Survival Gear

[Illya Kuryakin]

Okay, what do you carry?
For this, we're all PPLs with 150 hours, flying the mighty 150. It's late fall, and we're flying from the centre of the universe (GTA) to visit our Ukranian grandmother in, yup, YWG. We're solo for this trip. All our friends are far too wise to join us.
What do you have on board, and why?
Enjoy.
Illya

[Illya Kuryakin]

Let's add, route, and why. We all have night ratings, but zero IFR training.
Forecast worst it'll get is 2500 overcast and 8 miles. Over night low temps 6 C
Enjoy
Illya

[BE20 Driver]

If you have time before you leave, go spend a day outside. That'll give you an idea of how your gear will hold out.

Definite must is a good winter coat, snow pants hat and mittens. A winter rated sleeping bag. Good first aid kit. Several methods of starting a fire (waterproof matches, butane lighter). A little tinder or something to help get a fire going (fire brick, dried lint). Something to hold water for drinking and cooking. A couple of freeze dried camp meals. Some rope and a good knife. Spare pair of socks.

[turkeycannon]

Amongst the other "winterised" stuff, I would have a survival kit of the mini variety (the Doug Ritter Pocket Pak is tiny) and a PLB on my actual person, in jacket pockets or if you're feeling nerdy, in one of those fishing-style survival vest things.

I keep hearing stories of people going down, and managing to get out of the aeroplane then watch it immediately go up in flames or whatever. I'd want to have the critical stuff physically attached to me.

[C-FDPB]

In addition to things already mentioned I would definitely recommend a leatherman or (multi-tool) one with a saw can come in really handy. A space blanket can help as bit of a ready made shelter should the mangled aircraft be unusable (or in flames). Maybe a large-ish metal liquid container with a wide lip that you can fit all of the survival gear into. One that comes to mind is stainless steel beer growler. Thats for the basic city based 150 captain. If we're moving into more northern and remote regions where flight over swaths of bush are more common, a small hatchet or axe is always handy. a bit of fishing tackle and snare wire.

DPB

[Illya Kuryakin]

Toronto to Winnipeg. Fishing gear? Okay.
Illya

[Shiny Side Up]

First rule of survival, don't go to Winnipeg.

If you had three things, you need something to start fire with, something to hold water in and a good knife. Two knives if you can do it, a multitool and one for actually cutting stuff. Well preferably an axe, but not a ton of room in a 150. I like having a can of beans as a survival tool. You got a bit of food and a make shift thing you can boil stuff in.

[Illya Kuryakin]

Best one so far is the change of socks. Seriously.
Illya

[looproll]

I think turkeycannon has the right idea. Have a PLB on your person. Your cell phone on you with a portable battery pack to recharge it. You probably won`t need anything else with these two signals as SAR will swing by and pick you up before you can get your fire going.

[looproll]

in summer add bug juice and bug net

[Nark]

There is a reason our survival equipment is strapped to us (in the military).
As mentioned above, chances are you will only get out of an unplanned landing with what is attached to you.

With that in mind, you need 2 things to survive a few days/weeks. Heat and water. Figure out how to regulate 98.6 and you'll be fine.

Everything else is a luxury.

[turkeycannon]

SAR will swing by and pick you up before you can get your fire going

Whatever man, I was in the Scouts!!!

Bearing in mind CAR 602.61 which says that thou shalt have means of:

(a) starting a fire;

(b) providing shelter;

(c)providing or purifying water; and

(d) visually signaling distress.

So you'd need a minimal survival kit at the least, and the PLB plus some extra winter stuff isn't a bad idea either.

[Rookie50]

406....those guys were immediately found in that 206. + PLB / SPOT.

Food, water, fire, shelter, knife, medical, compass. Wear good boots in the winter, too.

[Bede]

I carry a Pelican 1120. In it I have a knife, waterproof matches, flint and magnesium block, compass, a little stove, triangular bandage and a couple 4x4's, a garbage bag, snare wire, a cup, candle, some parachute cord, duct tape, leatherman. Probably some other stuff.

[rob-air]

Winter with snow on the ground.....avalanche shovel!

