Essentials to carry on board aircraft?

[Kepis]

The Parat C mentioned on Pprune was designed for evac from Hotels and buildings rather than smoke filled aircraft, smoke hoods fitted to commercial & indeed military aircraft (we fittted them to the RAF C-130 fleet) have chemical O2 generators in them, they may only be carried on board for the use of the crew and then only after training in their safe operation, the passengers cant use them, they are also banned from being carried as cargo, including on cargo only flights because they are Haz mat, even when carried as road freight, they have to be packed in an exact fashion that will limit the spread of fire should they combust and they do combust in rather "explosive" fashion.

The best bet, also as a frequent flyer, is to either sit in the exit row, or if that's not available, count the rows either in front or behind you to the exit, that way, if there is a survivable smash and the cabin is filled with smoke, you can count the rows to the exit, even if you are blinded, bearing in mind you will probably also be climbing over bodies and all sorts of cabin & structural fixtures.

 

[Retired Member southey]

your also basing your thoughts on an incident that happened over 25 years ago, I would never say that something like that wouldnt happen again BUT massive changes have happened in flight since then,

 

[spandit]

OK, the Parat C one is a respirator - a filter, basically. Can't see why they'd disallow that but good luck arguing with security if they find it!

I suppose it comes down to a balance of having 200 panicked people or 200 panicked people with reduced vision & hearing. To be frank, carrying lifejackets on most flights is a bit pointless. Over Europe you're seldom far from a viable airfield & the likelihood of having to ditch is very remote.

My EDC for flights is charged iPhone, headphones & wallet. If you did come down, you're not going to be stranded for ages & having to walk out. Knowledge is probably your best defence

 

[Kepis]

Link to the E28180 (the grey box bolted to the bulkhead by the front & rear doors on most commercial aircraft) series CMM, which is probably one of the most used smoke hoods on passenger carrying aircraft http://www.draeger.aero/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/CMM/35-10-25_30.04.2001_Revision3.pdf,

It uses Potassium superoxide as an O2 generator

 

[Retired Member southey]

From that pprune thread, right at the bottom, http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/1219/srg_dgo_WhatCanICarry20100416.pdf

 

[spandit]

count the rows either in front or behind you to the exit

I was told by a fireman to always count the doors in a hotel to the exit - valuable advice but I don't think I've ever done it.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I was told by a fireman to always count the doors in a hotel to the exit - valuable advice but I don't think I've ever done it.

And never get a room above the 6th floor,

 

[Kepis]

OK, the Parat C one is a respirator - a filter, basically. Can't see why they'd disallow that but good luck arguing with security if they find it!

I suppose it comes down to a balance of having 200 panicked people or 200 panicked people with reduced vision & hearing. To be frank, carrying lifejackets on most flights is a bit pointless. Over Europe you're seldom far from a viable airfield & the likelihood of having to ditch is very remote.

My EDC for flights is charged iPhone, headphones & wallet. If you did come down, you're not going to be stranded for ages & having to walk out. Knowledge is probably your best defence

Exactly on all points, my edc when i was doing alot of flying, was a good book, my lap top, mobile phoner and err, that was about it

 

[boatman]

Something puzzles me. They say not to inflate your lifejacket while still in the aeroplane and I fully understand that if you were wearing it then you would be encumbered trying to exit and unable to duck under a water obstacle if there was some flooding.

But, an inflated lifejacket would be very nice between your head and the seat in front in the crash position.

 

[Kepis]

I was told by a fireman to always count the doors in a hotel to the exit - valuable advice but I don't think I've ever done it.

I used to count seat rows at times, it really depended on the airline i was flying with, some of the Russian aircraft i flew on were, lets say "entertaining", stuff like Il-18's, TU-154's & Yak-40's

 

[Retired Member southey]

Something puzzles me. They say not to inflate your lifejacket while still in the aeroplane and I fully understand that if you were wearing it then you would be encumbered trying to exit and unable to duck under a water obstacle if there was some flooding.

But, an inflated lifejacket would be very nice between your head and the seat in front in the crash position.

So a comfy crash and then you drown?

 

[Kepis]

So a comfy crash and then you drown?

.

 

[Andy BB]

I used to count seat rows at times, it really depended on the airline i was flying with, some of the Russian aircraft i flew on were, lets say "entertaining", stuff like Il-18's, TU-154's & Yak-40's

I used to fly in a Yak 40 from Bishkek to Osh and back. From the terminal it looked quite swish - a bit private-jettish with the three tail-jets. Inside it was more like an old bus, and was appalling - couldn't get over the mountain ranges so it flew between them. The day after my first arrival in Osh we heard a Yak-40 had gone down in Kazakhstan, but even that wasn't enough to stop us going back to Bishkek for weekend R&R......

 

[Retired Member southey]

I take my meds, a packet of plasters, some earplugs, a good book, warm jacket and a small wash kit, that's about it

Forgot my compact camera, its water proof in case we ditch, and though I will have a bloody nose from head butting my bottom I will enjoy taking snaps of the chaps with inflated life vests in the cabin

 

[Smith28]

When I was about 10 I was told that the only reason you are told to get into the brace position is to give you a quick, painless death so your neck snaps on the seat in front, if the plane was to crash.

I've never really worked out whether this is true or not. I mean it's not exactly something they would advertise.. What is the science behind it?

Oh, on topic, torch and spare batts. Had two lighters on my person the last flight I took, didn't realise til I got off. Hooray for airport scanners.

 

[Retired Member southey]

No its the best position due to you only having a lap belt on, else you'd slap forward into your Martini and fight times magazine

 

[bojit]

These plane things sound dangerous i would take a train , when they do crash they don't go on fire (much) and they don't tend to crash into water . Also good to sit beside a fat bloke as he might act as an airbag .

Craig.........

 

[cbr6fs]

As others have said i always take earphones (usually wear them even if not listening to anything as it stops folks telling you their life stories), ear plugs and a good book.

Can't really see much point taking anything if the plane crashes as statistically your more likely to crash driving to and from the airport, even if you do crash again statistically speaking your pretty much screwed.

Even if you wanted to be prepared most useful stuff isn't allowed like parachutes, immersion suits, breathing apparatus etc.


Sensible precautions would be to wear 100% cotton, and a dog tag or some sort of tattoo on main body parts to speed up identification.



It's a weird thing with planes, i've been on 2 planes in my life that i was 100% sure was going to crash (they didn't).
You'd think you'd panic, but apart from a couple of screaming women the plane just goes very very quiet like everyone has accepted their fate.

 

[johnboy]

what would you take as a survival kit on a flight?

All of the conventional survival kit wisdom sadly goes out out of the window when it comes to commercial flights. As carry on restrictions are increasingly tight.

I tend to carry a selection of meds for basic stuff like headaches, bad guts, simple cuts / blisters etc etc. Earplugs for getting a bit of quiet. A travellers pack of wet wipes for a bit of a freshen up if required and small bit of toothpaste and a toothbrush.. Add in the I pad and a small carry on bag for it all and that pretty much it..

 

[santaman2000]

Something puzzles me. They say not to inflate your lifejacket while still in the aeroplane and I fully understand that if you were wearing it then you would be encumbered trying to exit and unable to duck under a water obstacle if there was some flooding.

But, an inflated lifejacket would be very nice between your head and the seat in front in the crash position.

On all commercial flights I've ever taken the "life preserver" was your seat cushion; no inflation required or even possible. On military flights there was always a life raft; again, no life preservers issued.