Relieving in flight

On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 11:34:57 AM UTC-8, John Cochrane wrote:
Problems with pee tubes include freezing up, and pee causing tail components to rust. I've had both happen. A catheter and bladder both exploding at 17,500 over the whites is not that fun! That's what led me to an onboard system.

All this joking aside, having some pee system and the ability to use it in the cockpit should be mandatory before going off cross country. If you can't pee, you won't drink, and if you don't drink, you can't think.

John Cochrane

I use these:

https://www.athomemedical.com/Hollis...d-p/ho975-.htm
https://www.allegromedical.com/cathe...z-p192445.html

Get as long a catheter as you can make use of and get the ones with a long glue line. I'd much rather carefully peel the thing off at the end of the day than have one come off in flight.

On days when you get to high altitudes and colder OAT your extremities may get cold, leading to hypothermic diuresis. On those sorts of days I have filled two (32 oz) bags, so I always carry two. Cold also leads to "shrinkage" and potential loss of adequate surface for a good glue seal. If a catheter comes off it's just a mess and can be challenging to fix. Trying to don a new catheter (I carry three on every flight) with urine on everything while sitting strapped into a glider with a chute on - all while trying to fly is an exercise to be avoided at any reasonable cost. Oftentimes the replacement catheter won't stick properly because of the wet (plus it's cold, so, well, you know). Put the catheter on carefully on the ground before you get in the cockpit is my primary advice.

I also have an overboard tube that is attached to the inside of the main gear door so I have to put the gear down to dump. I only use this to dump a filled bag as I don't really want the gear down for the time it would take to pee directly overboard. With the bag always attached, you just pee at your leisure without a big production. I generally agree, dumping overboard is to be avoided. If you do, make sure to rinse off all the fittings in the tail/rudder upon landing.

Watch out for sunburn, too!Â* I carry a couple of rags for that and they
double for cleanup, if necessary.

On 12/21/2017 1:07 PM, Andy Blackburn wrote:
On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 11:34:57 AM UTC-8, John Cochrane wrote:
Problems with pee tubes include freezing up, and pee causing tail components to rust. I've had both happen. A catheter and bladder both exploding at 17,500 over the whites is not that fun! That's what led me to an onboard system.

All this joking aside, having some pee system and the ability to use it in the cockpit should be mandatory before going off cross country. If you can't pee, you won't drink, and if you don't drink, you can't think.

John Cochrane
I use these:

https://www.athomemedical.com/Hollis...d-p/ho975-.htm
https://www.allegromedical.com/cathe...z-p192445.html

Get as long a catheter as you can make use of and get the ones with a long glue line. I'd much rather carefully peel the thing off at the end of the day than have one come off in flight.

On days when you get to high altitudes and colder OAT your extremities may get cold, leading to hypothermic diuresis. On those sorts of days I have filled two (32 oz) bags, so I always carry two. Cold also leads to "shrinkage" and potential loss of adequate surface for a good glue seal. If a catheter comes off it's just a mess and can be challenging to fix. Trying to don a new catheter (I carry three on every flight) with urine on everything while sitting strapped into a glider with a chute on - all while trying to fly is an exercise to be avoided at any reasonable cost. Oftentimes the replacement catheter won't stick properly because of the wet (plus it's cold, so, well, you know). Put the catheter on carefully on the ground before you get in the cockpit is my primary advice.

I also have an overboard tube that is attached to the inside of the main gear door so I have to put the gear down to dump. I only use this to dump a filled bag as I don't really want the gear down for the time it would take to pee directly overboard. With the bag always attached, you just pee at your leisure without a big production. I generally agree, dumping overboard is to be avoided. If you do, make sure to rinse off all the fittings in the tail/rudder upon landing.

--
Dan, 5J

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A couple of us in Idaho have put a tube from the cockpit to under the rudder. Use a funnel with a small electric pump under the seat pan that pumps fluids out the back with no residue on the glider. Only draw back, have to run some RV antifreeze through the system after each use to keep the system from freezing up. Other than that issue the system works well and no clean up of the aircraft.

Buy one of the two Rumpf Super Hp18's with Udo's built in removable
pee bottle at the base of the instrument panel! Best system I've ever
seen in a sailplane.
Alternatively use gel pee bags.

