Unfortunately, since most rental aircraft have little or no survival equipment on board anyway, this is usually a moot point. On the other hand, a comprehensive survival course is probably beyond the scope of the private pilot syllabus. But at a minimum, your instructor should give you a good briefing covering some of the basic things to do after an unplanned landing. This briefing should be tailored to your region, taking into account your local terrain and climate.
While an hour-long briefing cannot possibly cover as much material as a detailed survival manual, your goal is to gain enough information to endure a short-term survival episode until rescuers can arrive on the scene. Toward this end, here are some of the points that you should keep in mind.
Search And Rescue
A common misconception among pilots is that if a flight plan is filed and an aircraft goes down, search and rescue (SAR) forces will arrive fairly soon. However, the truth is that even though the SAR system is excellent and it works, it takes a fair amount of time to "mobilize the forces." This means that even if a flight plan is filed, it may take several hours or a couple of days before search parties arrive at the site. So, in the unlikely event you should go down, plan on spending the night.
The Enemies
If you do go down and have to spend the night, you will have to contend with psychological as well as physical obstacles. Knowledge of these "enemies of survival" will help you to be psychologically prepared to cope with them. Some of the stresses include fear and anxiety, pain and injury, the effects of heat and cold, thirst and hunger, fatigue, sleep deprivation, boredom, and isolation. Each of these obstacles, can be overcome with what survival experts tell us is the single most important factor that determines the outcome of a survival situation-the "will to survive." Someone who maintains a positive mental attitude, admits fear and combats its effects, and keeps busy is much more likely to survive than someone who does not.
Fear
You will be afraid. Fear and anxiety are natural human reactions to any survival episode. The danger with these emotions is that if left unchecked, they can create a passive evaluation of the future. Once hope is lost, the survivor will tend to lose interest, expend little or no effort on survival, and eventually resign himself to death. Self-discipline is critical in overcoming resignation and taking the necessary survival actions that can preserve life.
Some proven methods you can use to control and minimize fear are to admit that fear exists, learn to think and plan logically even when you are afraid, and keep busy doing well-planned, productive things to improve your situation and assist in effecting your recovery. In addition, you must try to cultivate good survival attitudes and learn to tolerate discomforts.
Shelter
Since survival depends on maintaining normal body temperature, proper shelter becomes very important in a short-term survival situation. Shelter provides protection from the elements, from heat and cold, and affords the psychological comfort required for sound rest. But the concept of environmental protection should begin long before you arrive at the airport for a flight. It should begin when you choose the clothes you wear to the airport.
Clothing is the body's first line of defense against the elements. It insulates the body against heat and cold and protects it from sunburn, insects, pests, and scratches. Thus, you should wear clothing appropriate for the terrain and climate that you will be flying over. In other words, try not to dress for the cockpit, but for the potential survival environment.
The second line of defense is the actual shelter. If it is safe, accessible, and in good shape, the downed aircraft makes a good shelter, but only when temperatures are mild. If temperatures are extreme, a more effective shelter is required. Many items can be fashioned into a suitable shelter: a tarp, some clothing, a space blanket, aluminum from the aircraft, a poncho, a tube tent, or even heavy-duty garbage bags. And don't forget that there may be natural shelter in the terrain as well.
For example, in desert climates, with surface temperatures well above 100 degrees, the temperature just 18 inches below the surface can be as low as 61 degrees. In this case, digging a shallow foxhole is frequently a good survival measure for conservation of body water, particularly if the foxhole is shaded in some manner.
On the other hand, in cold climates conservation of body heat is the critical factor. Surrounding the body with material that traps air and provides insulation conserves body heat. You can burrow into the snow or use piles of leaves or any other vegetation or material to provide this insulation.
Fire
Besides a proper shelter, a fire is the survivor's best friend, providing psychological as well as physical support. Having a fire is great for morale, and its illumination combats man's innate fear of darkness. It generates heat for warmth and to keep dry and can be used for cooking or purifying water by boiling. In addition, it is a very effective signaling device and offers protection from insects and animals. If you have to spend the night, you should build a fire. But starting a fire in the wilderness requires a great deal of skill or the right tools. Which is why you'll need the right fire-making equipment in your survival kit.
