AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 60

Faced with spending the night outside in northern Montana in the middle of winter provides incentive for pilots to quickly build survival shelters, ranging from simple tarp-and-rope constructions to elaborate four-man rustic condominiums.

That’s why I’m panicking as my first three attempts to start a fire with my flint and steel fail. It’s dark—the temperature is in the teens with gusty winds and flurries—and I’ll be spending the night outside, alone, in northwestern Montana in the middle of winter in a tarpaulin-and-pine-branch hut that I built. The fire is supposed to be my source of heat, my security blanket. I enrolled in the Surratt Memorial Winter Survival Clinic, designed by David Hoerner, safety and education program manager for the Montana Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division, to learn how to survive in the wilderness until rescue arrives—which could be days depending on the terrain and weather conditions. Until now, my emergency training focused on flying the aircraft; many simulated forced-landing scenarios occurred over large fields with a farmer’s house nearby—a by-product of learning to fly in agricultural areas of Ohio and western West Virginia. Now I occasionally fly across the remote terrain of the Appalachian Mountains. What I usually carry in the aircraft—a bottle of water, crackers, flashlight, Leatherman tool, and my cellphone—wouldn’t be of much help after a few hours. Live out of your pack Assembling a survival kit would be a good first step. Retired Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Frank Bowen, an instructor at the clinic, encourages
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participants to “pack the things you would normally put in your personal and/or airframe survival pack.” For inexperienced survivalists, he includes a suggested equipment list with questions to make participants think about what’s needed to start a fire, build a shelter, purify water, and signal for help. Commercial prepackaged survival kits are available, but I wanted to see how much I could assemble from scratch. After raiding the emergency kit in my car, gathering first-aid supplies, and grabbing a Paula Deen saucepan from my kitchen (to use for boiling water or digging snow), I still lacked anything to start a fire, chop wood, or sleep outdoors. I bought a flint-and-steel fire-starter set, cotton balls, petroleum jelly, water purification tablets, rope, tarp, a sleeping bag, thermal mat, and a machete. As for clothing, Bowen suggested, “Go with what your mama told you if nothing else. Layers of clothing are good. Too much sweat is just as bad as getting rained on or taking an unexpected swim.” Because I’m an aircraft renter, my survival kit needs to be portable, fit into different types of aircraft, and be within my reach in the cockpit; I wouldn’t want to forget it in the baggage compartment. All of the supplies—except for the sleeping bag, thermal mat, and machete—fit into or strap onto my backpack. Some pilots who regularly fly over the rugged backcountry wear their survival kits in the cockpit. John and Tricia

60 • APRIL 2012

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - April 2012