wrote in message
oups.com...
Chris,
Last summer, with much preparation and some trepidation, we flew
across Lake Michigan on our way from New York to northerm Minnesota.
We both wore life jackets with our 7mil wetsuits tuck between the seats
for easy retrieval! Departing from Muskegon airport (right next to the
lake), we circled to climb up to 8500' before crossing the lake. The
ATC certainly kept an eye on us, they gave us a call halfway asking
whether we had the shoreline in sight. It took something like 30
minutes to cross the lake in our C177B. On the way back, with
ceilings below 3000', we opted for the long way around the lake through
Chicago area and got sent over a portion of the lake to stay out of
heavies' paths.
Hai Longworth

I had thought about the life jacket but not the immersion suit. Mind you I
would not fancy trying to struggle into a wetsuit either when the plane is
on the water or it is coming down. Crossing the English Channel we wear the
survival suit along with the life jacket when crossing the widest bit or fly
high enough crossing the narrowest bit knowing you can make it to either
shore.

Chris