Egress Training www.dunkyou.com

Bry The Dunker Guy Needs You!

In an effort to bring you the most interesting and relevant aviation related safety material I need your help.

Dating back to September 2004 I have religiously sat each month at my computer and written articles pertaining to aircraft safety for you the COPA reader. As I have been flying aircraft privately and commercially since 1978 trust me I have been personally involved with or witness to other pilots unfortunate mistakes on numerous occasions. The basis for these articles are meant to bring understanding to why we should as pilots educate ourselves beyond regulations and think of ways to not end up in the accidents/incidents section. Alternately what to do if like others we find ourselves and possibly our passengers right where we said that would never happen to me. The possibilities for any potential aircraft accident are boundless due to the fact we involve high speed and unpredictable weather conditions with fuel limitations and human error. Now considering this is all based on an object travelling above planet earth with an inability to stop until back on ground you must agree “Murphy” has places to hide. To balance out that statement aviators must pass numerous exams and testing in order to prove we have mastered the required information and skills to keep all involved safe prior to licencing. Where I am going with this is that I have been discussing these topics for years and know for certain many of you have a story to tell which others could learn from. I have met and Egress Trained hundreds of COPA members over this past decade and am well aware of interesting stories told to me by you which ended in, it was too close for comfort or I will never do that again.These are the stories which I would like you to send me anonymously if desired for our fellow COPA members to learn from saving the same mistakes from being repeated unnecessarily.

As for Egress Training I would like to thank all of you who went above and beyond in attending our programs individually or with your families which we offered Canada wide since 1998.

On that note we at AES have been busy designing and building new equipment in an effort to continue our long standing desire for the best and most comprehensive Egress Training experience possible.

Also Transport Canada has approved AES training courses for your 2 year recency requirements regarding 401.05(2)(c) presently limited to Ontario training locations, meaning when you attend Egress Training you are now re-certified upon completion. We are actively working towards the same AES approval for all other Canadian provinces and trust it should be available to you in the future.

Fly Safe!

Bryan Webster has been active in aviation since being granted his private licence in 1977 and now according to Scott must have near 12.000 Hours in 35 plus different aircraft.

In 1998 he founded Aviation Egress Systems and has now trained 5000 aviators at 52 locations across Canada.

For further information contact Bry the Dunker Guy:

250-704-6401

info@dunkyou.com

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.

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Bry the Dunker Guy

Well boys and girls it is that time again when we head out to the airport and dust off those wonderful flying machines then assess the wrath winter has subjected to our prised possession, especially if they were outside in the elements.

Now that our hangar is cleaned up the aircraft washed and ready to go what about the pilot. Where do we stand in that equation for being dusted off and ready to go?

Have we reviewed the POH or are you planning to get some dual since it has been six months since you last took to the skies. My advice would be to consider hiring a current and experienced individual especially if you’re waiting for the ice to clear and heading out on floats.

Here on the BC coast we rarely have to worry about situations such as ice unless our flight plan includes a high level lake somewhere, thus we tend to stay current year round on floats.

For those of us in Northern Saskatchewan or many other locations in Canada this is not the case which is why it may be advisable to seek out an expert to not only get the rust off, but maybe teach you a few new tricks.

Dave Budd at Ocean Air located in Victoria BC may be one of your options for an experienced float operator depending on your postal code and here is his story.

Nothing is better than flying low level over top the Pacific through our Islands and Fjords of Coastal BC. The views here mixed with the wild life which makes for the best flying that I can imagine!

Making a living moving the people who reside on the countless Islands to and from their country homes plus enthusiastic tourists with their smiles from our unbelievable views and fantastic lifestyles validates the long hours and the occasional difficult day. I also train pilots on how to fly floatplanes not just the seaplane rating but also advanced floatplane techniques and procedures including low level flight ops, reduced visibility high winds and inclement weather. I also am sure to include safety in every aspect of flight. It is easy to forget at times that this dreamy job can quickly become a nightmare if the aircraft and the weather conditions are not treated with respect.

Over the years I have met pilots who have been involved in accidents of all sorts from hangar benders to full on ditch in the water with an inverted aircraft. Some of these stories are truly heartbreaking and others are stories where training preparedness and some aspect of luck have all come together to a great ending. Training and preparedness that is what safe flying is really all about! As we know, accidents come from a chain of events and it is our job as pilots to be sure that there is no chain to start with.

As an instructor, I feel that it is my job to teach safety into every part of flying from a thorough walk around to understanding how life jackets work and are put on, to how to get out of an inverted aircraft. Egress training saves lives and it’s not just for float pilots and passengers but for anyone who flies over water. Then like all training practice, practice, practice and consider scenarios and how would I react. Why do IFR pilots in two crew call out engine out procedures before the take-off roll… repetition and consideration makes for safety.