Water And Food
In the context of survival, many people have misconceptions about water and food. Start with the most vital fluid of life: water. The average person can survive only three days without it. Dehydration is a big problem. Even minimal dehydration can impair reasoning, and a survivor must be able to think clearly and logically.
This is why you should carry enough water in the aircraft to cover a short-term survival episode. In desert climates, the minimum requirement is one gallon per day per person. In cooler climates, two quarts per person per day is adequate. And where natural sources are available, a quart per person is adequate, provided some method of purifying the natural water is available-either by adding iodine tablets or by boiling. Finally, except in extreme cases do not ration water.
Food is a completely different story. Food has a low priority in a short-term survival situation. With adequate water, the average person can survive over three weeks without food. However, a survivor will have to deal with hunger. As creatures of habit, we tend to eat at certain times of the day. The hunger pains we experience come from the brain and, therefore, can be mentally controlled. Also keep in mind that large amounts of water are required for the digestive process. Therefore, you shouldn't eat dry foods unless you have adequate water or the body may become dehydrated. Lastly, if you are going to carry food in a survival kit, don't skimp. Buy military-style food rations specifically designed for that purpose.
Signaling
Another misconception is that the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) will lead searchers directly to the crash site. In reality, the ELT will only get SAR forces to the general area. And this is only if the ELT is actually transmitting. If you have made a good forced landing with minimal impact forces, the ELT's automatic G force switch may not have been triggered. Thus, if it is accessible, the ELT should be switched on manually. If available, an aircraft or handheld radio can be used to verify transmission by listening for the ELT's distinctive downward swept tone.
Meanwhile, the single most difficult problem facing SAR personnel is spotting the downed aircraft or crash site. They probably won't be looking for a lone survivor walking for help. This means that in almost every case, you should stay with the aircraft. It's bigger, more colorful, and more likely to be spotted from the air than you are.
But an aircraft is just one thing SAR will be looking for. You can assist SAR personnel by creating a "ground signal." Recall that when viewed from an aircraft, the earth looks very natural, placid, and unchanged. Therefore, the quickest way to attract attention is to change the appearance of the terrain around the crash site. Do anything to disturb the natural look of the ground. This is relatively easy to do-an SOS trampled into the snow, an X made with branches, a smudge fire-all serve to disturb the face of the terrain. The variations are endless. You can use brightly colored clothes, reflective or shiny surfaces, rocks, trees, or whatever else you have at your disposal.
Another way you can attract SAR forces is with a signal mirror. Considered to be one of the best all-around signaling devices, signal mirrors are simple to operate, lightweight and compact, and their flashes can be seen for many miles, even in haze. For this reason, if you hear an aircraft passing nearby, you should flash your mirror in the direction of the sound, even if the aircraft isn't in sight. Further, improvised signal mirrors can be made from any available material that is shiny. While older mirrors were made of glass and were both heavy and fragile, modern mirrors are constructed of polycarbonate and are virtually indestructible. There is no excuse not to carry one.
Once SAR forces are in the area (usually you can hear them), an operable aircraft or handheld radio can be used to transmit steering commands to guide them to your exact location. And when SAR ground forces are nearby, the vastly underrated whistle is invaluable. Shouting is wasted effort compared to a good whistle blast, which carries much farther and can be sounded long after the vocal chords give up.
Survival Kit
Although every survival kit varies in size and contents (depending on the terrain and climate), some of the more common items are a good quality knife, a knife sharpener, and fire-starting and signaling equipment (signal mirror, whistle, and flashlight). Other items include tinder, rope or twine, shelter materials, medical supplies, materials for a solar still, a sponge, water and food, and a survival manual.
Survival is generally an overlooked subject in pilot training. Whether this is because power failures are so rare or because we don't want to acknowledge the inherent risks in flying doesn't matter. What does matter is that power failures and off-airport landings can and do occur. It has been said that survival is 5 percent physical stress and 95 percent mental stress. With those percentages, it's obvious that a little survival knowledge could mean the difference between success and failure.
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