Archive for the ‘Survival Gear’ Category
Amateur Pilots Should Stay Prepared
Like most amateur pilots, I got started with my hobby after being fascinated with the idea of flight. As a child I dreamed of soaring through the air, bursting through clouds and racing birds. I’ve stuck with flying planes mostly because of the sense of camaraderie among small aircraft pilots. Every so often, wanderlust gets the best of me and I begin charting a course across the country.
My plane is so small that it needs to be refueled every few hours, and landing to gas up at various small airfields gives me a chance to meet new people. Even more so than a commercial jet pilot, I must remain alert at all times and prepared in case anything goes wrong in the mechanical department. I keep a few aircraft survival kits on hand in case of the worst.
Outdoorsman Uses an ACR Microfix PLB for Rescue
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — During the summer in northern Alaska, the sun is visible for 24 hours. Never-ending daylight means the region’s Inupiat Eskimos, who depend on subsistence for survival, are out hunting and gathering food at all hours. The Alaska North Slope Borough Search and Rescue (SAR) division maintains 24-hour readiness to assist those who end up in dangerous situations in an unforgiving environment.
A case in point was a rescue on July 31 when the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center was alerted around midnight to a 406 MHz distress signal from an ACR Microfix 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) 12 miles southeast of Atqasuk, Alaska. With knowledge of the victim’s identity and location, the North Slope Borough SAR Department, based in Barrow, AK, immediately launched a helicopter with a medical team to the remote area.
It was a textbook rescue. With the PLB signal, we went straight to him and rendered medical care,” the pilots said. “Without the beacon, his friends probably would have driven him to the village to get aid. At 2 to 4 miles per hour, it would’ve taken them five hours to get there.”
PLBs are proving to be valuable emergency life-saving devices for outdoor activities of all kinds. Since PLBs were given FCC approval in July 2003 for sale and use in all 50 states, there have been 251 lives saved in the U.S., according to NOAA. Alaska led the states with 161 total rescues. In 2008, 68 people in 35 incidents used PLBs to signal for help in the U.S.
Cedar City, UT – A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) has again played a significant role in the location and rescue of an outdoors enthusiast-this time a novice woman climber near the Brian Head ski-resort in Southern Utah.
The rescued party was a 47-year-old New Jersey woman, who fell and sustained serious head injuries while hiking and climbing with her family on June 3rd. Her brother, an experienced climber and a local physician from St. George, Utah, was carrying a SARLink 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon, which, when activated, put into motion a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation that eventually led to her being evacuated by helicopter.
PLB rescues on land have only become available since a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) waiver ruling went into effect July 2003 approving the sale and use of PLBs for land use in the United States.
Surviving the Aftermath of an Emergency Landing
While commercial planes are subject to rigorous safety inspections and constant structural scrutiny, the same cannot necessarily be said for small, private planes. Amateur pilots and hobbyists aren’t always master mechanics, nor do they always perform the routine maintenance required to fly a plane with absolute confidence. Whether it’s because of unavoidable equipment malfunctions or human negligence, small aircraft can suffer unexpected problems.
In the unlikely and unfortunate event that your plane ever goes down or that you’re forced to crash-land in a remote location, it’s best to be prepared. Since you won’t have your pick of the precise location where the plane lands, there’s no way to guarantee that you’ll have access to the facilities we take for granted every day. By keeping a personal survival kit in the cockpit of the plane, you increase your odds of surviving the aftermath of a crash or emergency landing.
Survival kits are recommended by state and federal emergency services because of their life saving potential. A simple survival kit can be just enough to get a person or family through an unexpected natural disaster or terrorist action. When normal means of getting help are cut off for a few hours or a few days, the contents of a survival kit can be enough to save someone’s life or get them through a tough situation a little easier. Food, shelter, and emergency medical supplies are just the basics of a kit and can absolutely essential in an emergency. Don’t get caught off guard when the unexpected happens. Prepare yourself with a well prepared survival kit.
Equip your airplane with a survival kit and be safe. A simple survival kit can literally mean the difference between life and death if you are found in a perilous situation far from immediate help. Food, shelter, drinking water, and medical supplies are just some of the essentials that can keep you alive or at least make a bad situation a lot more tolerable until help arrives. Survival kits can be purchased for one to four people and even more. They can last for years and are light weight so they can be carried at all times in an airplane with very little weight penalty.
Survival Kits are an excellent way to be prepared for just about any disaster that can arise. Survival kits can be purchased very cheaply with all the requirements needed to survive for a few days in the desolate wilderness or in the city if disaster strikes by way of natural disaster or terrorist act. A survival kit can also be stored for years and still be good for use at any time. Many people will keep one in their home, car, boat, airplane, etc. just to be safe. If you think you may feel safer knowing you are prepared for any emergency that can arise, look into a cost effective and well prepared survival kit.
An ACR personal locator beacon saved the lives of two campers in the Rocky Mountains. Two campers were stranded when a small stream they crossed a day earlier became engorged by heavy rain waters when they were trying to return to base camp. There was no way to return to the ranger station by any other means than crossing the stream. To continue on the other way, was to go deeper into the wilderness and not get closer to civilization. Left with no other means to get help the campers activated the ACR Microfix personal locator beacon they were carrying. Rescue services arrived in a few hours via army helicopter to air lift the stranded campers to safety. Another rescue attributed to the highly effective PLB.
Piloting an aircraft can be an exhausting endeavor, and that’s especially true for hobbyists flying small planes. With a large aircraft, the aviator can always turn to his co-pilot or even turn on auto-pilot at times. No such opportunities exist on a small plane – a Cessna 350, for example. That’s why hobbyists should be encouraged to follow the same rules of aeronautical rest that the FAA has imposed for commercial pilots.
Pilots for United, Northwest and all other commercial carriers are forbidden from flying more than 30 hours in a week or 100 hours in a month. In addition, they are required at least eight hours rest in between flights. These rules were solidified in 1985, and they’ve served the airline industry well. As an added precaution, pilots should carry aviation survival kits in case something goes wrong and an emergency crash landing becomes inevitable.
Whenever you go out into the wilderness, you should have several essential items in case you get lost: food, water, dry clothes, and a pocket knife to help you build a fire and shelter, among others. But one item that can really help you be rescued and that should be an essential wherever you go is a signal mirror with a loud whistle. Even if a boat or airplane were to pass you when you were stranded, there is no guarantee they would see you without a signal. Having even a small mirror and whistle with you can literally save your life.
The Hot Shot signal mirror has a holographic red dot viewing window that’s designed to project a red dot onto your target, which helps you ensure that your mirror reflection has reached the boat or airplane. The mirror is telescope quality, making it extra bright and easy to see when the sun reflects of it. The attached whistle is U.S. Coast Guard approved for audible alerting in low-visibility conditions, and an attached float is buoyant enough that you can recover it if it is dropped in water. A valuable tool like this should be a staple of any personal survival kit you carry.