Egress Training www.dunkyou.com

Family of Flyers

Recently I Egress Trained a group of Aviation enthusiasts in a back yard pool hosted by Rob Dimitrieff of the St. Catharines Flying Club located at Niagara on the Lake. Amongst the group of students was Victoria Proctor accompanied by Mom Lise who are both float fliers.It turns she is from a long history of aviators dating back to WW 1 where Great Granda was an observer in the RAF.

Victoria’s Grandpa learned to fly Harvards in 1948 also with the RAF, Dad is an Air Canada A320 Captain and Mom learned to fly at Buttonville at the age of 18 in a Piper Cherokee, her father also owns a Cessna 172 on floats and is an avid fisherman.

Now Victoria in this family of Flyers is finishing her fourth and final year at Seneca College stating she was hooked on aviation right after her first landing on Twelve Mile lake under Dad’s instruction for her float endorsement.

Her next step in life is to get after her instrument and instructors licence’s so my guess would be to further the family history with one of the Major airlines.

Soon after returning home from Ontario I opened an email from Victoria which follows as:

The best thing I did this past summer happened by chance. I was reading the second edition of Transport Canada’s Aviation Safety Letter 2011, when something popped out at me; “Underwater Egress Testimonials…”. I vaguely recalled Doctor Magee hassling me to go to the Ex for the airshow, and try out their water egress simulator. As he explained to a horrified sixteen year old (me) that I’d be better off knowing how to get out of a submerged, inverted aircraft, I shivered and swore that I’d never impart that kind of terror on myself.

When I read about egress training this time, it was an article by Bryan Webster, the founder of Aviation Egress Systems. The article describes his own experiences from being in aviation accidents that lead him to creating this company that trains pilots and passengers to survive a water crash. As I read this article, I slowly started to think about how important it is to always be prepared for the worst. It soon became clear that I needed to take this course.

After contacting Bryan, signing up for the course and coercing my float pilot mother to join me, we were off to Niagara Falls! The day was separated into two parts: ground school in the morning, and egress simulations in the afternoon. Ground school consisted partly of us watching videos of what could happen, and the reasons why it happened. We discussed numerous things, including non-water emergencies, seatbelt etiquette, cockpit layout, different aircraft designs regarding evacuation, and equipment that should be carried. It was made clear that we cannot be trained to flawlessly handle every emergency but that it is extremely important to be prepared.

In the afternoon came the fun part. We learned how to use those inflatable lifejackets you see in airline videos (not as easy as those models make it look!), how to get into and pull someone else into a life raft, and other things to consider when floating around waiting to be rescued. We were slowly eased into the actual escaping part of the day; we started with simple things like opening windows and getting through them in the water, and then progressed to the cockpit simulator. Some of us began escaping from an upright simulator and later progressed to the more realistic “flip”, whereas others dove right in. I will not tell you that it wasn’t intimidating but after a few times, it was easier.

And after a few MORE times, it was fun! The course was great because it went at the pace of the learner, and therefore every single person confronted their fears and went in for the dunk.

It should also be mentioned that out of over 5,000 people that have graduated from this course, five have gotten into ditching accidents. Every one of those five came back to tell their escape tale.

As new pilots, we should take every bit of safety and emergency training we can get (while we wait for experience to kick in). I highly recommend this course to everyone, especially pilots and passengers that fly over water. For more information on Aviation Egress Systems, visit www.dunkyou.com.

Victoria it was my pleasure to Egress Train both you and your Mom, here’s wishing you all the best for your future which no doubt will be exciting and rewarding.

Bryan Webster is your BC and Yukon COPA director and has been also flying from the early age of 16. He now has over 11.500 hours in multiple aircraft and teaches pilots plus their passengers how to safely Egress from aircraft all over Canada.

For further information contact Bry The Dunker Guy at 250-704-6401.

Hypothermia and why we should understand its effects on aviators.

Chances of ever needing to know anything about hypothermia because we fly airplanes is slim at best, although for the unfortunate few cold soaked and away from help its essential.

