport landing? What if you are solo..how will you take care of yourself? If you do make it out of the airplane, what is IN the airplane you can use to your advantage? Avgas for fuel (keep warm, boil water, cook, and signaling), seat covers (warmth, comfort) pieces of aircraft aluminum (shelter, cooking, table, signaling (shiny side), cutting?) Carpeting..warmth, clothing layer, burns black (good signal). Canopy or aircraft lighting lens covers..might be able to start a fire? Aircraft battery..fire starter. Seatbelts..straps for carrying stuff..tourniquet?

When you hit the ground, what are you gonna do? Stay near the a/c? That would be your best bet..even if you are mobile. I can tell you for a fact that someone walking in woods is a mofo to find from a helicopter..sometimes even in a grassy field. How about the clothes you are wearing? Are they reflective, bright, reversible? Dark clothes might absorb some much needed heat..but also might overheat you in the wrong environment.

Does someone know where you are going and when you will be back? Did you file (most do not). Do they know your path? Do they know what gear you have on board or on your person? Do they know your abilities to survive and your signaling devices? Important things we in the military rescue business would like to know.

Lastly, are you READY to survive. Your mental state will keep you alive.
 
As KC10Chief mentioned, you need to adapt what you're carrying to the terrain you'll be flying over.

It also might be appropriate to have a set of different survival gear kits in the hangar. Perhaps a base one that's always in the plane and has some rather general things in it like bandages and what the pilot will need anywhere, and then an additional one for each passenger (if you're carrying a passenger, put it in the plane too and account for it in the weight and balance).

And then a modification package depending on the terrain. For flying out here, it might be a tent with sleeping bags and cold weather gear, or it might be a couple of those two gallon water containers, for example.

One thing I've found is that often the baggage I carry doubles as the survival gear. Just the sort of trips I go on, maybe.

Dave
 
Where to stow it

I intend to stow gear that I am not wearing strapped to the back side of the aft bag wall. This is normally where sleeping bags and a small dufflle are kept in the Cessnas. A lot of guys wear a metal whiskey flask full of gas to toss on a standing dead tree and torch.Some guys put the sleeping bag or wool blanket in the seat cushion, others count engine covers as a bag or blanket.
Alaska law requires this eguipment.
http://www.bestglide.com/survival_equipment_requirements.htm
I might as well have it installed for weight and balance, and its location wont effect the "normal" baggage as its already figured in. I also carry a bag of Snickers because I like them and they are loaded with calories! Hatchet can go within reach so I bust my way out if I need to. Currently I keep my snowshoes in the aircraft, last time I did some off airport stuff my Chief sank in 8". When I stepped off to get the snowshoes of the strut, I sank in up to my crotch!
 
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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.
 
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.
 
I've read several threads ...I haven't seen many recent posts on survival gear so, I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

If I had to get dropped off out in the middle of nowhere and could only have one piece of gear, this would be it.
TS-TCS38CK_540.jpg


The next few items are all of equal importance I feel.
pEMS1-8884863venh.jpg
038313072650xl.jpg

CRM16-13T_xlarge_3909_large_260.jpg


39361.jpg

Hmm... reminds me of SERE school. A K-bar, a canteen and a piece of a crappy old parachute with some cord still attached.

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.
 
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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?

One thing struck me - assuming you want to be found, khaki nor olive would have been my first choices.

yes, funny..... ever darn thing you find now is 'camo'....when you really want dayglo orange!.......hmmm, except maybe right now, with fall colors in the wooded areas.
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.
 
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....
 
...Here's a stove similar to the one I have. It fits in the bag with the cook ware.
http://www.rei.com/product/653565/msr-superfly-stove-with-piezo-igniter
gp-stove-manual-clshand.jpg


If I had to do it over again, I'd probably go with a Jet Boil. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and get a Jet Boil for this coming year's hiking season. It's $100 and comes with everything you need but the propane canister.
http://www.rei.com/product/791308/jetboil-flash-cooking-system
14203-130111164303891847858.jpg


For food, I like the Mountain House meals. They can be found at REI or even Wal-Mart. It's freeze dried food, basically. Some of them are actually pretty good. They store for a long time. You'd heat the water in your cook ware and then just pour it into the bag that the food is in. Shake it up and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, it's ready to go! They pack down small and are very light weight.
Mountain-House-Freeze-Dried-Food.jpg

I have done a LOT of backpacking and have camped above 13,000' and below -5 and one thing that has failed my companions is these propane canister stoves. I strongly recommend you bring a white gas stove like the Optimus or Coleman dual fuel stove. (My favorite and one that has never let me down is the Colman.)

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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