Aircraft Survival Packs and Rescue Radios

[ol'fido]

I am going to show my ignorance here.

1. Is there a standard survival pack in each corporate aircraft or does it depend on the wing/unit that the plane is assigned to?

2. If it is standard, what is in it and how often should it be inspected?

3. Is there an aircraft band radio in this pack or do we rely on individual members who bring along a privately owned one?

4. If there is not a radio in the survival pack, has CAP ever considered or tried to procure a simple air band radio like the various military pilot rescue radios for issue to individual aircrew members?

[a2capt]

It's an SUI item, Tab C4, that it be there- and CAPR 66-1 covers it in one small paragraph that says the Wing shall be responsible for it's make-up and contents, and that it can be adjusted seasonally.

So check for a Wing supplement to 66-1

[Major Lord]

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.

Major Lord

[SarDragon]

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.

Major Lord

I thought that was Slim's line?   

[Jerry Jacobs]

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.

Major Lord

That sounds like a great way to survive Cold War Russia but I think we need something a little bit more like a PLB to summon the black vans

[jks19714]

I thought that was Slim's line?   
[/quote]

Nope, Major Kong.  "Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."

Actually, Vegas was a lot more fun when we used to rattle their windows in the morning.  NTS was a blast. 

[Major Lord]

Seriously, its pretty hard to refute Jerry's idea that the aircraft should have a PLB in the survival kit; ( in case the ELT is old style or smushed to bits) pretty cheap insurance! The experimental aircraft guys are buying tons of the cheapest APRS tracking transmitter I manufacture, since they show your position at least as recently as you departed the sky. This provides an accurate LKP. I guess the SPOT can do much the same, if you don't mind paying the subscription fee. I still think that at least four of the items on the Dr. Strangelove list would be good to have too....

Major Lord

[SarDragon]

Slim has a random sig line, and one of the items it displays is that list, hence my comment. (Yes, there are actually people who read sig lines.) Come to think of it, many of Slim's sig bits have something to do with Major Kong, or Dr. Strangelove in general.

BTW, the original line, as filmed, said, "a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff," but, due to other events in the US at the time, the line was dubbed to "Vegas" and the opening was moved from Nov '63 to Jan '64.

[ol'fido]

Now that everyone has gotten their Dr Strangelove fix, does anyone else have a serious answer.

[SarDragon]

I am going to show my ignorance here.

1. Is there a standard survival pack in each corporate aircraft or does it depend on the wing/unit that the plane is assigned to?

Not that I now of. I'm guessing that it depends on the wing/unit that the plane is assigned to.

2. If it is standard, what is in it and how often should it be inspected?

I'm not sure what's in ours, but it gets checked about once a month.

3. Is there an aircraft band radio in this pack or do we rely on individual members who bring along a privately owned one?

For us, the latter.

4. If there is not a radio in the survival pack, has CAP ever considered or tried to procure a simple air band radio like the various military pilot rescue radios for issue to individual aircrew members?

Those "simple" radios are not really all that simple, if you're referring to AN/PRC-(series) radios. They are expensive to buy new, the used ones are of questionable quality, and even if you get a good one, they are expensive to repair. I'd rather see Vertex or Icom airband radios purchased.  I don't know if that item is standard anywhere.

[Major Lord]

The old fashioned PRC-90 "rescue radio" has little utility for our purposes. An ELT beacon plus single channel Comms on an aeronautical frequency is not going to let you call home, and the newest generation of rescue radio is not something we could buy even if we wanted to....

BTW, Doesn't Alaska still require a rifle in their kit?

Major Lord

[jks19714]

Apparently, Alaska's law has changed: http://www.equipped.com/ak_cnda.htm

1. The minimum equipment to be carried during summer months is as follows: (for all single engine and for multiengine aircraft licensed to carry 15 passengers or less)

(A) rations for each occupant sufficient to sustain life for one week;

(B) one axe or hatchet;

(C) one first aid kit;

(D) an assortment of tackle such as hooks, flies, lines, and sinkers;

(E) one knife;

(F) fire starter;

(G) one mosquito headnet for each occupant;

(H) two small signaling devices such as colored smoke bombs, railroad fuses, or Very pistol shells, in sealed metal containers;

2. In addition to the above, the following must be carried as minimum equipment from October 15 to April 1 of each year:

(A) one pair of snowshoes

(B) one sleeping bag

(C) one wool blanket for each occupant over four

[ol'fido]

What I was thinking of was something about like an ISR in size, configuration, and price but tuned to the AM aircraft band and able to transmit LOS at least on the more commonly monitored aircraft frequencies. This would be something that would be issued to individual aircrew members at a mission and not something carried day in and day out in the survival gear. It wouldn't be used to "call home" but just to contact the other CAP aircraft(the one that still flies) that will hopefully soon be orbiting over your crash site or any aircraft that may be seen overhead.

[SarDragon]

Hence, my suggestion of radios like the Vertex Standard VXA-220, or the Icom IC-A6 or IC-A14. These still aren't inexpensive, with prices around $250. I haven't seen anything any cheaper.

[PHall]

Or something like my McMurdo PLB. Mine has the GPS option.
It won't go off if the plane crashes, but if you have to force land you just pull the tab and it starts to squak.
And it will even tell AFRCC who you are and, with the GPS option, will tell them where you're at.

[sarmed1]

Somewhere on the Net I had found the NYWG survival kit list; it was pretty complete (I am sure its an easy search) and somewhere burried in the data staorage deveice (ie portable hard drive) I think I have the SR-21P vest packing list. (if I find it I'll post it)
or.....here is a link to the page I found them on:  http://rk19-bielefeld-mitte.de/survival/FM/a.htm

And I do have a working PRC-90 radio, and spare batteries; I used to carry it when I flew in FL, as well as at work on the ambulance...but for completely differant purposes; its a nice little radio; and presonally if CAP could find them at DRMO wouldnt be a bad survival radio to add to the aircrafts survival kit

mk

[Major Lord]

I would guess that if DRMO had any in the system, they would be the UHF (243) version, instead of the rarer dual-band (VHF 121.5 and 243.00-PRC 106) units. A brief look at E-bay showed lots of (rough) looking PRC-90's though.

Major Lord

[SarDragon]

Most of the survivasl radios at DRMO are junk. That's why they are there in the first place. They do not meet operational specs for some reason or another, and are beyond economical repair.

Sure, if you're a radio whiz, you might be able to scrounge up parts, but at what cost of time and money?

[sarmed1]

the 90's and the 106's went to DRMO not because they were junk but because they were replaced with the 112.... a much better model with differant and better operationg options.  Msost 90's just sat waiting to be used; pretty much just getting operational checks.  I know that each of the life rafts on the C-130 had one in.  So system wide that had to be a lot that went the way of DRMO.

mk

[Major Lord]

Too bad we could never get the permissions to use the PRC-112...it makes Comm guys mouth water.

http://www.gdc4s.com/content/detail.cfm?item=a001a1c6-04dc-4aae-a080-910c2709cd77

Major Lord