Do you carry personal survival supplies?

I

IainB

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Messages
1
Location
Oregon
Display Name
Iain
Hi all!

I'm new to the board (and flying, just had my "discovery" flight and it was awesome), so excuse me jumping right into the deep end... One of my friends just got back from a couple months of Alaskan wilderness flying (he works for a tv show that needed aerial shots), and it got me thinking about what would happen if I needed to make an emergency landing far from civilization.

Besides the standard stuff for first aid, camping tools, and water and food, what do you always have in the plane with you for taking care of yourself and passengers?
 
As a former bush pilot, if you carried paying passengers in Alaska the company was required to carry survival gear. I don't remember everything that was in it but the survival bag weighed 90 pounds. And was included in the weight and balance.

As for flying in the lower 48, I still carry fire starting material and fire starters and a signal device like a mirror and super bright strobe light.
 
Welcome to POA IainB.

It depends where I am flying, I live near Philly so most of my flying is not over what I'd consider tough to survive terrain. If I fly over much water I bring flotation. I also bring a seat belt cutter, glow sticks, of course flash lights. If I fly to more remote areas I'd prepare for other survival needs but I really don't.
 
IainB said:
Besides the standard stuff for first aid, camping tools, and water and food, what do you always have in the plane with you for taking care of yourself and passengers?
Click to expand...
Signaling device.

If you've ever gone looking for a human sized thing on the ground even at 500 AGL, it's really hard to see one that isn't actively helping, especially if there are any trees around.

Mirrors help. A lot.

Cell phones MAY help, but not if you've landed in a remote valley.

You also need to be dressed for the terrain you're crossing. If you cross snowy high mountains in winter, it's a bad idea to be in shorts (even if it's warm where you came from).

From the CAP guidance, your priorities are (1) first aid, (2) shelter, (3) signaling, (4) water, (5) food. There is no point in building shelter if you're still bleeding all over the place. On the other hand, you can last for weeks without food. Not pleasantly, but survivable.

Here is the Rocky Mountain CAP aircraft kit. It's excessive, but intended to cover all possibilities in terrain likely to be encountered in a search. But it may give you some ideas. FYI, a "wing" is CAP-speak for a state.

Attachment 1
RMR Standardized Survival Kit – Minimum item list and checklist
Note: No items can be deleted from this list without RMR approval; Wings can add items as needed.
Recommended Maximum weight is 30 lbs
1. Aluminum foil, 11 ft
2. Army or similar type large terminal blankets, 4
3. Bandages, 4
4. Compass
5. Compress, 18 – Sanitary napkins for wounds/bleeding
6. Duct tape – roll.
7. Duffel bag
8. Emergency poncho, 4
9. Finger saw
10. Flint fire starter
11. Gloves, Insulated and work-type - 4 pair
12. Knife
13. Light sticks or other non-battery powered lights
14. Paper Bags for Blanket storage & fire starter
15. Plastic grocery bags, several – various uses
16. Plastic trash bags – 4 large – Orange color – various uses
17. Signal mirror – with aim hole
18. Survival aid (whistle, match box)
19. Survival bags, 4
20. Survival candles, 4
21. Survival cord - rope
22. Toilet Tissue
23. Watch caps, 4 (suggested color is Orange)
24. Waterproof matches in a Waterproof match container
25. Zip lock bags, several – for item storage and other uses later – water
Items that have expiration dates:
26. Antibiotic, 1 tube –
27. Granola bars, 8 –
28. Emergency water, 8 - 4oz. Packets or Bottled Water –
29. Water purification tablets –
30. Water bag, 2.5 gal –
31. Other items as required by the Wings
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Addendum to the CAP list - it assumes 3-4 people (usually 3) and everything is packed in the duffel bag. Colorado Wing has wool blankets, in my personal bag I have fleece, weighs almost nothing.

Next - this topic is frequently discussed. Do a search and find all the gory details. In fact, at the bottom of this thread is the list of the 4 most recent identical threads.
 
Always have cell phone(s), SPOT (with tracking active), handheld aviation radio, couple of water bottles and a little kit with flashlight (with strobe), lighter, cord, bug repellent wipes, string saw, space blanket, fishing line & hooks, mirror, antibacterial ointment, etc. I always have a flashlight and a knife in my pockets. Clothes appropriate to the climate.
 
