Dude, Where’s Your Survival Gear?

Back in the day when I was taking flight lessons at the University of North Dakota, we had some frigid-ass (yes, that’s a scientific term) winters. Once the temperature was below 32℉, we were always required to carry with us: boots, hats, gloves, and a winter coat.  In fact, if you didn’t have one of these items on your person when you arrived for your flight lesson, you were sent home.

How did they know?  Well for starters, if it was a dual flight your CFI would make sure you had the required gear.  For solo flights, the SOF – which stands for Supervisor of Flight, would be the one to make sure you had all your goodies so you were less likely to become a meat popsicle if something went wrong out there in the frozen tundra.

In fact, North Dakota got so cold in the winter that once the temperature fell to -10℉, or wind chill reached -22℉, fights were only allowed to depart dual-only.  After the temperature fell to -25℉ or a wind chill of -47℉, flight operations went NO FLY.  And no fly would happen at least once or twice a season. Brrrrrr!

So after reading an article about survival kits I got to thinking, what the heck happened to all the good things they taught me regarding winter flying at UND?  Turns out I never considered packing a survival gear kit for the warmer months of the year.  And over the past few weeks, I’ve been looking around online and at local pilot shops for things that would be great for such an all-year-round survival kit.

Now you can get pretty crazy with all this stuff, so the contents of your survival kit can and should vary depending on your airplane’s weight/size restrictions, and the terrain/climates in which you fly.

Here’s a generic list to get you started:
1.  PLB – Personal Locator Beacon (406 MHz recommended) or a SPOT Messenger
3.  Folding Shovel
4.  Flashlight and batteries (you really should already be carrying one of these!)
5.  Leatherman/multi-tool
6.  Flare Gun (who doesn’t like stuff you can shoot?)
7.  Spare cell phone battery (freshly charged of course)
8.  Handheld transceiver (also, freshly charged)
9.  Jacket and/or poncho
10. Emergency blanket
11. Waterproof matches
12. First aid kit

Does this sound like a lot of stuff to be carrying around?  Well, I guess it is, but I’d say this is a clear cut case of better-to-have-and-not-need than need-and-not-have. Kind of like car insurance, it’s nice to know your back side is covered when the excrement hits the rotary blade.

That being said, now may be a good time remind you of the recent change to emergency locator transmitter (ELT) frequency monitoring. The Cospas-Sarsat satellite search and rescue program ceased monitoring 121.5 in February 2009 and switched to the more accurate 406 MHz. If your airplane isn’t equipped with a 406 MHz ELT, the satellites won’t pick up your signal should it activate; meaning, you might not get found!

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which works closely with the Civil Air Patrol to initiate searches for downed aircraft, will only receive notification of active 121.5 signals if the reports are relayed by air traffic control or flight service stations. The change to 406 MHz has been a long time coming, as the NTSB issued its first recommendation to the FAA on the issue in 1972. For a great write-up on the benefits of the 406 MHz ELT, check out the NTSB’s Safety Recommendation here: http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2007/A07_51.pdf

In a nutshell, the old standard 121.5-MHz ELTs are still legal, but will provide only limited assistance if your airplane goes down, especially in a remote location. Investing in a 406 MHz ELT, PLB, or SPOT Messenger, is a decision that could save your life.

So, what’s in your survival gear kit?

Clear Skies and Calm Winds,

Len @ ThePilotReport.com

PS – Curious about what spurred this whole discussion in the first place?  Read Landout/Survival Kit from rogersoaring.blogspot.com.