Survival II

To All:

About a month ago I posted a message having to do with aircraft crash
survival in which I touched on the ability to make a fire, and the
features found in a good survival knife. The post produced the usual
comments some of which were rather surprising and may be of interest to
some of you.

MATCHES

The ability to make fire is fundamental to survival and, all else being
equal (never a safe bet :-) the handiest way to do so is to simply
strike a match. But based on the comments I received not everyone is
aware that matches come in two basic flavors and a variety of sizes.

The two basic types of match are those which may be scratched anywhere
versus the 'safety' type which can on be struck on an abrasive pad
treated with red phosphorus. The 'strike-anywhere' type are
preferred since there's no need to provide for the special
striking-surface.

The surprise came from hearing some folks insist that the
'strike-anywhere' type of match was not available, at least to
them. I assume they are the victim of some do-gooder regulation which
allows only the sale of 'safety-type' matches in their locale.

The splint or wooden portion of a standard kitchen match is 2-3/8" long
(ie, about 60mm). This length is a NECESSITY when lighting certain
lanterns and some gas-fired appliances. By comparison, a standard
'box-match' has a splint only 1-3/4" long (45mm). I was surprised
to learn that some people thought any WOODEN match was a 'kitchen'
match and referred to them as such. A couple of these folks mentioned
carrying 'kitchen' matches in a 35mm film canister; clearly
impossible since such canisters are only about 1-3/4" deep.

Another surprise had to do with water-proofing a wooden match.
Everyone who mentioned water-proofing said that simply dipping the head
of the match into melted paraffin would do the trick. And they're
right. But no one mentioned the need to REMOVE the wax before trying
to strike the thing, causing me to suspect they were simply repeating
something they'd heard. The paraffin makes an excellent water
barrier but it's also a very good lubricant. Since ignition of the
match depends upon FRICTION, if you don't remove the wax (or at
least, most of it) you'll simply scrub the head off the match without
ever causing it to light.

MATCH SAFES

Several people mentioned their preferred method of storing matches.
I've already mentioned the 35mm film canister, which is perfectly
suitable for the small, box-type matches. Others mentioned
commercially available match-safes, cigar tubes and even a specially
made jobbie a fellow turned from a bar of aluminum.

Personally, I've found a regular pill bottle from the local pharmacy
makes an excellent container for kitchen matches, water-proofed or
not. A couple of cotton balls keeps the matches from rattling around
and a few turns of duct-tape will keep the pill bottle from cracking
should it get banged around. In fact, since we're forced to ride the
plane down, you might consider taping a pill-bottle of matches to some
protected portion of the airframe.

IN DEFENSE OF THE BFK

As with ability to make fire, when it comes to survival the need for a
knife -- for the ability to cut things, beginning with your own safety
harness -- is fundamental. Experience has shown that a pocket-knife
that is HABITUALLY carried is more practical than a special-purpose
'survival knife' that is not. The key issue here is not the type of
knife nor its size but the fact you always have it with you.

Two people insisted their Rambo-esque knives were a necessity since
they might be needed to chop their way out of the downed aircraft. In
that case I think the wiser course is to permanently install such a
device in your cockpit and thereafter consider it as part of the
airplane rather than part of your survival kit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Aviation attracts a lot of wingless vultures eager to make a
buck by preying upon the unwary. One method of doing so is to sell
junk disguised as kits of 'survival' gear. But when the problem of
post-crash survival is examined realistically it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to see that the average home-builder is liable to be better
prepared at lower cost (and less weight) by simply applying a bit of
common sense to the problem.

-R.S.Hoover

wrote:



MATCHES

...

The two basic types of match are those which may be scratched anywhere
versus the 'safety' type which can on be struck on an abrasive pad
treated with red phosphorus. The 'strike-anywhere' type are
preferred since there's no need to provide for the special
striking-surface.

The surprise came from hearing some folks insist that the
'strike-anywhere' type of match was not available, at least to
them. I assume they are the victim of some do-gooder regulation which
allows only the sale of 'safety-type' matches in their locale.

