Sjoerd,
Just this last weekend, I was once again told by a very very experienced pilotvand examiner that participartion in a sea survival training is essential. He said that if you have not been to one of those seminars, your chances to die are 90%. If you have been to the seminar, your chances of survival are about 50%…
The next one, I was told, is probably around April. I’ll see if I can make it. I have a very vague idea in mind about crossing the pond towards America in the future…
In two weeks, btw, I’ll participate at Arnim Stief’s Atlantic crossing seminar. But that one is not mainly about the survival aspects, but more about the planning and logistical ones (routes, airports, weather, fuel, equipment requirements, etc).
boscomantico: thanks for the tips and advice. I am not sure if flying along the coastline will help. Also, I regularly fly the North Sea to cross in between the UK and the Netherlands. Wearing the survival suits is already a big step forward for me and yes, my wife is informed and not complaining, but she would not go with me scuba-diving in the Lofoten this time. :-)
This is an article I have found earlier on how well pilots (and their passengers) prepare for ditching and what the likelihood is for survival: http://www.equipped.com/ditchingmyths.htm
…that participartion in a sea survival training is essential. He said that if you have not been to one of those seminars, your chances to die are 90%. If you have been to the seminar, your chances of survival are about 50%…
I can’t believe that is supported by any real ditching stats. It may be true for ditchings where the aircraft ended up inverted and with the cockpit flooded to the ceiling, which is the scenario they do on the survival courses (an inverted ditched helicopter, usually).
My view is that if you end up in that state, you are probably not getting out. But a low wing retractable should be very ditchable the right way up, and a low wing fixed gear somewhat worse but still possible if you do it just right.
Sjoerd, if you’re interested in a (relatively cheap) Sea Survival training, this organization runs them in the Netherlands.
I did their Indoor training and can highly recommend it. It’s exhausting but it gives you a whole new appreciation of the dangers you face, and how you need to cope with them, in a maritime survival situation. I still intend to do their Outdoor training one day.
The one catch is that their audience is to a very large extent yachties and divers. They have no knowledge of the specific issues of ditching an aircraft. So you have to get that knowledge elsewhere. But after the ditching, the sea is just as unforgiving and it doesn’t really matter whether it’s the aircraft or yacht that let you down.
Having said that, they use the facilities of a professional offshore safety training organization (Falck Nutec) and that facility does include a helicopter egress trainer. Which will present much the same challenges as those you face immediately after ditching an aircraft, of course. Although it’s pretty unlikely that a Cirrus descending under the ’chute will end up in the water inverted.
Just this last weekend, I was once again told by a very very experienced pilotvand examiner that participartion in a sea survival training is essential. He said that if you have not been to one of those seminars, your chances to die are 90%. If you have been to the seminar, your chances of survival are about 50%…
That must be Otto Stein!
The next one, I was told, is probably around April. I’ll see if I can make it. I have a very vague idea in mind about crossing the pond towards America in the future…
May be we will meet en route? 
In two weeks, btw, I’ll participate at Arnim Stief’s Atlantic crossing seminar. But that one is not mainly about the survival aspects, but more about the planning and logistical ones (routes, airports, weather, fuel, equipment requirements, etc).
See you there!
Great. cu!
and that facility does include a helicopter egress trainer. Which will present much the same challenges as those you face immediately after ditching an aircraft, of course.
Actually, I don’t think so. A Helo has a lot of weight on top, so topples over immediately. Not so for a fixed-wing aircraft. Not saying these courses aren’t a good thing to go to!
On a tangent: on one of my trips to Antarctica, my cabin was next to the ship’s bosun’s. Nice, quiet guy, who had survived the sinking of a cargo ship off Iceland. He was one of two or three survivors and he made it by covering himself totally in engine grease and then putting his clothes on. His advice for a sinking in Antarctica? Strip off and jump – and get it over with quickly.
Aeroplus,
a tip I got on that seminar:
Just before you takeoff you may have a look at
to check the positions of ships that are on your route to ditch nearby. There’s also an app for that….
It may be true for ditchings where the aircraft ended up inverted and with the cockpit flooded to the ceiling, which is the scenario they do on the survival courses (an inverted ditched helicopter, usually). My view is that if you end up in that state, you are probably not getting out.
You need a Spare Air bottle which gives you 2-4 mins of air, depending on your panic level. You have to wait until the cabin is flooded and then open the door. We did this on the seminar. The helicopter mockup was flooded and then underwater turned top to bottom. I had this spare air bottle in my mouth but was in total lost of orientation and was near panic but I was able to get out of the open door. This was a training situation with 3 professional rescue divers within the cabin. I don’t know what happens if that is in a real situation in a rough sea with closed doors.
That’s why I recommend to attend such a seminar to build up some experience. It will change your mind.
Here are some pics and video clips from the seminar:
