17hrs in the drink, no lifejacket

I guess since he lived he won't qualify for a Darwin Award. Flying over Lake Huron in a single engine aircraft without any kind of PFD - he certainly could have been a contender.
 
ejensen said:
And what is unusally warm? Everytime I've been swimming in the a Great Lake, I didn't last long. Warm is relative. Hypothermia doesn't take much. "Water at a temperature of 26 °C (79 °F) will, after prolonged exposure, lead to hypothermia." Dawson, CP (1987). "Hypothermia Prevention: Survival in Cold Water
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Surface temperatures off Harbor Beach were at least mid 70's F last weekend - I don't have the exact numbers handy. Typically you would be looking at 60's or even 50's this time of year for that location depending on how far off shore you are. They are lower now - it's been raining a lot.
 
I have flown, sailed, swam, and dived these lakes, as man and boy and I KNOW they will kill you in a heartbeat if you do something stupid...

I was flying across the lake from Michigan to Wisconsin to look at a boat... I deviated from Saginaw to Traverse City to take a young friend with us... He arrived at KTVC without his PFD... I made him go back home and fetch it before we went... He was pizzed (tough rocks!) I am not going to have him die on my watch when a simple PFD will prevent it... And this is in a twin... When you fly over the lakes with me we do it right (as best we can) or we don't do it...


denny-o
 
ejensen said:
And what is unusally warm? Everytime I've been swimming in the a Great Lake, I didn't last long. Warm is relative. Hypothermia doesn't take much. "Water at a temperature of 26 °C (79 °F) will, after prolonged exposure, lead to hypothermia." Dawson, CP (1987). "Hypothermia Prevention: Survival in Cold Water
Click to expand...

Looks like he beat the chart; that was very, very close.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Looks like he beat the chart; that was very, very close.
Click to expand...
Lesson for today - if you are going to be flying over water in a single, reach for that second jelly doughnut...

"Jim Dreyer, a Grand Rapids-area man who has swum across Lake Huron and other Great Lakes, said Trapp's weight probably helped insulate him against cold water."

http://www.freep.com/article/20110728/NEWS06/107280418/Downed-pilot-saved-after-17-hours-Lake-Huron

I knew I was doing something right.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Surface temperatures off Harbor Beach were at least mid 70's F last weekend - I don't have the exact numbers handy. Typically you would be looking at 60's or even 50's this time of year for that location depending on how far off shore you are. They are lower now - it's been raining a lot.
Click to expand...
Thanks, warmer than I would have guessed. Still amazing to survive that long.
 
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