This "do-gooder' legislation is some of the oldest occupational
health and safety legislation around. As a schoolkid I remember
reading that the use of white phosphorous in kitchen mathes had
been banned to protect the workers from the terible effects of the
material. That is in the early 1960s (when I read it) I don't recall
any mention of how long ago they had been banned, but I do
recall that Ohio Blue tip (stirke anywhere) matches were always
availabel locally so maybe the ban was incomplete or had
been eroding since the developement of automated manufacturing.

...

Another surprise had to do with water-proofing a wooden match.
Everyone who mentioned water-proofing said that simply dipping the head
of the match into melted paraffin would do the trick. And they're
right. But no one mentioned the need to REMOVE the wax before trying
to strike the thing, causing me to suspect they were simply repeating
something they'd heard. The paraffin makes an excellent water
barrier but it's also a very good lubricant. Since ignition of the
match depends upon FRICTION, if you don't remove the wax (or at
least, most of it) you'll simply scrub the head off the match without
ever causing it to light.

Indeed, my brother and I didn't realize that when we tried out
the aterproof matches I had bought. He nicknamed them
'fireproof' matches.

--

FF

On 8 Jun 2006 09:42:43 -0700, wrote:


wrote:



MATCHES

...

The two basic types of match are those which may be scratched anywhere
versus the 'safety' type which can on be struck on an abrasive pad
treated with red phosphorus. The 'strike-anywhere' type are
preferred since there's no need to provide for the special
striking-surface.

The surprise came from hearing some folks insist that the
'strike-anywhere' type of match was not available, at least to
them. I assume they are the victim of some do-gooder regulation which
allows only the sale of 'safety-type' matches in their locale.

Before the last long trip we took I specifically went shopping for
"kitchen matches" IE the ones that come in the large box. When I got
them home the damn things were safety matches and I didn't want to
have to take the whole box with me. After several days of hunting
with no success, I gave up.

I did find the Tapers (SP?) or fireplace matches work well, but are
expensive and you end up throwing most of each one away, but they are
great if you don't want to get too close to the fire. OTOH a box of
the things have enough wood to make a small fire :-))

As to the paraffin, as a boy scout we dipped the whole match, usually
molding 6 or 8 together. When we wanted one a thumbnail would peel
one off the bunch and clean off the paraffin to the back of the tip.
You learned to hold them hot end up as with all that paraffin you
could get quite a blaze including your fingers when held hot end down.

The new LED flashlights are great. I have several. Some have switches
like the old flashlights that are momentary when pushed part way down
and toggle when pushed all the way down. If you know the Morse code
these can be really handy IF whoever sees it can read Morse. I have a
couple that are a single LED on a flexible "goose neck" and a clip
that will hold them to my shirt. The brightness is just right for the
panel. I had one of the earlier single LEDs that also was about the
right brightness and it would clip on to the bill of a cap which meant
they lit up where ever you were looking. Unfortunately the cheap
plastic clip broke. OTOH I have a TAC light with 5 LEDs and they
are BRIGHT!. In the center is a single red LED that can be seen from a
long way off.

Knives: I almost always carry a "box cutter" that folds up like a
jack knife, is all metal, has extra blades, and clips to my belt.
There is usually one in the glove compartment with the spare batteries
and flashlights.

Tinder: You look for tinder with a chart case full of bible paper?

Of course this is assuming that you can get back to the stuff in the
plane you are not carrying on you.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

"Roger" wrote in message
...
On 8 Jun 2006 09:42:43 -0700, wrote:


wrote:

MATCHES

Before the last long trip we took I specifically went shopping for
"kitchen matches" IE the ones that come in the large box. When I got
them home the damn things were safety matches and I didn't want to
have to take the whole box with me. After several days of hunting
with no success, I gave up.

cut a strip of the striker paper off the box same size as a match. should
fit in the waterproof container just as well

Tinder: You look for tinder with a chart case full of bible paper?

Of course this is assuming that you can get back to the stuff in the
plane you are not carrying on you.

that was part of it. the other part of it was that I am not a pilot and am
not sure what the contents of pilots gear is. I can assume that most chart
cases are hardboard covered in vinyl making for some watertight tinder cases
(you shave bits of the hardboard with a piece of wreckage or a sharp stone)
shaving the stuff to the consistency of cotton candy gets you tinder that is
very hard not to get to light, even in damp conditions.