[trampbike]

Fire: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Lite-Aviati ... B001FAKJC8

Knife: http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-01870-H ... ife+rescue

Warm clothes, with a couple of extras (socks and shirt), good boots, something to carry water, foldable shovel/axe, duct tape, condoms.

[photofly]

signalling mirror (proper one, with a reflextive sight, not a toy one)
good whistles
decent knife (eg Mora) properly sharpened - screw the multi-tool, they're useless for actually doing anything
ferrocerium "flint" and steel
cotton wool balls dipped in petroleum jelly
decent small first aid kit, including sutures and strong painkillers, not the crap that passes for an "aircraft" first aid kit

[Skidoo62]

I have a bag made up with most of items already listed but I also roll up my bright red wing covers and throw them in the back of the plane for shelter or a means of signalling

[Maynard]

Yyz-yvv-Ssm-mqt-dlh-INL-ywg. No thanks on north shore, gauranteed crap from wawa to nipigon that time of year. South shore, lots of options....also sand probably won't hurt as much as rock cliffs.
Since no one else added a route....

[Pop n Fresh]

• Signal mirror for day. Pen flare for night.
• Space blanket.
• Cord (light rope)
• Several survival wire saws.
• Magnesium block with flint, the Swiss sparking thing (light my fire), matches
• zip lock bags (carry water, unburned fuel for starting fires)
• quality knife with good handle, (I still like Mora)
• fox 40 whistle

I would have to look and see what the rest of the weight in my red bag is. I know there is an SAS survival book pocket size. I used to have a medium sized cooking pot with some wool socks in it.

As I used to say when I was active in CASARA If everyone is ok after a forced landing I'm building a town.

Other guys used to say "Start cutting down trees. Tree hungers will show up right away." When they do ask if they have any food and if you can get a ride home."

[single_swine_herder]

I've wanted to take the pilots out for an overnight in the bush on "a survival exercise" to put into action some of the basics learned in my army days but never got around to it.

A few of the local reservists would be glad to do it for the cost of a day's pay.

Just long enough to keep body and soul in the same location, until the SAR Techs can get to you .... generally within 24 hours.

Should be a part of the required training syllabus for CAR 703 operators.

You haven't lived until you've awakened with your eyelashes frozen together and you wake up thinking you've gone blind. Oh, and having your nose contents frozen is a treat too.

[New_PIC]

... We all have night ratings, but zero IFR training. ...

I haven't thought about this a lot so thank you all for the great equipment suggestions. However, I'm wondering what "zero IFR training" means here. Is it significant to the choice of route?

I recently finished my night rating and it requires a minimum of 10 hours instrument instruction, or 5 more after the 5 for PPL. What do you mean by night rated with zero IFR?

[Maynard]

Probably referring to actual IFR. 10 hours under the hood isn't going to help out when it hits the fan..

[Illya Kuryakin]

Yyz-yvv-Ssm-mqt-dlh-INL-ywg. No thanks on north shore, gauranteed crap from wawa to nipigon that time of year. South shore, lots of options....also sand probably won't hurt as much as rock cliffs.
Since no one else added a route....

Thank you Maynard. Would anybody even consider going north of Superior in a 150, in late fall? If so, you guys have mentioned some pretty important items to carry along. Now me? Not only the route through the States, but over a four lane highway or interstate the entire way! Straight west till south of Winnipeg, then turn right.
Thoughts?
Illya

[Shiny Side Up]

- screw the multi-tool, they're useless for actually doing anything

The problem with survival and being prepared is many people think of it in terms of the down in the trees type problem, but there are a lot of other scenarios where some simple being prepared things can save you from getting frostbite or a long hypothermic trudge to the nearest town. I like having a multi-tool since there's a lot of things I can do to get an airplane back flying with one, which is prefereable than being grounded somewhere.

ferrocerium "flint" and steel

Most people don't know how to use flint and steel, which is some ways sad. Personally I would say a lot of the suggestions - including my own - are only useful if you have Les Stroud kind of practice in those skills. Most people are going to hurt themselves with an axe before it will help them survive, cut themselves with a knife, and definitely don't have a long history of pyromania to keep themselves warm. There was a Survivor epsisode a while back where, in one of the great ironies, neither contestant could start a fire with a knife, flint and tinder, even when provided with kindling and other useful materials. Very sad.