AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2012 - 89

• Communications. It’s always a good idea to be in radio and radar contact with ATC, whether through VFR traffic advisories (aka flight following) or as part of IFR en route procedures. Have a problem or question? An answer is quick in coming if you’re already communicating. Certain flight service stations provide reporting services for those flying over Long Island, New York; Block Island, Massachusetts; the Great Lakes; and the Florida Everglades. When using these you must make position reports over selected frequencies at designated intervals. • Altitude. This one’s easy. Fly as high as practicable, taking winds aloft into consideration. The idea is to be able to maximize your glide distance should you lose power, and be able to communicate over longer distances.
SURVIVAL GEAR. The regulations are silent about life vests for nonturbine airplanes less than 12,500 pounds MGTOW, but having them aboard—and even wearing them while en route—can make sense when flying piston singles over water. So is having a high-quality life raft (preferably one with two-cell gunwales, entry ladders, watermaking gear, a ballast system, and bailing pumps), signaling devices, flashlights, and

engine failures over water do happen (see “Ditching at Sea,” August 2012 AOPA Pilot, for an example). Luckily, most warmwater ditchings have happy endings. Again, this is a topic that is best addressed in a water survival course. I’ve attended the one offered by Survival Systems USA in Groton, Connecticut (www.survival systemsinc.com), which features class sessions, a dunker, and even practice being extracted by a helicopter sling. I recommend it highly. Because luck favors the prepared, here’s a bare-bones checklist for piston singles in case the worst happens: • Perform engine restart checklist. Hopefully the checklist ends here. • If the engine doesn’t restart, send out a distress message and activate your ELT or EPIRB. • If they’re not on already, don life vests. • Make sure VHF transceivers, satphones, GPSs, et cetera are in waterproof bags. • Evaluate sea condition and try to land into the wind and parallel to any swells. • Open doors and wedge them open using whatever is at hand. • For retractable-gear airplanes, retract landing gear. Use flap setting recommended by the airplane manufacturer.

To me, overwater flying is one of the most satisfying experiences a pilot can have.
a handheld VHF radio. A satphone is even better. As for survival suits, water temperatures in the Great Lakes may call for them, but they definitely won’t be needed for those flights to the Bahamas. Even little things can turn out to have a big impact on the outcome of a ditching. Carry a knife; you’ll need it to deflate a raft that accidentally inflates while in the cabin. Carry a signal mirror, and know how to use it. To those in a search airplane your raft may be an indistinguishable speck, but the glint off a signal mirror is a surefire way to attract attention. A flare gun and marker dye also can help make you more conspicuous.
DITCHING. Sorry to end on a glum note, but any discussion of overwater flying needs to include a mention of ditching. While rare,

• Make a long, slow approach. • Remain in the brace position until the airplane comes to rest. Then evacuate, inflating vests and raft outside the airplane. For a more complete rundown of ditching procedures, consult Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) Section 6-3-3. Concern about a ditching is definitely a part of overwater flying, but don’t let that ruin your fun. To me, overwater flying is one of the most satisfying experiences a pilot can have. And the odds of safely completing a flight far outweigh any risks. There’s nothing quite like seeing your destination shore coming into view, on time and with fixes right where they should be, after miles of open water. AOPA
EMAIL tom.horne@aopa.org

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 89

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2012

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