As aircraft are designed and capable of transit to inaccessible places where no one else is available to us we must understand self preservation in the event of emergencies.

Here in Canada our environment is often harsh and could be life threatening for many cases in the event we do not reach the destination as planned, and have to deadstick half way.

As spring is approaching across the land we are reaching a point where the warmer days are longer, and in many locations give way to ice covered ponds thawing out but yet contain extremely cold properties.

Our coast lines differ from a point view that year round the very substance we utilize for landing on is very capable of killing us with in minutes should we inadvertently be submerged and soaking wet.

On the BC coast, all winter long aircraft on wheels and floats transit from cities to remote regions moving people and materials as they have for over 75 years successfully.

Occasionally large swells or wind gusts change the day’s routine from having to deliver the folks on time to survival while clutching a pair of inverted floats, and determining the distance for a swim to shore.

To our inland fliers it could be a similar situation where cold soaked people are climbing out of a half sunken aircraft which is being supported by broken ice, all at below 0 temperatures and in cold winds.

In either case if not dealt with properly the final outcomes are very similar, and how they are handled depict a positive or negative ending.

Both must stabilize the situation in order to survive, and may involve any number of frantic passengers when a host of important decisions are to be made under difficult conditions.

First you must understand that cold water temperatures extract heat and energy from the human body 27 times faster in water than on land at the same temperature once submerged up to your neck.

In the ski plane scenario first you must reach solid ice away from the aircraft, then in very short order find shelter from the wind and pray you remembered your trusty waterproof lighter, and then hope to have access to burning materials.

Downed floatplane individuals could be faced with numerous problems such as injuries

or inability to swim, large ocean swells could be present making that transit to land even more difficult.

In both cases advance training for these unexpected incidents would have provided a plan before the aircraft originally departed, ensuring life vests and lighters were present and with you once the emergency was underway.

Getting out of wet clothing at subzero temperatures, and warming by a fire are mandatory, often making the difference between living and slowly succumbing to hypothermia.

Knowing what to have with you and how to react in these predicaments is simply a matter of knowledge and training.

There are numerous wilderness survival courses offered in Canada where you actually spend nights out of doors in winter temperatures, so why not enrol and learn techniques which are basic but often lost by today’s advanced society.

www.deepwoodstraining.ca Greg Szocs located in Central Canada.

I also suggest you consider Egress training which has now become highly recommended for all who fly, plus I make it affordable by traveling all over Canada by bringing it to you.

Cessna 185 Ski Plane fell through spring ice

Cessna 206 gear down amphibious land on water.

Listed below are facts about Hypothermia

• Hypothermia – Loss of body heat.
• Body looses heat; body functions slow down and can quickly lead to death.
• Three critical areas where the body losses heat, the head & neck, sides of the chest and the groin area.
• If in the water protect critical body areas to slow down heat loss by placing something on you head anything that may be available, hat or anything that may be floating in the water, hold your body tight together if possible covering chest and groin with hands and arms.
• If two or more people are in the water, huddle together so that your bodies are in close proximity.
• Handle hypothermia victims gently.
• Place victim in a warm dry environment.
• Prevent further loss of heat by covering neck and head.
• Wrap victim in blankets.
• Do not rub the surface of the body.
• Apply heat (40 degrees Celsius) slowly and gently to increase the victims body temperature.
• Give warm drinks such as coffee, tea, or cocoa not alcohol – only if victim is conscious and alert.
• The condition is critical if the victim becomes stiff, unconscious, or shows signs of clouded consciousness, such as slurred speech – even if the victim isn’t shivering. Get medical assistance.

Bryan Webster is a highly experienced light aircraft specialist with over 25 years and 11.000 plus hours to his credit who still flies commercially on the BC Coast in a

De Havilland Beaver.

He also owns and operates Aviation Egress Systems teaching aircraft ditching procedures from Victoria BC.