A well fed passenger, fire starter, and a sharp knife.
You can live off one for weeks.
 
I fly over the mountains in Colorado so I carry a fair bit of supplies. Two wool blankets, parka, watch cap year 'round. Throw in the artic Carhardts in the winter. Fire starter, matches, 100' of light rope, some sort of seven layer drop cloth that will make a fine shelter should it be needed, PLB, signal mirror, whistle, flares & smoke. Also installed a 406 ELT w/built in GPS. Also have paper towels, first aid kit, sunscreen, and bug repellant. Of course if the aircraft burns then I'm SOL.

So yup, I carry some stuff.
 
Welcome to the forum,just so happens I'm on my way back from Alaska,had to modify my survival equipment slightly for this trip. Do a lot of cross country's so I always carry survival gear and a life jacket.
 
On long cross countries, I have a 406Mhz PLB, first aid kit, a couple of mylar survival blankets, bottles of water, 75ft of 550 paracord, a small .22 pistol, and some other odds and ends. I always have a flashlight, small knife, and Gerber multitool on me.
 
1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
 
flyingron said:
1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
Click to expand...


Heck, a guy could have a good time in 'Vegas with that...
 
flyingron said:
1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
Click to expand...

And a partridge in a pear tree?
 
flyingron said:
1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
Click to expand...
 
I'm still trying to find a miniature combination Rooshian phrase book and bible to round out my kit. I got the drug issues from a kit I received in a pile of junk from when Independence Air went belly up.

I did used to keep a road map of Rhodesia in my glove box. Mostly to confuse people who insist on looking in my glove box.
 
IainB said:
Hi all!

Besides the standard stuff for first aid, camping tools, and water and food, what do you always have in the plane with you for taking care of yourself and passengers?
Click to expand...

Welcome!

I don't carry first aid stuff, camping tools, water, food...

A 12 pack of beer maybe. But I don't typically fly over "wild bush" areas.
 
Zeldman said:
Heck, a guy could have a good time in 'Vegas with that...
Click to expand...
The original script said "Dallas", but the movie was delayed and some dialog re-recorded after the Kennedy assassination.

I mostly fly around Detroit so I carry a cell phone and credit card. The problem is that if I depart southish out of ONZ my phone accuses me of roaming in Canada even though I'm over the U.S. :dunno:

Look for the survival vest topic over on backcountrypilot.org
 
Last edited:
Oh - and when I flew to Alaska we did have a bunch of survival stuff. At some point we decided to add a couple things and were in a store somewhere in the middle of nowhere an I end up talking to some guy - he said I needed some snare wire so I could make a snare along a rabbit trail to catch rabbits. I bought the wire, but never did figure out how to find a rabbit trail or how to make a snare.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
The original script said "Dallas", but the movie was delayed and some dialog re-recorded after the Kennedy assassination.
Click to expand...

I read about that somewhere. Also, Slim Pickens was a pilot. He flew his plane wearing a green flight suit, cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Probably had his Dr. Strangelove survival kit on his personal plane.
 
Joke's aside, I do carry a survival kit in my plane and GHB (get home bags) in my cars.

I stay prepared to bug out anytime by plane or car. (yes, I am a survivalist and a prepper.)

The Sawyer water filters are the best. They have a filter capacity of over a million gallons and filter out virus and protazoa. You can scoop up sewer water and drink it through the filter.

sp135-purifier-kit-main.jpg
 
flyingron said:
1 .45 automatic.
2 boxes of ammunition.
4 days' concentrated emergency rations.
1 drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills.
1 miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible.
100 dollars in rubles.
100 dollars in gold.
9 packs of chewing gum.
1 issue of prophylactics.
3 lipsticks.
3 pairs of nylon stockings.
Click to expand...

We need a rule that this shall not be posted more than X times within Y days in more than N threads.
 
murphey said:
We need a rule that this shall not be posted more than X times within Y days in more than N threads.
Click to expand...
Well, I agree with the condom part contained therein. But the rest of it...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top