Flying Over Water on Piston Single Aircraft?

Ted DuPuis said:
About the same as Henning's, but he knows the terminology for rafts better. If it's a short over-water stint, I don't bother with anything. When I do the Gulf crossings between New Orleans and Mexico where there's a very long over-water stint, I bring a raft along.

For the trips to Newfoundland, it's a bit different. Although we have a 150 nm stretch of the trip (roughly) that goes over water, we're never more than about 50 nm from land, which isn't far at all. And if you go down in the North Atlantic, you're pretty much dead anyway, unless you have a very sophisticated survival suit, which we don't have. So if I have a raft handy, I bring it. If I don't, I don't worry about it much.

A friend of mine with an SR22 Turbo claims the BRS makes flying over water in his single as safe as in my twin. He can say that all he wants while he sits in the life raft and I'm happily flying along with one prop feathered and the other spinning towards land.
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Survival suits are ~$400, If you get one, get the one with the three finger mittens instead of the 5 finger gloves which are tough to get into.
 
Henning said:
Survival suits are ~$400, If you get one, get the one with the three finger mittens instead of the 5 finger gloves which are tough to get into.
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I doubt that's the case of the heavy-duty North Atlantic ones, but if it is, what's the shelf life on them?

A lot of it also comes down to exposure time. Since we only do about one trip a year of that sort, it's a minimal exposure time, so not likely a big deal. If we were doing it all the time, it'd be a different matter. On the S-92s going out to the rigs, everyone must wear a full immersion suit at all times. The risk is also higher there, between doing flying year-round, altitude restrictions, and flying in some of the worst weather there is to fly in.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I doubt that's the case of the heavy-duty North Atlantic ones, but if it is, what's the shelf life on them?

A lot of it also comes down to exposure time. Since we only do about one trip a year of that sort, it's a minimal exposure time, so not likely a big deal. If we were doing it all the time, it'd be a different matter. On the S-92s going out to the rigs, everyone must wear a full immersion suit at all times. The risk is also higher there, between doing flying year-round, altitude restrictions, and flying in some of the worst weather there is to fly in.
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There is only one grade of survival suit and it comes in 3 sizes, that is all.
 
gismo said:
Keep them away from the Sun, ozone, and mold/mildew and they will probably last for longer than you'll be flying.
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Yeah, It's just neoprene, you keep it stored in its bag and clean and they last a long time. Normally we pull em out twice a year to inspect and wax the zipper.
 
Henning said:
None for short jumps, extended overwater >70* life raft and life jacket, <70* I bring a Gumby suit. If the water is <50* I'll wear the suit to the waist with the rest over the seat back. Do not dream that you will be able to don the suit on your way down in a GA cockpit.
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Just curious, why would you wear a survival suit on a twin when passengers and crew of a twin A330 (Air France 447) do not wear them.

José
 
Piloto said:
Just curious, why would you wear a survival suit on a twin when passengers and crew of a twin A330 (Air France 447) do not wear them.

José
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In a passenger airliner I don't wear one either, but at ferry weights the twins I fly are going down on a single engine in the first part of the trip.
 
I'm not worried about going down in the twins on the part of the trip like Henning is (I don't have bunches of ferry tanks and the like), but I also know that I'm somewhere between 100 and 1,000 times more likely to go down in a piston twin vs. an airliner statistically. That and being in the weather as opposed to above it like an airliner should be doesn't help the odds any.

So if you're flying in a lower altitude aircraft and bring a suit along, you best wear it.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I'm not worried about going down in the twins on the part of the trip like Henning is (I don't have bunches of ferry tanks and the like), but I also know that I'm somewhere between 100 and 1,000 times more likely to go down in a piston twin vs. an airliner statistically. That and being in the weather as opposed to above it like an airliner should be doesn't help the odds any.

So if you're flying in a lower altitude aircraft and bring a suit along, you best wear it.
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If the water is cold. If the water is warm you just don it in the water.
 
Henning said:
In a passenger airliner I don't wear one either, but at ferry weights the twins I fly are going down on a single engine in the first part of the trip.
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Makes a lot of sense. I always carry a floating marine handheld radio and a floating PLB. Without them they will never find you. You will be surprised how many boats are over the Atlantic when you call on ch 16. I always got a response either from a navy ship or a freighter when called. It is reassuring knowing there is someone down there.

José
 
Piloto said:
Makes a lot of sense. I always carry a floating marine handheld radio and a floating PLB. Without them they will never find you. You will be surprised how many boats are over the Atlantic when you call on ch 16. I always got a response either from a navy ship or a freighter when called. It is reassuring knowing there is someone down there.

José
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Yeah, PLB and my Marine VHF are givens.
 
DavidWhite said:
LOL, and how is a BRS going to save you if crashing into water? Unless it somehow magically turns the airplane into a raft too, you are just as boned as anyone flying a real airplane. It's not the landing itself, it's what transpires afterwards. I guarantee I can do a softer landing in the water gear up in my mooney than you can in the plastic fantastic under canopy.
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I didnt write it correctly. BRS to the rescue when on an engine failure at night without any practical visibility to find a landing sight.
 
BRS into the water is not that good of an idea if you are in control of the plane, expect a broken back.
 
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