Mike.....great article about the recent back country crashes.I was pleased to see the advocation of survival vest/on your person gear and PLB as necessary equip.when flying.I got my stuff about 4 months ago and always have the gear while flying.I doubt Sparky thought "this is the day".I also have his book for reference.In both of the crashes the PLB would have made a HUGE difference in time spent out in the wild.Anyway,keep writing these great lessons to help us all "stay alive"......Herman.
Mike Vivion's Pilot Getaways Article
- Thread starter HATIN11R
- Start date
JP
BENEFACTOR
The Big Woods of Maine
Yeah, Mike, great stuff. A very good reminder for everyone.
I landed at an airport the other day after a long flight over the woods and someone laughed at the fact that I was wearing a survival vest (which also contains my McMurdo PLB).
This is a family forum so you'll have to guess my choice of phraseology in response....
I landed at an airport the other day after a long flight over the woods and someone laughed at the fact that I was wearing a survival vest (which also contains my McMurdo PLB).
This is a family forum so you'll have to guess my choice of phraseology in response....
JP........I know what you mean concerning the attitude some folks have about safety adjuncts.I told a fellow pilot about my gear (especially the PLB) and he basically blew it off with,"what do I need that stuff for?" I did not elaborate further with him,his mind was already made up.Why do folks have this "it won't happen to me,it's always someone else and I have two engines crap".Folks will spend $$$ on wide screen plasma TV,latest computer gear,cameras etc,etc.But mention survival vest,PLB,or anything past the very unreliable ELT and the response is usually less than positive.Well this is a free country and you still have the choice to basically do what ever you want,or not.That I can respect.However,the article Mike wrote and the NTSB reports still show everyone of us why we should be prepared.We are still having accidents and no one wakes up and says,"I think I will lose it on landing today or that wind shear is gonna put me in the trees".Well I spoke my two cents and hope ya'll have safe and fun adventures.I can recommend Rob from preparedpilot.com for great products and information about the survival gear.Also equippedtosurvive.com is another great site.Blue skies to all........Herman.
On Patrol
BENEFACTOR
Wentworth NH" The WAD" NH96
I laughed.... His vest looked like a fisherman gone electronic. We were in Millinocket and he was 30 miles from home. This time of year had he come out of the sky he would have found it hard not to hit a tourist between here and Bangor. The other thing I was worried about is the physical damage the vest with all it's gear would have done to Jeff in a hard landing. The question is what is needed in a semi populated area in the summer. I am fully cognizant that winter in Maine is a horse of a different color.
John
John
John......the absolute min.equip.when flying anywhere (even in the pattern) is a PLB.How many of us have done the following: touch and goes with the pattern over trees,forest or water? Same as above but at nite?And the list goes on and on.See, the distance is irrelevant.What the issue is, the location of crash/damage to YOU and the plane.If I am not able to get to help or get help to me,than .5 miles from a house,road or person might as well be 1000 miles.Bottom line,better to have the stuff and NEVER need it than to need it just once and not have it.Folks,I am a real believer in this stuff and especially the PLB.I have read all the stories,talked to people who do this SAR stuff and they'll tell you what truly helps your chances to survive.I myself have had a partial engine failure and landed in a field in No.Georgia.All ended well, but whose to say it will be as pretty next time?Don't get me wrong.I'm not here to judge anyone by what they do or don't, in regards to this stuff.But if these posts can get us all to think about the risks we take when flying,and how to better manage them,then that is a good thing.......Herman.
mvivion
FOUNDER
Bozeman,MT
John,
I've gone both ways with survival gear on my person: Loaded that vest up to the point where I couldn't hardly waddle to the plane, let alone get in, and carried none.
I've finally come to a compromise position, where I carry what I consider to be the ABSOLUTE essentials, depending on where I'm going and what time of year.
Anymore, a PLB is just a no brainer. A good knife, some other signalling stuff, like a simple signal mirror for helping that big black helicopter to find you once they arrive on scene, some fire starting stuff, a little bit of trauma medical stuff, and not a lot else now grace my vest.
Many years ago, I flew a fellow around on fish surveys who always showed up with a vest stuffed with EVERYTHING on earth, it seemed. He also carried a military underseat inflatable raft, wore a helmet, and his flight suit pockets were stuffed.
After a year or so of watching him saddle up, I asked him sort of casually why he carried all that stuff. His response got my attention:
"I was doing stream surveys in the back of a Cub on Afognak and the pilot lost control of the plane and we crashed. Pilot was killed on impact, and my back was broken. We landed in tall trees, and the wreckage was hard to see from the air. I sat there for three days with nothing. The "survival gear" was in a bag just behind my back in the baggage compartment, but every time I reached for it, the pain of my back made me pass out."
Got my attention.
MTV
I've gone both ways with survival gear on my person: Loaded that vest up to the point where I couldn't hardly waddle to the plane, let alone get in, and carried none.
I've finally come to a compromise position, where I carry what I consider to be the ABSOLUTE essentials, depending on where I'm going and what time of year.
Anymore, a PLB is just a no brainer. A good knife, some other signalling stuff, like a simple signal mirror for helping that big black helicopter to find you once they arrive on scene, some fire starting stuff, a little bit of trauma medical stuff, and not a lot else now grace my vest.
Many years ago, I flew a fellow around on fish surveys who always showed up with a vest stuffed with EVERYTHING on earth, it seemed. He also carried a military underseat inflatable raft, wore a helmet, and his flight suit pockets were stuffed.
After a year or so of watching him saddle up, I asked him sort of casually why he carried all that stuff. His response got my attention:
"I was doing stream surveys in the back of a Cub on Afognak and the pilot lost control of the plane and we crashed. Pilot was killed on impact, and my back was broken. We landed in tall trees, and the wreckage was hard to see from the air. I sat there for three days with nothing. The "survival gear" was in a bag just behind my back in the baggage compartment, but every time I reached for it, the pain of my back made me pass out."
Got my attention.
MTV
On Patrol
BENEFACTOR
Wentworth NH" The WAD" NH96
Thanks All,
I know I give Jeff a hard time. On the way home this afternoon from So West Mains I started to notice the long stretches of logging roads and thought of going down and if the ELT would really work? I have an under seat storage in the back of the cub that I have a few pieces of survival gear and it is time to take the PLB serious.
John
I know I give Jeff a hard time. On the way home this afternoon from So West Mains I started to notice the long stretches of logging roads and thought of going down and if the ELT would really work? I have an under seat storage in the back of the cub that I have a few pieces of survival gear and it is time to take the PLB serious.
John
Talkeetnaairtaxi
Registered User
Iliamna Alaska
I wear my sterns fishing vest (the inflatable type) with survival gear 99% of the time yes on occasion I forget it but not often.
The other thing I always were is my survival necklace under my shirt. It is a leather shoelace with a Magnesium fire starter, a very small knife and a small led flash light that takes only 1 AA bat.
I think it is important to use leather around the neck not nylon. IF it gets snagged it is more likely to break and not strangle you.
On the use of Personal ELT's I think they are a fantastic Idea. But a word of caution.
If the Aircraft ELT is going off at the same time as your personal one is it jams the single and nothing gets out.
If you have both a fixed and portable ELT use 1 for a hour shut it off then use the other for an hour. continue to rotate this way.
If I was not on a FAA flight plan I think I would have a 5 min break in the single every hour. This way who ever is listing will see that the single stopped and restarted. Not one going of by mistake and it may get rescue started faster.
The other thing I always were is my survival necklace under my shirt. It is a leather shoelace with a Magnesium fire starter, a very small knife and a small led flash light that takes only 1 AA bat.
I think it is important to use leather around the neck not nylon. IF it gets snagged it is more likely to break and not strangle you.
On the use of Personal ELT's I think they are a fantastic Idea. But a word of caution.
If the Aircraft ELT is going off at the same time as your personal one is it jams the single and nothing gets out.
If you have both a fixed and portable ELT use 1 for a hour shut it off then use the other for an hour. continue to rotate this way.
If I was not on a FAA flight plan I think I would have a 5 min break in the single every hour. This way who ever is listing will see that the single stopped and restarted. Not one going of by mistake and it may get rescue started faster.
Talkeetnaairtaxi
Registered User
Iliamna Alaska
Mike thanks for the info. it sounds like I have missed the latest improvement in technology. It sounds good and I will have to get up to speed on this.
This is a reason I love this web site I learn a lot and people are helpful
Thanks Steve for the site and all of you who contribute info.
Jerry Jacques
This is a reason I love this web site I learn a lot and people are helpful
Thanks Steve for the site and all of you who contribute info.
Jerry Jacques
mvivion
FOUNDER
Bozeman,MT
Jerry,
Check out http://www.life-raft.com/dept.asp?d_id=9858&l1=9858
THis is the latest, and the cheapest price I've found on the newest PLB's with onboard GPS>
MTV
Check out http://www.life-raft.com/dept.asp?d_id=9858&l1=9858
THis is the latest, and the cheapest price I've found on the newest PLB's with onboard GPS>
MTV
