Egress Training www.dunkyou.com

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Aviation in general is known to be the fastest and safest mode of transport anywhere on the planet earth. With today’s aircraft technical advancements and superior training for pilots and crews our track record has improved dramatically since the early days of flight.

Yet in spite of these statements each month here in this COPA paper alone we read of numerous accidents and incidents which range from minor to severe. The reasons have not changed appreciably over the decades ranging from pilot error to weather or environmental and equipment failure. It appears this trend will unfortunately continue for future aviators as there is always room for the small margin of mishaps regardless of safety and training. Any Licensed Pilot has received hours of training on flight procedures including engine failures and in flight emergencies, which should be briefed on occasion for the unlikely event. Ditching procedures are often mentioned in training although from the thousands of students I personally have Egress Trained they were totally unprepared for the daunting task of exiting an inverted simulator in a warm pool facility. Regarding any emergency procedure you must not only discuss for example a stall but obviously experience this manoeuvre in the aircraft until competent and later in life practice it on occasion. The same goes for Egress training, talking about it and yet never experiencing the sensation of being subjected to a simulation of the real event is quite different. AES SAFE training prepares pilots and their passengers for the unlikely possibility of finding themselves under water disorientated in a sinking aircraft with a real life scenario. Often we in our work we hear the statement I fly wheeled aircraft not a floatplane thus sorry but not interested in Egress Training, yet this year already there have been non float aircraft plucked from the BC coastal waters. My advice is no matter what you fly you owe it to yourself and your passengers who will be depending on you in any emergency to be trained for all possible mishaps.

On another note let’s give some serious thought to the standard ELT”s installed in any of our aircraft including helicopters.

Firstly when was the last time you checked to see if it was in the armed position and ready to operate effectively if our lives depended on it?

Secondly would it work under water if you found yourself swimming away from your sinking aircraft after you opened the doors to get out start heading to shore?

My solution for this concern is simple now that there is the SPOT GPS available for a reasonable cost and easy to use. I personally have used mine for over a year and since then built total confidence in this unit as it follows my flight routing positions and shows this pictorially on my home computer every 10 minutes where I am and have been.

For anyone who does not understand the incredible value of this compact lightweight safety concept please contact me and I would be happy to fully explain why ever aircraft out there should be carrying one.

Bryan Webster has over 11.000 hours in numerous aircraft all over Canada commercially since 1978.

In 1998 he became Bry the Dunker Guy when starting Aviation Egress Systems located at Victoria BC.

Each year AES travels all over Canada teaching pilots and Passengers Egress Training and still fly’s commercial float equipped aircraft on the BC coast.

For further information contact:

Bryan Webster

250-704-6401

www.dunkyou.com

info@dunkyou.com

Why Bother to Train?

Why bother to train or even think about ditch training, it will never happen to me and if it does I will deal with it right. Sure and why bother buying insurance or learning how to deal with engine failures, stalls or any other emergency. Why because somewhere sometime in our pilot pool there will be some unfortunate individuals that these things do happen to.

When confronted with such challenges the difference for you and your passengers between living and not may depend on the time you the pilot spent training for such a situation.

Just for fun peruse the accidents/incidents column to substantiate my claims as pilots we are in a game that can have harsh consequences regardless of good airmanship.

August 2004 claimed the fourth ditching in Ontario floatplanes alone over this summer ranging from take off loss of control to landing upsets and gear down water landings in amphibs.

Being an Egress instructor I have witnessed the complete disorientation and total loss of ability for thousands of pilots and passengers to escape our aircraft look alike equipment in warm chest deep pool water.

Now imagine a real life situation with total panic and the sobering thought that I am trapped inside a cold flooded aircraft and unable to breathe with possibly only seconds to survive.

Statistically large numbers of aircraft which end up inverted in water regardless of wheels or floats prove to be more than the occupants are prepared for, and the majority has great difficulty getting out if at all.

In past decades the determining factor to a successful Egress was directly related to the crash impact speed and water temperature on that given day.

To expand on that when we are subjected to an impact followed by a blast of ice cold water during a ditching then soaked completely upside down and contained in a box like object bad things are going to follow in most cases.

Egress training will not change the events described above but it will make the first few valuable seconds’ count knowing what to do and immediately starting the pre determined escape plan.

Things like staying in your seat belt upside down while finding the door handle and then opening the exit before releasing could be all the difference.

Other suggestions are nobody onboard should wear anything such as floater coats or life vests giving floatation which is why the C-13 PFD on board all float aircraft was invented in the early days. We have equipment to prove the point but if you are a non believer take a 5 gallon jerry can to the lake and try to drag it under a dock while imagining it strapped to your back.

Now with our one day affordable Egress program we are able to reach those all across Canada this fall that were unable to attend ditching training or had never even heard about the course.

In ending once we hold a pilots license there is an obligation to practice our emergencies on occasion and be open to new additions to our training portfolio for ourselves and people we carry.

AES will be available from Ontario to BC soon in October 04 so why not take the time to experience what I am talking about for yourself. If water is not your favorite place to be then even more the reason to join in and trust me your not alone.

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 Fraser River east of Vancouver.

For questions or to enroll in the AES Egress program contact Bryan at

1-877- GO-DITCH

info@dunkyou.com

www.dunkyou.com