As an aside. When I bailed out in a snow storm in the arctic
(Greenland) I took the booklet included in my survival pack and tore
out the tropical instructions and used to start a small fire.

On matches the kit contained a small container that held 12 or so
'kitchen' style matches. Container was water proof and anyone
interested might look in some of the military surplus stores to see if
they have any.

While there was water in the survival kit in a sealed container, I
always carried about a extra quart of water in several smaller
containers. If one got broken in crash I still would have extra water
(which is a life saver).

Heavy coat, gloves and knit cap. Set of knit long johns would be nice
also. For those who say don't need this in summer need to send a few
night in mountains where it gets cold at night even in the summer.
This clothing if selected with the down or plastic filling can be
rolled into a very small package and only weigh a couple of pounds. It
can be stuffed in almost any little space in cabin that is not used
for any thing else. Air out at least once a year.

A knife and other things are also high priorty but basic life saving
items are a necessity.

Hope you'all never have to use a survival kit.

Big John
`````````````````````````````````````````

On Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:49:54 -0400, Roger
wrote:

On 8 Jun 2006 09:42:43 -0700, wrote:


wrote:



MATCHES

...

The two basic types of match are those which may be scratched anywhere
versus the 'safety' type which can on be struck on an abrasive pad
treated with red phosphorus. The 'strike-anywhere' type are
preferred since there's no need to provide for the special
striking-surface.

The surprise came from hearing some folks insist that the
'strike-anywhere' type of match was not available, at least to
them. I assume they are the victim of some do-gooder regulation which
allows only the sale of 'safety-type' matches in their locale.

Before the last long trip we took I specifically went shopping for
"kitchen matches" IE the ones that come in the large box. When I got
them home the damn things were safety matches and I didn't want to
have to take the whole box with me. After several days of hunting
with no success, I gave up.

I did find the Tapers (SP?) or fireplace matches work well, but are
expensive and you end up throwing most of each one away, but they are
great if you don't want to get too close to the fire. OTOH a box of
the things have enough wood to make a small fire :-))

As to the paraffin, as a boy scout we dipped the whole match, usually
molding 6 or 8 together. When we wanted one a thumbnail would peel
one off the bunch and clean off the paraffin to the back of the tip.
You learned to hold them hot end up as with all that paraffin you
could get quite a blaze including your fingers when held hot end down.

The new LED flashlights are great. I have several. Some have switches
like the old flashlights that are momentary when pushed part way down
and toggle when pushed all the way down. If you know the Morse code
these can be really handy IF whoever sees it can read Morse. I have a
couple that are a single LED on a flexible "goose neck" and a clip
that will hold them to my shirt. The brightness is just right for the
panel. I had one of the earlier single LEDs that also was about the
right brightness and it would clip on to the bill of a cap which meant
they lit up where ever you were looking. Unfortunately the cheap
plastic clip broke. OTOH I have a TAC light with 5 LEDs and they
are BRIGHT!. In the center is a single red LED that can be seen from a
long way off.

Knives: I almost always carry a "box cutter" that folds up like a
jack knife, is all metal, has extra blades, and clips to my belt.
There is usually one in the glove compartment with the spare batteries
and flashlights.

Tinder: You look for tinder with a chart case full of bible paper?

Of course this is assuming that you can get back to the stuff in the
plane you are not carrying on you.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

"Big John" wrote in message
...
As an aside. When I bailed out in a snow storm in the arctic
(Greenland) I took the booklet included in my survival pack and tore
out the tropical instructions and used to start a small fire.

On matches the kit contained a small container that held 12 or so
'kitchen' style matches. Container was water proof and anyone
interested might look in some of the military surplus stores to see if
they have any.

While there was water in the survival kit in a sealed container, I
always carried about a extra quart of water in several smaller
containers. If one got broken in crash I still would have extra water
(which is a life saver).

Heavy coat, gloves and knit cap. Set of knit long johns would be nice
also. For those who say don't need this in summer need to send a few
night in mountains where it gets cold at night even in the summer.
This clothing if selected with the down or plastic filling can be
rolled into a very small package and only weigh a couple of pounds. It
can be stuffed in almost any little space in cabin that is not used
for any thing else. Air out at least once a year.

A knife and other things are also high priorty but basic life saving
items are a necessity.

Hope you'all never have to use a survival kit.

Big John
`````````````````````````````````````````

On Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:49:54 -0400, Roger
wrote:

On 8 Jun 2006 09:42:43 -0700, wrote:


wrote:



MATCHES

...

