DITCHING SURFACES
DITCHING SURFACES
by
BRY THE DUNKER GUY
No pilot or anyone on board an aircraft ever really expects to find themselves short final for a body of water on wheels and facing the reality of a high speed impact ditching.
Unfortunately this does happen more often than most realize and should be considered as part of your emergencies repertoire.
This situation could come about while in flight over a lake or ocean when an engine fails, maybe while a float aircraft is landing or taking off and makes contact with a submerged object just below the surface.
When it does happen to a unsuspecting aviator who has no training for a situation like this ,or is totally unprepared with no pre-determined plan there is little time to figure out what to do or how to react.
Worse yet the passengers are at a total loss seeing as they are confident the captain is capable of handing all possible flight emergencies and await instructions for the occasion.
Once any fixed gear wheeled aircraft has impacted the water surface at speeds of roughly 60 mph or more, there will be the sudden stop followed by the good possibility of inversion.
About that time upside down and submerged in cold water you become aware of a totally foreign and terrifying situation involving disorientation and entrapment, with zero communications and less assistance.
There are a number of things such as the brace position to be aware of prior to a ditching, but here are a few tips of what to consider regarding water conditions and how to plan for a ditching into a variety of surface conditions.
|
Wind Speed |
Appearance of Sea |
Effect on Ditching |
|
0-6 knots |
Glassy calm to small ripples |
Height very difficult to judge above glassy surface. Ditch parallel to swell |
|
7-10 knots |
Small waves; few if any white caps |
Ditch parallel to swell |
|
11-21 knots |
Larger waves with many white caps |
Use headwind component but still ditch along general line of swell |
|
22-33 knots |
Medium to large waves, some foam crests, numerous white caps |
Ditch into wind on crest or down slope of swell |
|
34 knots and above |
Large waves, streaks of foam, wave crests forming spindrift |
Ditch into wind on crest or down slope of swell. Avoid at all costs ditching into face of rising swell |
Note: The effects on ditching mentioned in the table are appropriate for light aircraft only.
As an in pool instructor I have now witnessed thousands of pilots and passengers during our warm pool Egress training courses. I assure you the majority do not handle the first few roll overs well, thus the stats are correct in real life when the first one counts.
There is no excuse not be Egress trained anymore as Aviation Egress Systems is available year round at Victoria BC, and travels across Canada every spring and fall offering a one day course at a very affordable cost to all.
Contact me for dates and locations near you now as we will travel anywhere in Canada where groups of pilots and passengers request us.
Bryan Webster is a 11.000 hour plus pilot still actively flying a De Havilland Beaver on the BC Coast today when not teaching pilot/passenger Egress Training.
His vast experience from over 25 years in light aircraft, and from being a passenger of a 1977 Cessna 150 ditching have proved extremely valuable when passing on the procedures in his Egress Training specialized pool equipment.
To enrol in an Egress training course to improve your piloting skills contact -
“BRY THE DUNKER GUY”
Bryan Webster
info@dunkyou.com
250-704-6401
Toll Free 1-877-GO DITCH
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