Remember to keep up to date on your recurrent training and think: how can I make this safer for me and my passengers? Don’t skip out on briefings as well be sure everyone has training on how to get the doors open, how to get their seatbelt unlatched and to exit the aircraft. When it comes to practice for over the water pilots take Egress training! All of the major (and most smaller) commercial coastal operators have their pilots take it because it saves lives. Practical experience and knowledge of how to get yourself and everyone out safely is the key to a great ending when seconds count. As well we are out there to enjoy and to mitigate risk.

For floatplane training contact David Budd Chief Pilot for Ocean Air Floatplanes at Victoria, BC. 250-655-1144 www.oceanair.ca

Bryan Webster has been flying commercially since the mid 70”s all over Canada in 35 different aircraft types on wheels, skies and floats with over 11.000 hours.

He also owns and operates Aviation Egress Systems offering Egress Training to pilots and their passengers all over Canada .

For further information contact Bry The Dunker Guy 250-704-6401 www.dunkyou.com

PRISCILLA’S STORY

Last fall as you may have heard there was a very bad accident on the BC Coast between Vancouver and Victoria while departing from the Gulf Islands.This event has effected people not only in aviation but all who fly as passengers and will eventually change many safety related areas of aviation.Here is a story sent to me which I feel you may benefit from reading.

Dear Bryan

I have been a frequent floatplane passenger. While living on Bainbridge Island west of Seattle, I worked on a project which required me to travel by floatplane from Seattle to the San Juan Islands weekly for about 5 years. I flew mostly on De Havilland Beavers and Otters.

I have always been hyperaware when I fly on any aircraft and I have always been concerned with the door operation on both Beavers and Otters. The small recessed rotating handles are not easy to operate in the best of conditions. In Beavers, the location of the handles on the back doors makes the doors particularly difficult to open.

I now live on Saturna Island BC. Last fall I flew from Seattle to Victoria by floatplane the same day a floatplane went down off of Saturna Island. I arrived on Saturna by boat at the same dock that a floatplane left from about half an hour before and went down shortly after take off. The plane ditched just south of our home and I helped neighbours search for survivors.

Needless to say this terrible accident has affected me deeply. I am desperate for something good to come from this tragedy.

After this accident I contacted a friend who is a commercial floatplane pilot and he suggested that I take the Aviation Egress class that you teach. I came to the class prepared with both a strong desire to learn how to survive a floatplane ditching and also a strong desire to help make floatplane aviation safer.

Your class was excellent and you answered all of my questions. In fact, your class was a real eye-opener. It covered all aspects of floatplane ditching and egress, both in the classroom and in the pool. This experience showed me how tough it is to get out of an inverted aircraft in the water in the best of conditions. You made the class enjoyable and your knowledge, expertise and passion for making flying safer are truly inspiring.

I would recommend your class to everyone who flies over water. In fact, your class caused me to look at how to get out of a submerged motor vehicle in a whole new way.

I continue to follow and applaud the efforts of those who strive to make floatplane travel safer. Better door and window designs and emergency egress operation need to be implemented industry-wide as soon as possible. Better access to life vests after ditching needs to be addressed now as well. Implementing better safety briefing by pilots and in the seat back pockets can help save lives too. Additional safety features could also be implemented over time.

I thank you for all that you do in helping to make the industry safer and I look forward to taking your class again.

Sincerely

Priscilla

Thanks Priscilla and I agree with your outlook on how changes need to be made, although it is sad that accidents and loss of life have to be the catalyst.The Beaver door mechanisms and location have long been know as inadequate, and I personally am working on having that improved. I have found the engineering teams who work on these projects are unfortunately not well versed in the understanding of how mechanisms need to be designed for underwater applications.Once testing is complete I believe this situation will be resolved, and in conjunction with the latest push out escape window now available for the De Havilland Beaver they will be an awesome combination.As for life vests there has been a huge controversy as to wear or not to wear them on float aircraft.

Given todays technology I would suggest we put our industry wide heads together and figure out a better way than involving marine application life vests in the first place, as above and beyond the standard T/C C13 you would find under the seat.

Bryan Webster has a history of over 30 years with float and light aircraft in general which started with a high speed impact in the water as a passenger in 1977.

In 1998 he opened Aviation Egress Systems offering a one day program all over Canada to assist all who fly and could possibly end up inverted unexpectedly.

For further information contact:

Bry The Dunker Guy

250-704-6401

www.dunkyou.com

info@dunkyou.com

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

Teaching the child

As a crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a 5-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.

Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy’s ear.

Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother’s hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. “Excuse me, General,” she asks quietly, “but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?”

The old man smiles serenely and gently confides, “I showed him my pilot’s wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose.”