Bailout and survival kit

Another pant choice is those for sailors that have zippered pockets.

Helly-Hansen Mens HP Foil Pant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LFWMR4X..._ysZWEbZ5GJMPQ

On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 2:23:56 AM UTC+1, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
Another pant choice is those for sailors that have zippered pockets.

Helly-Hansen Mens HP Foil Pant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LFWMR4X..._ysZWEbZ5GJMPQ

check out special Glider Pilot clothing at


https://www.milvus.aero/english/

Muttley

On Monday, May 4, 2020 at 7:09:11 AM UTC-6, wrote:
I attended Dave Nadler's presentation at the 2020 SSA Convention about his bailout in Utah and its aftermath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8I3A3dqsu0&t=3s

It got me thinking about my own preparedness, and I have to admit that I am not carrying enough on my person if I ever "have to go for help." (As our ex-Air Force airport manager describes a bailout.)

I've been thinking about fishing/photographers vests with a lot of pockets, but the parachute and seat belt harness straps interfere with comfort and safety. Small kits like the SMAK PAK are a good start, but I'd like to carry more stuff, like a hat, spare glasses, water etc. I am thinking of an Air Force type flight suit with leg pockets, at the risk of being called a fighter jock wannabe.

Possibly a thin pocketed backpack that could fit between the 'chute and your body, if it could be made comfortable and not interfere with the seating position in the glider would work. But what to put in it and how to you pack it to avoid lumps and stuff digging into your kidneys?

Any ideas or suggestions? What works for you?

I have a survival kit in the glider but always fly with a lighter in my sock,thats not enough but its something

On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 10:03:15 AM UTC-7, Muttley wrote:
On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 2:23:56 AM UTC+1, John DeRosa OHM Ω http://aviation.derosaweb.net wrote:
Another pant choice is those for sailors that have zippered pockets.

Helly-Hansen Mens HP Foil Pant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LFWMR4X..._ysZWEbZ5GJMPQ

check out special Glider Pilot clothing at


https://www.milvus.aero/english/

Muttley

I own plenty of lightweight synthetic clothing for hiking/climbing. This has always been great for flying sailplanes as well.

I'm currently fixing up a Pik-20E. I'll be sitting against a 40 year-old fuel tank, with no firewall, while the 2-stroke engine slowly rattles things apart and occassionally cracks the exhaust. This has made me rethink my clothing. In the event of a fire, my normal synthetic attire would melt to my skin! A Nomex flight suit would provide a bit more fire protection and there would be plenty of pockets for survival gear. Does anyone know if Nomex will keep you warm if it gets wet?

Others may have more direct experience, but when I was a CFR/ARRF firefighter, I seem to remember Nomex was similar to cotton of similar weight (not like blue jeans) But that it died faster. However, I was never subjected to long term exposure.
If I flew a glider with gasoline on board, a surplus Nomex flight suit would be my first choice. Cotton second, and I never wear artificial fibers like polyester.
Way too flammable!
Good Lift,
Scott

On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 4:20:45 PM UTC-7, Scott Williams wrote:
Others may have more direct experience, but when I was a CFR/ARRF firefighter, I seem to remember Nomex was similar to cotton of similar weight (not like blue jeans) But that it died faster. However, I was never subjected to long term exposure.
If I flew a glider with gasoline on board, a surplus Nomex flight suit would be my first choice. Cotton second, and I never wear artificial fibers like polyester.
Way too flammable!
Good Lift,
Scott

Here is an account of a pilot who survived a crash in the Sierra Nevadas and hiked for NINE DAYS to get help. His two passengers also survived the crash, but died before help came. His account of how the accident happened isn't believable and is contradicted by the evidence, but his hike out was real. ABC's 20/20 program, which I watched, took him back to the crash site and followed his trek out of the mountains. He had crack ribs, sprained ankle and a dislocated shoulder. He was not dressed for the conditions (winter time). That he made it out is a true miracle. If he had a handheld radio he could have contacted search and rescue shortly after the crash and, perhaps, the passengers could have been saved. Even a signal mirror could have summoned help. And a compass would have been very helpful.
https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/Re...Final&IType=FA

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...204-story.html

https://www.google.com/books/edition...C?hl=en&gbpv=1

I own plenty of lightweight synthetic clothing for hiking/climbing. This
has always been great for flying sailplanes as well. I'm currently fixing

up a Pik-20E. I'll be sitting against a 40 year-old fuel tank, with no
firewall, while the 2-stroke engine slowly rattles things apart and
occasionally cracks the exhaust. This has made me rethink my clothing.
In the event of a fire, my normal synthetic attire would melt to my skin!
A Nomex flight suit would provide a bit more fire protection and there
would be plenty of pockets for survival gear. Does anyone know if
Nomex will keep you warm if it gets wet?


Nomex isn't like polypropylene where it wicks the the water from
your body to create an air insulating layer. It seems to dry faster
than cotton, but I'd say that will not keep you warm if it is wet.
Most of my past experience with wet flight suits was in hot
environments though, and I can't really recall having to deal with
a wet flight suit in the cold. If it was really cold, we had Nomex
thermal underwear and cold weather flight gear, but none of
that stuff is supposed to act like Gore-Tex, etc at all. For flying over
cold water, etc, there are anti-exposure (dry suits) that are worn
over the top of flight suits. When I went through USAF survival
school during a long ago February in Spokane, WA, we wore khaki
cotton fatigues, and not flight suits. On the other hand, when I
then later went Homestead, FL for water survival training in July,
we wore our flight suits while jumping in and out of 88 degree
water... FWIW...

RO

I attended a talk by Chuck Cook, who survived a crash landing in a T-28 in 2018. He was wearing a nomex suit with shorts, T-shirt and leather lace up low-top shoes. He did not have nomex gloves. He did not have a nomex balaclava, only a fighter helmet.

He brought his nomex suit with him to the talk. It looked largely intact, except where they cut it away from his body.

The only parts of him that did not have severe 2nd degree and 3rd degree burns were the parts that had clothing underneath. He lost multiple fingers and toes, and his face was basically burned off. He has vision today only because the doctors tried an experimental placental stem cell treatment.

Takeaway: nomex only works if it’s part of a total system that includes long sleeve shirt, long pants, nomex gloves, nomex socks, nomex boots, and a nomex balaclava. I doubt that any glider pilot would want all that gear on unless they were going above 8000-10,000 feet.

Having worn nomex for civil air patrol flights, I can attest that it doesn’t breath and this makes it hot in the summertime.

J M

link to Chuck’s story:
https://midwestflyer.com/?p=12924

For me it really depends on where you fly... The Nambia desert isn't the same as the Alps where SAR is available within minutes... As soon as they are aware of an emergency.

What is my absolute minimum to carry in my pockets is a knife and the loudest whistle you can find.

Even in the Alps the cellular coverage is doubtful... And I'm still using the phone to fly, so it's not on me... But it's quite likely that anywhere in the mountains some ears will be in range of a good whistle.

I learned this a long time ago, a friend of mine spend 3 days in the debris of his glider, with both legs broken, drowned into a thick fog layer that formed from wet maritime air flowing through the coast... On final glide, when he was able to notice that he was too far down the long valley after the pass to return and crashed into the trees... Even the ELT was broken at impact...

SAR operations were impaired by the fog and could only take place on ground and started the same day at the right place... approximately.

With a whistle, he would have been found less than 1 hour after the beginning of the operation... They found him by chance, going down to stop the search... He fully recovered and is still flying, not without a whistle...

Yeah, that's a pretty darn good argument for a whistle!