This site has a lot of info, including a posting I wrote for RAS many, many years ago: http://aviation.derosaweb.net/relief/

Some interesting updates in the recent postings, including reusable catheters. It's annoying to discover the day before leaving for a big contest that I'm running low on the adhesive type.

The ones I've bought the last few years aren't latex. They're clear plastic of some kind (silicone?) and seem to stay on much better (e.g., see 9B's comments about cold). Still, I carry at least two for every flight. I, too, apply them before launch. Loose clothing works makes it easier.

If I were to do it over again now, I'd probably go the UH route. That said, when we removed the rudder on my 25-year-old ASW 24 last winter, where I've had the dump port mounted on the lower aft corner of the gear door for that long, there was no corrosion. But having to lower and then raise the gear each time is a hassle, including listening to complaints from pilots below you in a thermal.

The older I get, the more I drink to stay hydrated and the more often I pee..

I didn't realize anyone was still littering the countryside with plastic bags.

Chip Bearden

On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 11:12:56 AM UTC-5, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 7:01:55 PM UTC+3, wrote:
As a flight instructor with several young female students (Yeah! Some more women in soaring maybe!) I'd be a lot more interested in hearing any women pilots address this, because I think the problem for guys is simpler and better understood.

There are any number of devices on the market for female athletes, hikers etc etc

Williams Soaring has a system on their website at https://www.williamssoaring.com/cata...-supplies.html ; about a third of the way down the page - 'female relief systems'.

On Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 6:56:46 PM UTC-8, wrote:
Ok guys, this has probably been covered in older posts but what are you all using regarding urinary relief on long flights? Ive used gallon ziplock bags in the past but whats your experience with cathaters. What brand and how are they.

Here is a different idea that some of us are using: put a large poly tube bonded through the hull (but cut flush) directly under and extending up to the intended area of use. Another tube that is a slip fit is cut long enough to extend 12-18" beyond the fuselage. On the near end of that put a Coleman refueling funnel used for camp stoves. To deploy, stick the smaller tube down into place - effluent sucked out and discharged well away from the fuselage. Rinse slightly with your water supply, then retract, remove, and stow. Advantages are it gets the pee further away, does not freeze, you don't have to glue it to your privates, and you're not carrying around a septic tank the rest of the flight.

Here's the funnel. It's the right size, shape, and color!
https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-20000.../dp/B0000AS5QB

In addition to the sunburn preventer, I think also modify the bailout procedure to canopy, cath, belts, butt.


Having an easy way to keep fluids flowing is necessary to keep the brain working to stay up.

To make this easy, I modified the transponder fin to have a 3/8 poly tube down the front edge. This is behind the gear doors and a bit to the side, so it doesn't seem to streak the glider. It stays hooked up all the time so there is no hassle factor. There is a tee in the line with a blow tube usually clamped with hemostats. This permits blowing out the tube to the back if there is a worry about freezing preventing a second use. After flight, the blow tube is used to flush out the system.


Overall, having a good, simple pee system is a definite improvement in flying.

I find it amazing how many diverse areas of expertise flying gliders requires. That's part of what makes it fun.

So, pick a number. I would never use my real birthday or year online.

On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 9:46:11 AM UTC-8, john firth wrote:
On Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 9:56:46 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Ok guys, this has probably been covered in older posts but what are you all using regarding urinary relief on long flights? Ive used gallon ziplock bags in the past but whats your experience with catheters. What brand and how are they.

Tried to order a coloplast sample; they want a birth year.

Selection starts at 2018 and can only be stepped back.
Would you believe 72 steps?

JMF

I wonder what they do if you pick 2018? Send you one into the future?

On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 5:14:09 PM UTC-8, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
So, pick a number. I would never use my real birthday or year online.

On Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 9:46:11 AM UTC-8, john firth wrote:
On Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 9:56:46 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Ok guys, this has probably been covered in older posts but what are you all using regarding urinary relief on long flights? Ive used gallon ziplock bags in the past but whats your experience with catheters. What brand and how are they.

Tried to order a coloplast sample; they want a birth year.

Selection starts at 2018 and can only be stepped back.
Would you believe 72 steps?

JMF