Could you truely survive?

[Bushcraftsman]

Alright I was daydreaming the other day and thought to myself.. "would I actually be able to survive" ok so a lot of people think that they could quite easily survive out in the wilderness (and I have no doubt that some people on here could!!) but let's put ourselves in a real survival situation instead, what I mean by this is; I've noticed a lot of people say they could when they have their knifes and Flint/firesteel or whatever but realistically if you were put into a real survival situation, with nothing more than the clothes on your back.. Could you hack it?

Let's paint a picture (for sake of argument) your on holiday in.... Canada? Or some other place similar and for whateer unknown reason you have to make a crash landing in the plane. You do NOT have a knife or any other equipment for that matter in your suitcase.. Just usual holiday stuff..

Open this thought up to discussion

thanks
Jordan

 

[tomongoose]

I don't think I could survive long term just die slower, I could build a shelter and start a fire and find and filter water but food would be a real problem so I would probably starve

 

[tomongoose]

just re read that without a knife or similar I would probably be screwed

 

[tjwuk]

I think in reality most people, even the best would be stuffed in certain circumstances. Cold or exposure would be a large player here. If you realy had nothing, bad clothing for the environment, no supplies at all etc, you would perish.

For how long would depend then on your own stubborness to give in, only you can answer that and not many people have ever been put in a position where their daily routine has been disrupted. I mean by that, health, work, money, violence etc, I guess the middle two most people know though!

To answer if I would give in, I really wouldn't like to say. I have theoretically put myself in this type of position before and know how to build shelter, fire, look after myself and find food and know how I handle 'life' when things go really bad. All in all though there are too many variables to consider to say 'I could survive'.

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Jordan

I know there will be some here who will think I'm being arrogant by saying this, but I'm quite confident that I can survive here in Australia. This is based on having actually lived off the land for extended periods of time on a number of occasions .

.....Let's paint a picture (for sake of argument) your on holiday in.... Canada? Or some other place similar and for whateer unknown reason you have to make a crash landing in the plane. You do NOT have a knife or any other equipment for that matter in your suitcase.. Just usual holiday stuff..

Open this thought up to discussion ....

I could really do this justice with a couple of hours, over several beers in a Pub

OK, this scenario opens up a new dimension. One of the advantages I have here in Australia is that I know a significant number of usefull plants (edible, medicinal and sources of fibre) and know the habits of our native animals.

This advantage would to a large extent be negated if I was to "crash" in Canada.

To give a better informed answer (I know, the devil is always in the details ) can I ask some questions?

What time of year and what province in Canada are we talking about?

For example, I understand that just east of the Coastal mountains & the Rocky's is quite dry, but further east of this seems to be well supplied with water. If it is winter the snow is a source of water. So depending on where I crash and what time of year it is, water may or may not be an issue.

Do I survive the "crash" without debilitating injuries?

Does the main body of the plane remain intact after the crash (& become a ready made shelter) or am I thrown clear & the wreckage burnt?

Can I salvage the battery as a spark source to start a fire?

Did the stuffing of the seats survive so I can use it as insulation against the cold if it's winter? Depending on what it's made from, will it also serve as tinder?

What about the rubber from the wheels (that can be used as tinder/kindling)? Or is it a float plane?

Is the fuselage made from Aluminium, so I can make a makeshift knife from it.

Is there anything else that I will find usefull within the wreckage (eg wiring that can serve as cordage, or that can have the insulation stripped off to give me copper wire than can be used as snares)?

Are there any other passangers that didn't make it that I could eat whilst I'm waiting for rescue? :yikes:

BTW, since it appears that most Nth Americans seem to believe that a "survival situation" only lasts for 3 days, I reckon that I have enough body fat to last the distance even if there are no other food sources / passengers available

Besides, I'm sure that if a rich middle age businessman like Anthony Hopkins (the edge) can survive in similar circumstances, I just might stand a chance

You can start to see why I would like to discuss this over several beers at a pub




Kind regards
Mick

 

[Ray Britton]

In the exact situation you describe, all of us would be lucky, as the aircraft should have survival kit stowed on board .

On the other hand, I would not survive for too long, as I currently have an injury which needs me to take various medications. Even with all the food, shelter and water in the world, I would not survive long due to the injury I had before the crash..... Sadly that would be the same case for many folks, who depend of things like insulin, asthma, or heart medicines.