The two basic types of match are those which may be scratched anywhere
versus the 'safety' type which can on be struck on an abrasive pad
treated with red phosphorus. The 'strike-anywhere' type are
preferred since there's no need to provide for the special
striking-surface.

The surprise came from hearing some folks insist that the
'strike-anywhere' type of match was not available, at least to
them. I assume they are the victim of some do-gooder regulation which
allows only the sale of 'safety-type' matches in their locale.

Before the last long trip we took I specifically went shopping for
"kitchen matches" IE the ones that come in the large box. When I got
them home the damn things were safety matches and I didn't want to
have to take the whole box with me. After several days of hunting
with no success, I gave up.

I did find the Tapers (SP?) or fireplace matches work well, but are
expensive and you end up throwing most of each one away, but they are
great if you don't want to get too close to the fire. OTOH a box of
the things have enough wood to make a small fire :-))

As to the paraffin, as a boy scout we dipped the whole match, usually
molding 6 or 8 together. When we wanted one a thumbnail would peel
one off the bunch and clean off the paraffin to the back of the tip.
You learned to hold them hot end up as with all that paraffin you
could get quite a blaze including your fingers when held hot end down.

The new LED flashlights are great. I have several. Some have switches
like the old flashlights that are momentary when pushed part way down
and toggle when pushed all the way down. If you know the Morse code
these can be really handy IF whoever sees it can read Morse. I have a
couple that are a single LED on a flexible "goose neck" and a clip
that will hold them to my shirt. The brightness is just right for the
panel. I had one of the earlier single LEDs that also was about the
right brightness and it would clip on to the bill of a cap which meant
they lit up where ever you were looking. Unfortunately the cheap
plastic clip broke. OTOH I have a TAC light with 5 LEDs and they
are BRIGHT!. In the center is a single red LED that can be seen from a
long way off.

Knives: I almost always carry a "box cutter" that folds up like a
jack knife, is all metal, has extra blades, and clips to my belt.
There is usually one in the glove compartment with the spare batteries
and flashlights.

Tinder: You look for tinder with a chart case full of bible paper?

Of course this is assuming that you can get back to the stuff in the
plane you are not carrying on you.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com


I've been there and done that several times.

Real story:

I'm down in the mountains at 8200 foot elevation at a deserted airstrip
having landed a glider there at about 8PM. Crewperson is 350 road miles
away and doesn't have a car charger for the cell phone which has dying
battery. Crewperson also has a problem with the idea of travel from A to
B. I THINK crew knows where I am.

I'm dressed in shorts and T-shirt. I have three liters of water left in my
water pack and a Pemican Meal Bar in my survival vest which does nicely for
the evening meal. A quick check of my 12V sealed lead acid battery shows
12.6 volts after 7.5 hours airborne - the radio will work if I need it.

It's cool and getting colder by the minute so I get back in the cockpit and
close up. After a while it gets cold in the cockpit and the canopy starts
to fog over so I break out the space blanket from the vest. Now I'm toasty
but sweaty. I think about a fire but there's nothing even remotely flamable
in sight - anyway the fire danger is extreme and theres a "Red flag" warning
in effect for wildfires. Lighting a fire might get expensive with the
fines. I'll stick with warm and sweaty. After a while I work out a
ventillation scheme that gets the humidity out of the cockpit - much better.

The remaining problem is boredom. There's a lighted runway about 35 miles
away with pilot controlled lighting so I try 5 clicks on 122.8 and lo! the
runway lights come on - kewl. Then, just visible in the moonlight, a grey
fox trots by and freezes when hes sees what must look to him like a huge
wounded bird with one wing on the ground. He cautiously approaches the nose
until I wiggle the rudder. He jumps three feet straight up and streaks out
of sight.

