Spills and Chills
Ditching an aircraft is never high on any pilot’s agenda anywhere any time of the year.
For a large majority of Canadian flyers today our floats are already in the hangar, or neatly spaced in a row on shore beside our buddies while winter sets in.
For those of us who fly in Atlantic Canada’s water environment you are already well aware of what I speak of when cold water is mentioned, even in the summer months.
Winter water temperatures and what to think about before departing the pond should be of great interest for the remaining aviators such as pilots like myself who fly off chilly waters throughout the winter. As an example of just how many floatplanes are operational in the winter months on the BC coast alone, spend a day at
The same body of water we swam in and enjoyed last summer has become a lethal force to be reckoned with now, and should a person be thrust into it and unprepared for the event at to days temperature it will take your breath away literally.
The term cold shock refers to our bodies’ comfortable 98.6 degrees ferinhieght being subjected to a major change of 50 degrees or more instantly, and this is where problems such as panic and hypothermia begin.
When an aircraft hits the water surface and flips on its back often the cabin floods instantly bringing on the scenario of cold shock to life. The onset of cold water causes us to gasp just before we should be taking a large breath of air to fill our lungs with precious oxygen and keep us controlled until the egress is complete.
Being upside down with insufficient air coupled with confinement our minds automatically go into survival mode pumping adrenalin and increasing heart rates which ultimately speed up the burning desire for air.
Our animal instincts are in full speed ahead at this point and thus we are extremely powerful, problem being we are also overwhelmed by cold and disorientation.
Just to give you an idea of how quickly Egress challenges develop in this situation imagine you’re self stuck in a room full of rattlesnakes with the only door on the far wall, and then turn the lights out.
Egress training will teach you to take the all important breath prior to water entry and how to handle a very foreign experience, plus make positive decisions to get yourself and passengers to safety.
Winter flying itself on floats or even skies is no more perilous than any other time year, we just need to think differently given the conditions.
Dressing appropriately and carrying the proper safety equipment onboard for every flight and time of year is paramount and should be all pilot’s ultimate concern.
Bryan Webster is a 10.000 hour plus pilot actively flying a Beaver on the BC coast today.
In 1977 he was a passenger involved in a water crash while the pilot attempted to avoid power lines draped over the