For more information on Egress training contact

“Bry the Dunker Guy”

Bryan Webster

250-704-6401

www.dunkyou.com

Bry the Dunker Guy

Ditching Myths

In my years as an Egress instructor I have had some interesting questions posed to me, as well a number of misguided piloting types explaining how they would personally handle a ditching.

The reality is there is only seconds to react after a complete inversion, before the overwhelming reaction to being entrapped is unleashed. About that time the animal instinct to survive becomes paramount, demanding you find an air supply immediately.

To have no pre- determined escape plan for you and your passengers complicates an already extremely challenging situation, while the clock rapidly dictates a positive or negative out come.

To have previously experienced a similar event in a warm pool facility should this ever happen to you, proves the results are mirror image for the success rate of those trained verses untrained.

By knowing what to do and expect from previous Egress training, plus having been in water practicing life vest procedures and remembering to take one with you on the way out proves a major advantage.

There are many reasons why people are reluctant to Egress train ranging from fear of water, to claustrophobia or simply not wanting to be seen as incapable of handling the scenario by ones peers.

In Egress Training programs each individual has strengths and weaknesses, thus as a group we foster camaraderie and work with each person to achieve confidence and reach their highest personal potential.

Regarding ditching myths here are a few of my favorites-

Number one and the most common misunderstood plan would be to simply watch your air bubbles once entrapped inverted and proceed to safety.

The problem associated with this idea is the obvious poor visibility at best being under water, and the possibility of silty water conditions or darkness.

Also you are giving up a percentage of the limited air supply held in your lungs which can not be replenished in order that you create this indicator.

To add to the scenario, what if the aircraft is pointing nose down and you find yourself in the rear of the cabin totally disorientated and unable to locate the now illusive door handles behind and below you.

Number two and another favorite is that a calm and collected individual will open the exit and vacate the premises with ease, or failing that kick out a window and swim to safety.

I find most of theses personalities are covering their actual fear of water or participation in training with an arrogant attitude.

Pilots who refuse to entertain even thinking about what should be done in any aircraft emergency are not only endangering themselves, but also anyone they fly with.

Soon after a person as mentioned above is enrolled in Egress Training and actively participating, signs of uncertainty and concerns regarding the program appear.

Once training is completed an admission of previous over all anxiety is replaced with a new found respect and understanding of why Egress training is offered.

Number three being when flying over water climb high enough to reach land should a problem arise, and simply return to a suitable clearing on shore as a glider if necessary.

This is a good plan until you overnight at the opposite end of your journey and Mother Nature swaps CVOK for 500 feet obscured, and now you have to be at work in less than an hour.

About then you are informed by your traveling companions they also have commitments and thus just this once you must break your safety net exercised the day previous.

Number four and my personal favorite for all times was explained to me while trying to sell this new concept Egress program several years ago at an aerobatic flight training center.

The owner and head instructor stated emphatically that his plan, should he be faced with a ditching would be to roll inverted and enter the water with the landing gear pointing skyward. In his mind this flight condition would avoid the anticipated flip caused by wheels making contact with the surface and dragging its nose downward.

Considering this as an alternate procedure to the upright entry you may want to consider an impact at or above 60 mph similar to a convertible automobile with your head exposed. The very fact that most front aircraft windows are constructed of light Plexiglas which will most likely depart on impact, would be enough to deter me.

After researching this misconceived maneuver I was unable to find any information substantiating its merits as no one has ever tried it, which is partly why I would not

want to be the first.

Bryan Webster has flown in excess of 11.000 hours over the past 25 years and is yet today flying commercially in a De Havilland Beaver on the Canadian BC coast.

His past experience was partially responsible for realizing aviation was lacking in pilot Egress training and formed Aviation Egress Systems at Victoria BC in 1989.

Pilots and passengers are now able to train for ditching light aircraft in a one day program at a reasonable cost.

Bryan has also written a book on aviation egress called “Ditching Principles” which is now available on his web-site.

For further information contact Bry “The Dunker Guy” at 250-704-6401 or

check out www.dunkyou.com