Still worrying about whether my crew got my position before their cell phone
died, I try a passing airliner on 121.5 and get a quick response. I explain
my situation and get an offer of help. In a few minutes, he calls back to
say that his operations folks have called my departure airport. They know
my situation and my crew is on the way - ETA 1AM. Jeez! That A to B thing
again. I thank the guys in the big airplane and settle in.

Crew arrives at midnight to find me asleep. We're on the road with the
glider in the trailer in 15 minutes. Crew then complains about being tired
and hungry. Darn! No Rambo knife. We get a very early breakfast at a truck
stop and all ends well.

BTW, I notice that Satellite phones rent for less than $30 a week and air
time is about $1.50 a minute with no pre-paid minutes. If you plan a flight
over wilderness areas, that might be worth it if you wanted assured
communication.

bildan

In article ,
Big John wrote:

As an aside. When I bailed out in a snow storm in the arctic
(Greenland) I took the booklet included in my survival pack and tore
out the tropical instructions and used to start a small fire.

John... you cannot dangle one of your stories like that and leave us
hanging.
Tell us the particulars!

John

Have told story before.

Was leading a flight of 3 T-33's to Iceland to replace three that were
due overhaul. Got to Sondrustrom (Greenland) and a gaggle of F-5's
were trying to land and we held for over an hour before being cleared
for approach. Had about 75 gallons which would have been plenty for a
straight in. Let down at max rate but still high on glide path so they
gave us a 360 to lose more height. This put us behind a mountain and
we lost radio contact. I went to Guard channel and was able to get
contact. As we came up on glide slope again they forgot I was on Guard
and tried to talk to me on descrete channel so flight overshot final
so was sent around. At that time I had 15 Gallons in a snow storm and
in a Fiord with high terrain on both sides that was snow covered so
couldn't see ground if wanted to.

Made decision to punch so climbed to altitude and punched. Was picked
up about 4 hours later by a Danish chopper. All four pilots survived
and birds were only valued at about $65,000 due to deprecation so not
a very expensive accident.

Lots of things I did right to survive so am thankful to be here today.

This is the short abbreviated version to give you the flavor.

Fly safe.

Big John
`````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````

On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 21:44:34 GMT, john smith wrote:

In article ,
Big John wrote:

As an aside. When I bailed out in a snow storm in the arctic
(Greenland) I took the booklet included in my survival pack and tore
out the tropical instructions and used to start a small fire.

John... you cannot dangle one of your stories like that and leave us
hanging.
Tell us the particulars!

wrote)
The 'strike-anywhere' type are preferred since there's no need to provide
for the special
striking-surface.

As kids, we would wait for a calm dark night to go out into the street with
our "farmer matches" and a straw. We'd "shoot" the matches out the straw, up
into the still night air, then wait to see where they landed. Hours of fun.
Pops would come out, shoot up a few himself, say, "neat - make sure you
watch out for cars," and return inside ...leaving us kids alone outside, to
play with matches. :-)

Several people mentioned their preferred method of storing matches. I've
already mentioned the 35mm film canister, which is perfectly suitable for
the small, box-type matches.

ONE suggestion for camping is obvious (only "after" the first - oops. g)
Don't pack all your matches in ONE container.

Two or three containers: You'll be tripping over them all week.
One container: You'll misplace it - guaranteed! (BTDT)


Montblack

"Montblack" wrote

As kids, we would wait for a calm dark night to go out into the street
with our "farmer matches" and a straw. We'd "shoot" the matches out the
straw, up into the still night air, then wait to see where they landed.
Hours of fun. Pops would come out, shoot up a few himself, say, "neat -
make sure you watch out for cars," and return inside ...leaving us kids
alone outside, to play with matches. :-)

We found that if you wrapped aluminum foil over the tip, (broke off most of
the wood first) then shaped the aluminum over the back a little like a
rocket nozzle, you could shoot them a good distance. Just need heat on the
tip to get it started.
--
Jim in NC