So, I am buggered here , but am curious about:

Is the fuselage made from Aluminium, so I can make a makeshift knife from it.

Is there anything else that I will find usefull within the wreckage (eg wiring that can serve as cordage, or than can have the insulation stripped off to give me copper wire than can be used as snares)?

Are you hoping to find tools too (if it is a larger type, then there will be tools), to remove the interior of the aircraft, or remove the rivets from the skin? Lets hope it is some ropey old ex mil aircraft, so much of what you want will be exposed already (plus there may be a fair amount of magnesium structure too)
If I were to be a bit cheeky, I would have packed my peak one stove in my suit case, so I could take advantage of all the lovely aviation fuel in the aircraft's wings.

As for: Are there any other passangers that didn't make it that I could eat whilst I'm waiting for rescue?

Is that the origin of the phrase "Gentlemen prefer blondes" lol

 

[rik_uk3]

It depends of finding, catching, butchering and cooking meat, and finding other food not easy anywhere even Canada; you should be able to make some sort of shelter from the wrecked plane but IMHO 99.99 percent of anyone including members here would probably die of starvation. Talking to a Canadian who has live and hunted all over Canada (just moved to Yellowkife from Inuvik) he explained that even the best hunters can come home with nothing even when armed with a rifle. Sometimes he does though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S-hbC5FADU

 

[_scorpio_]

well, it depends on basically all of what southern cross said.
also in a survival situation it doesnt necessarily mean you are alone. the chances of you being the only person to survive a plane crash are slim, so you would likely have a few other people around. also unless there were completely awful weather conditions it is quite likely someone would come and save you pretty quickly.
and if somehow they didnt know a plane had crashed then you are still fairly likely to come across someone else if you go towards some form of civilization.
in a situation of being in a place i dont know with little knowledge of what to eat and no tools to build a shelter, i wouldnt give up, thats not really a human sort of thing unless the crash left you with no arms or legs, i would take as much of the luggage i could find (i expect there would be a lot of raincoats an stuff) and walk in a direction i am most likely to find someone. if i really cant find anyone or any form of civilization and cannot find any food, i would set something on fire and chuck a load of leaves on it and wait for something to happen

fire should be fairly easy, if the plane caught alight just quickly make a fire transporting mossy bark jobbie (you know what i mean) and get a load of embers. if it didnt then find some stuff on the plane that will start a fire, for example the fuel and a battery...

i dont see myself in this situation though. i dont fly anywhere, and probably never will, and i have a knife on me most of the time (except college, when i remember to take it out of my pocket) and definitely if i am on holiday, in a different country, or anywhere that isnt college. so unless i am teleported from college to a desert island by some evil supervillan, i see myself with a knife in most survival situations.

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Ray.

...On the other hand, I would not survive for too long, as I currently have an injury which needs me to take various medications. Even with all the food, shelter and water in the world, I would not survive long due to the injury I had before the crash..... Sadly that would be the same case for many folks, who depend of things like insulin, asthma, or heart medicines.

A further question if I may.

Wouldn't you would take this necessary medication with you on holidays?




Kind regards
Mick

 

[sandbender]

"...on holiday in.... Canada.....a crash landing in the plane..."

"...I'm sure that if a rich middle age businessman like Anthony Hopkins (the edge) can survive in similar circumstances..."

bushcraftsman obviously wasn't thinking of the same circumstances from the film 'The Edge' which is a pity because it would make the 'situation' a bit more interesting. If your plane crashes, stay with it, the rescue teams will see a crashed plane where they might miss a person. Additionally the pilot presumably left a flight plan somewhere which can only help.

In the movie 'The Edge' the circumstances are quite different.

The plane made an unplanned detour.
The plane sinks to the bottom of an icy lake.
Apart from their wet clothes the only gear the survivors have is a bag of flares and a folding knife.
This already somewhat bleak situation isn't helped by the presence of a large hungry bear.

 

[_mark_]

I think the OP meant without a plane and cannibalism to rely on? I doubt I would survive beyond a few weeks, heart says yes, head says no. Depends on geography an climate really?

