Survival Kits

I am a big believer in having some form of survival kit in my glider.
Even in the "wilds" of the midwest I can get stuck outside for a while
before being "rescued". I am always on the lookout for items to add
to my kit which I have built up over time. Whistles, fire starters,
signal mirrors, space blankets, etc.

There was a small sidebar article in today's Chicago Tribune that
caught my eye about a company that makes compact survival kits
intended for the car, etc. One small one in particular seems like a
nice thing to have and I thought that I would pass it on. Enjoy.

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/... NO=0140-0707

Just out of curiousity...has any pilot died of exposure
after landing out?

"Just out of curiousity...has any pilot died of exposure after landing out?"

Yes - many. That answer is in response to the word "pilots". As to
sailplane pilots, I am not sure. Sailplane pilots tend not to fly during
inclement weather in the middle of winter, so the odds improve.

I teach survival classes to our Search and Rescue group. The most important
things are food and water - then heat. Knowing how to start a fire can be
critical when the weather is inclement. A few years ago we found a hunter
and two sons that were suffering from severe hypothermia. They had many
matches but could not start a fire.

The soaring pilot has a lot of things going for him, especially with an ELT.
Perhaps the most critical thing is hydration. Without it, you can die in a
couple of days. If you keep other pilots informed where you are, you are
unlikely to be missing long.

Colin

On Mar 1, 8:21 pm, "COLIN LAMB" wrote:
"Just out of curiousity...has any pilot died of exposure after landing out?"

Yes - many. That answer is in response to the word "pilots". As to
sailplane pilots, I am not sure. Sailplane pilots tend not to fly during
inclement weather in the middle of winter, so the odds improve.

I teach survival classes to our Search and Rescue group. The most important
things are food and water - then heat. Knowing how to start a fire can be
critical when the weather is inclement. A few years ago we found a hunter
and two sons that were suffering from severe hypothermia. They had many
matches but could not start a fire.

The soaring pilot has a lot of things going for him, especially with an ELT.
Perhaps the most critical thing is hydration. Without it, you can die in a
couple of days. If you keep other pilots informed where you are, you are
unlikely to be missing long.

Colin


Survival kits are for pussies.

I've watched enough of Bear Grylls to know that I can survive in any
environment with nothing more than a pocket knife, a water bottle, and
a film crew.

On Mar 1, 11:23 pm, wrote:
On Mar 1, 8:21 pm, "COLIN LAMB" wrote:



"Just out of curiousity...has any pilot died of exposure after landing out?"

Yes - many. That answer is in response to the word "pilots". As to
sailplane pilots, I am not sure. Sailplane pilots tend not to fly during
inclement weather in the middle of winter, so the odds improve.

I teach survival classes to our Search and Rescue group. The most important
things are food and water - then heat. Knowing how to start a fire can be
critical when the weather is inclement. A few years ago we found a hunter
and two sons that were suffering from severe hypothermia. They had many
matches but could not start a fire.

The soaring pilot has a lot of things going for him, especially with an ELT.
Perhaps the most critical thing is hydration. Without it, you can die in a
couple of days. If you keep other pilots informed where you are, you are
unlikely to be missing long.

Colin

Survival kits are for pussies.

I've watched enough of Bear Grylls to know that I can survive in any
environment with nothing more than a pocket knife, a water bottle, and
a film crew.

check www.equipped.org

I have got to make room in my landout kit for a small novel this
season. waiting for retrieves gets pretty boring...

" What you are wearing and the gear stuffed in your pockets
is your survival gear. What you left in the back of the
plane is your camping gear."

The Alaska version of this saying was developed by the
search teams that arrived at numerous crash sites where
there wasn't much useful left after impact in power planes
If you have to bail out of a glider in the western US, its
probably just as true.

http://www.silverparachutes.com/wst_page12.html

I have a medium SMAK from Silver Parachutes on my chute. I
threw out the strobe and stuffed in a space blanket, a
mosquito head net (mighty nice up here, you might want to
substitute a power bar), and extra matches.


Pete
Anchorage

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akmtnsoaring/

wrote:
Survival kits are for pussies.

I've watched enough of Bear Grylls to know that I can survive in any
environment with nothing more than a pocket knife, a water bottle, and
a film crew.

Come on now, you'll probably be in that field less than a day, there's no
need to resort to cannibalism.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

I guess once you have been siiting for a night or two on a glacier in
10'000ft in the middle of August, you might re-think that phrase...

"COLIN LAMB" wrote in message
nk.net...
.. That answer is in response to the word "pilots". As to
sailplane pilots, I am not sure. Sailplane pilots tend not to fly during
inclement weather in the middle of winter, so the odds improve.

"I guess once you have been siiting for a night or two on a glacier in
10'000ft in the middle of August, you might re-think that phrase..."

While that is possible, the odds are that the weather will be clear and if
you have any friends searching for you, a signal mirror works for at least
20 miles and possibly more. Even a old cd works as a signal mirror. If you
are flying over glaciers, then some warm clothing would be useful.

The fact is that you can die of expsure or dehydration or starvation in the
middle of summer when you take an automobile trip, but it is less likely
than in the winter.

Colin

Colin,

anywhere during the season we fly over alpine deserts, and when friends
start to search, it is typically after nightfall. Mountains at night don't
ressemble anything connected to the word "summer".

"COLIN LAMB" wrote in message
ink.net...
"I guess once you have been siiting for a night or two on a glacier in
10'000ft in the middle of August, you might re-think that phrase..."

While that is possible, the odds are that the weather will be clear and if
you have any friends searching for you, a signal mirror works for at least
20 miles and possibly more. Even a old cd works as a signal mirror. If
you are flying over glaciers, then some warm clothing would be useful.

The fact is that you can die of expsure or dehydration or starvation in
the middle of summer when you take an automobile trip, but it is less
likely than in the winter.

Colin