Bailout and survival kit

On Monday, May 4, 2020 at 7:09:11 AM UTC-6, wrote:
I attended Dave Nadler's presentation at the 2020 SSA Convention about his bailout in Utah and its aftermath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8I3A3dqsu0&t=3s

It got me thinking about my own preparedness, and I have to admit that I am not carrying enough on my person if I ever "have to go for help." (As our ex-Air Force airport manager describes a bailout.)

I've been thinking about fishing/photographers vests with a lot of pockets, but the parachute and seat belt harness straps interfere with comfort and safety. Small kits like the SMAK PAK are a good start, but I'd like to carry more stuff, like a hat, spare glasses, water etc. I am thinking of an Air Force type flight suit with leg pockets, at the risk of being called a fighter jock wannabe.

Possibly a thin pocketed backpack that could fit between the 'chute and your body, if it could be made comfortable and not interfere with the seating position in the glider would work. But what to put in it and how to you pack it to avoid lumps and stuff digging into your kidneys?

Any ideas or suggestions? What works for you?

I have a survival kit in the glider but always fly with a lighter in my sock,thats not enough but its something

For me it really depends on where you fly... The Nambia desert isn't the same as the Alps where SAR is available within minutes... As soon as they are aware of an emergency.

What is my absolute minimum to carry in my pockets is a knife and the loudest whistle you can find.

Even in the Alps the cellular coverage is doubtful... And I'm still using the phone to fly, so it's not on me... But it's quite likely that anywhere in the mountains some ears will be in range of a good whistle.

I learned this a long time ago, a friend of mine spend 3 days in the debris of his glider, with both legs broken, drowned into a thick fog layer that formed from wet maritime air flowing through the coast... On final glide, when he was able to notice that he was too far down the long valley after the pass to return and crashed into the trees... Even the ELT was broken at impact...

SAR operations were impaired by the fog and could only take place on ground and started the same day at the right place... approximately.

With a whistle, he would have been found less than 1 hour after the beginning of the operation... They found him by chance, going down to stop the search... He fully recovered and is still flying, not without a whistle...

Yeah, that's a pretty darn good argument for a whistle!

On Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 5:55:10 AM UTC-7, Luc Job wrote:
For me it really depends on where you fly... The Nambia desert isn't the same as the Alps where SAR is available within minutes... As soon as they are aware of an emergency.

What is my absolute minimum to carry in my pockets is a knife and the loudest whistle you can find.

Even in the Alps the cellular coverage is doubtful... And I'm still using the phone to fly, so it's not on me... But it's quite likely that anywhere in the mountains some ears will be in range of a good whistle.

I learned this a long time ago, a friend of mine spend 3 days in the debris of his glider, with both legs broken, drowned into a thick fog layer that formed from wet maritime air flowing through the coast... On final glide, when he was able to notice that he was too far down the long valley after the pass to return and crashed into the trees... Even the ELT was broken at impact...

SAR operations were impaired by the fog and could only take place on ground and started the same day at the right place... approximately.

With a whistle, he would have been found less than 1 hour after the beginning of the operation... They found him by chance, going down to stop the search... He fully recovered and is still flying, not without a whistle...

A whistle is good for searches on the ground and within a mile of your location - airborne SAR won't hear it, but they can see a signal mirror. Better yet, carry a handheld.

Tom

Two comments about cell phones;

1) Put it in a zippered pocket so if you have to bail out it might go missing when you need it most. Then what use would it be?

2) Put it in "airplane" mode or you might find that the battery is low or dead when you need it most. Then what use would it be?

On Monday, June 1, 2020 at 4:56:53 PM UTC-7, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
Two comments about cell phones;

1) Put it in a zippered pocket so if you have to bail out it might go missing when you need it most. Then what use would it be?

2) Put it in "airplane" mode or you might find that the battery is low or dead when you need it most. Then what use would it be?

Better yet, turn it off.

Better yet, turn it off.

I understand the "turn it off" suggestion, but if I need to make an emergency call, I don't want to wait for the boot up time.

In my bailout/landout kit: Pencil, pen, notepad, small pack of kleenex, butane lighter, Leatherman tool, cell phone charger & cord, Tylenol, anti diarrhea pills, Tost ring, sunscreen, bug repellent, hat, signal mirror, flashlight, headlamp (with strobe), spare batteries, ACR PLB, Yaesu radio and some currency for whatever country I am flying in.

Some of this string reminds me of the W.C. Fields story about him keeping a flask of whiskey in his golf bag pocket, "to settle his nerves in case he saw a snake". In a different pocket, he kept a snake . . .
ROY