 

[treefrog]

Are there any other passangers that didn't make it that I could eat whilst I'm waiting for rescue? :yikes:

Eating the other passengers might be preferable to the in flight meals

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Mark

I think the OP meant without a plane and cannibalism to rely on?

I have seen numerous topics across a variety of internet forums that discusses "survival', mention that "mind set' is critical to survival.

I agree, an individuals mind set is one of , if not the most important factors, involved in who ends up surviving.

So my question is, given a food source that was available in circumstances where you were starving (ie a deceased passenger), would you not make advantage of what native Fijians once called "long pig"?

Please note I'm not suggesting finishing someone off, but rather making use of someone who was already deceased in order to preserve your own life.

Kinda reminds me of a Sth American rugby team during the '70's



Kind regards
Mick

 

[lannyman8]

this is a realy good thread...........

i think i may last up to a month depending on the weather... that is with water and no food, i think i would be able to make some sort of blade, either from the plane reck or some sort of stone tool.....

this opens up the shelter building and fire lighting, you could also build snares / traps for small critters..... but if you have no bait then would you realy get any animal at all, and if you did would you be willing to give up your fat filled nuts to probably loose them to some critter....

a deadfall trap could be made but again you need bait and all that energy to dig the hole may be waisted.....

i think it would be very very hard to last any length of time even with basic food stores...

i see a program about a bloke doing this in Canada he had a rifle and 12g shotey he was in tatters in weeks...... his mind went realy weard in a very short length of time... i think the bloke was a techer or sumint so maybe people from this site would fair better having more info and being more mentaly ready.....

anyway hed had to call for more supplies which he got and still could not do it, he called to be picked up in the end think he did about 3 months (could be more or less)... i think the aimed time was 6 months... i also think he lost about 1/3 of his body weaight and was amasiated and drawn in no fat or muscle at all........

cant remember what it waa called but i think it was on channel 4.......

 

[Retired Member southey]

Aha I think your talking about alone in the wild Chris,

I have now idea how long i would survive, I would put every effort into it, so at least a few days maby longer mabey not, but i just thought id pick one point from earlyer about using seat material for tinder, i dont think would work as all substances within the cabin and mostly throughout the airframe would be fire retardent, I would be worried about the sar aspect not because of there profesionalism and determination to find you, but just because of the case of Steve Fosset who crashed around the 3rd of sept but his plane wreckage wasnt found until around the 2nd of october,

Taken from NY daily news
"
The IDs provided the first possible clue about Fossett's whereabouts since he disappeared Sept. 3, 2007, after taking off from a Nevada ranch owned by hotel magnate Barron Hilton. The plane crashed about 90 miles south of the ranch.

Anderson said the steep, rugged area around the wreckage site had been flown over 19 times by the California Civil Air Patrol during the initial search for Fossett, which covered a total of 20,000 square miles."



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat..._found_in_california_belon.html#ixzz13Av1gv6b

Igroning his out come, that is a long time to find a normal sized small aircraft that wasnt that far from it home,

 

[mike 01302]

into the wild his second name was wardle i think

 

[MSkiba]

The question is not "could you survive" but "how long for"

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Southey

.....Did the stuffing of the seats survive so I can use it as insulation against the cold if it's winter? Depending on what it's made from, will it also serve as tinder?

.... but i just thought id pick one point from earlyer about using seat material for tinder, i dont think would work as all substances within the cabin and mostly throughout the airframe would be fire retardent, ....

Sounds like I may have an answer to one of my questions



Kind regards
Mick

 

[JonathanD]

G'day Ray.





A further question if I may.

Wouldn't you would take this necessary medication with you on holidays?




Kind regards
Mick

Finite resource though. Not many people would take more than needed for the two week holiday plus a little extra in case.

 

[Retired Member southey]

No probs dude, its amazing what will burn once it gets going on a aircraft, but there would be some pretty intense heat, It would keep you warm from quite some distance, I think if the air frame was on dry land and you had survived, i would set about trying to rip it up to get to the engine parts, alot of modern aircraft have Ti parts for heat shielding or structual frames around the engine especially in jets, use for pots and cups and get a cottage industrie going and buy the bit of wilderness your living in now, after all if there was other passengers on the flight you will have a few changes of clothes and mabey a lovely to spend the evenings with over a miniature gin and tonic,(there might even be some hostess uniforms)