Essentials to carry on board aircraft?

[santaman2000]

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...

From the wording it seems like you're saying NO haz-mat can be transported by air. I don't know about the smoke hoods specifically but while on active duty we routinely transported haz-mat; granted it had to be appropriately packaged, labelled with the proper placarding, sequestered, approved, and manifested.

Benzene and MEK come readily to mind.

 

[Graveworm]

Would take a SAK containing blades/tools of no more than 60mm in length as allowed under current rules and regs.

.

Whilst the current "Rules" allow them some airports & carriers do and others (most) around the world still don't and they are allowed to set their own restrictions. For example Heathrow does but Gatwick only allows blunt Scissors of less than 6cm and no knives. If you are flying from the states the TSA still won't let you bring them on either.

If I am carrying them for other reasons then my PLB and or Sat phone will be in my hand luggage so they might prove useful in the incredibly unlikely crashed, survived but not immediately rescued scenario. That said I suspect that I'll be in my seat and they will be in the overhead. I can't imagine carrying anything specifically for that purpose though.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I wonder if they have larger life vests for some of the double wides that travel? If your booking two seats do you just use them as arm bands, it sounds like I'm being flippant but I am just intrigued.

 

[Kepis]

From the wording it seems like you're saying NO haz-mat can be transported by air. I don't know about the smoke hoods specifically but while on active duty we routinely transported haz-mat; granted it had to be appropriately packaged, labelled with the proper placarding, sequestered, approved, and manifested.

Benzene and MEK come readily to mind.

If you read it properly, im saying smoke hoods cant be transported by air because they contain chemical O2 generators.

 

[Kepis]

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......

I used to hate the Yak-40's, like you say from the outside they look pretty neat, but on the inside, well i think the word "agricultural" comes to mind, one of the ones i flew on had big old balloon tyres that looked like they were better suited to a Massy Ferg than an aircraft

 

[TomBartlett]

Statistically speaking, you'll be fine. Of the 53,487 people involved in plane crashes in the U.S. from 1983 to 2000, 51,207 survived. Even when Aloha Airlines Flight 243 suffering explosive decompression at 24,000 feet only one person died, a flight attendant who wasn't strapped in. So I wouldn't worry too much.

Here's a picture of what rolled into Kahului airport, with all but one passenger.

 

[Kepis]

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.

The life jacket is located under your seat, they tell you this during the preflight saftety briefing on every commercial flight, well they did on the thousands of flights i took all over the world in the twenty odd years that i travelled commercially all over the world, the seat cushion is a floatation device not a life preserver.

 

[spandit]

From the wording it seems like you're saying NO haz-mat can be transported by air. I don't know about the smoke hoods specifically but while on active duty we routinely transported haz-mat; granted it had to be appropriately packaged, labelled with the proper placarding, sequestered, approved, and manifested.

Benzene and MEK come readily to mind.

Dangerous goods (which is what they are called now) are covered by IATA and ICAO regulations. With proper packaging, labelling & handling there is a lot of stuff you can carry. Doesn't mean a passenger can take it.

Don't know off-hand whether chemical generators are ever allowed in the hold - can dig out the appropriate regulations if people are that interested.

 

[Retired Member southey]

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&newstype=n&mode=detail&nid=187

 

[Kepis]

Don't know off-hand whether chemical generators are ever allowed in the hold - can dig out the appropriate regulations if people are that interested.

Chemical O2 Generators were not allowed as cargo when i was working with them, we had to bring them over from the factory in Germany by truck and even by road because of the nature of the things the packaging requirements for road freight were incredible, even dedicated Cargo flights were difficult to nigh on impossible to get the things on, things may have changed in the last couple of years since i last dealt with the units, but i doubt if the rules have been relaxed.

I have copies of the UN, MSDS and Packaging requirements here for the generators, will have to dig them out though.

 

[Kepis]

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&newstype=n&mode=detail&nid=187

The rules were subsequently tightened further after that

 

[Elines]

I do a lot of travelling for work, which means I take a lot of flights. Ignoring for the moment the basic fact that no-one has yet survived a wide-body jet crash into open water, what would you take as a survival kit on a flight?

May be it would help to re-define the problem a bit.

In terms of problems with the actual plane whilst in the air it seems from what has already been posted that either:

• you die on impact, or
• the plane lands and you are alive. or
• the plane lands and you are dead

Any survival kit won't be of any use. So ........

...maybe it's better to think in terms of what might go wrong where a survival kit would be useful eg:

• prolonged delay before take off because of a need to empty the hold to check all baggage because the records of what should be in the hold don't tie up/Air traffic control problems/bad weather
• a hi-jacking
• lost baggage (already dealt with by John Fenna)

The main things everyone would need might already be on the plane eg water and toilet paper.

So that means your kit should contain something that would be useful to you specifically. I'm getting a bit stuck here on what that, might be but possibly:

• a torch - possibly one of those book torch things that allow you to read a book without disturbing other people
• and a book to go with it
• MP3 player and headphones
• any specific medication you are on - plus sanitary stuff for women
• a change of clothes - especially trousers and underpants
• an emergency reflective foil blanket
• cord

etc (ie can't think of anything else at the moment)

 

[Bushwhacker]

This is just another subject that you could spend the rest of your life worrying about.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I'm guessing the thread came about from the airfrance occurrence the other day. And I don't mean the flight attendant in the cockpit!

 

[spandit]

As Elines put it, it's better to prepare for delays than a crash - enough stuff in your hand luggage to be comfortable for a few hours in the terminal (small blanket, perhaps?)

 

[Andy BB]

I'm guessing the thread came about from the airfrance occurrence the other day. And I don't mean the flight attendant in the cockpit!

Actually, no! Had been reading on Bushcraft usa about the differing levels of "prepers" they have there, and thought that virtually all of that stuff wouldn't be allowed to be with you if your plane came down in jungle (or the mountains). As I've been on/off aircraft almost incessantly recently (and off to the US again this weekend - ooh, spendies), thought it might make an interesting topic for discussion. (Also helps that one daughter is commercial pilot, another a stewardess for Virgin Atlantic......)

 

[santaman2000]

If you read it properly, im saying smoke hoods cant be transported by air because they contain chemical O2 generators.

Thanks for the clarification. That makes more sense.

 

[santaman2000]

The life jacket is located under your seat, they tell you this during the preflight saftety briefing on every commercial flight, well they did on the thousands of flights i took all over the world in the twenty odd years that i travelled commercially all over the world, the seat cushion is a floatation device not a life preserver.

Quite the opposite of the commercial flights I've taken. They brief you to use your seat cushion AS a flotation devise. Could it be different airlines? Over the years I've flown Coniff, Pan Am, Delta, Eastern and Frontier (although I suppose Frontier shouldn't count as it didn't fly over water and 3 of the others are now defunct)

 

[santaman2000]

Dangerous goods (which is what they are called now) are covered by IATA and ICAO regulations. With proper packaging, labelling & handling there is a lot of stuff you can carry. Doesn't mean a passenger can take it...

We still have to plackard these (and many more items) as hazardous materials over here; in the air or on the road. Indeed on road drivers still have to have a Haz-Mat indoresment on their CDL.

Agreed about pax not being allowed to carry.

 

[Retired Member southey]

We still have to plackard these (and many more items) as hazardous materials over here; in the air or on the road. Indeed on road drivers still have to have a Haz-Mat indoresment on their CDL.

Agreed about pax not being allowed to carry.

same here, ADR cert with training for specific classes,