kokonutz

Thanks man! And yeah, he's an absolute riot. Super calm on the flight, then acts like a wild man (dog) when we hit the snow.

Hey... Sorry I'm late to the thread, but someone just recently brought it to my attention. This is me and Bentley. I've been flying with him for about 2 years now, and we slowly built up the trust to have him un-attended in the front seat with me. First, his harness is like this. Car crash certified dog harness that is secured to the seatbelt with a heavy d-clamp. He is secondary secured with a leash around his neck around the seat bars. He is both secure from a crash, and movement in the cockpit standpoint. The progression to the front seat was slow. His first flight was in the back with his mom while I started the helicopter and hovered at the airport. He didn't like the sound of it starting the first time, but that quickly went away. Our second flight was him secured and unattended in the back seat and we flew about 30 minutes. I recorded his reactions in the back for a while for review to see what bothered him. He didn't like the low RPM horn when I tested it the first time... But, now he is fine with it. After about 20 flights in the back, he slowly graduated to the front.

One of my biggest takeaways was to have the ability to heat the aircraft. Not every emergency situation is going to be caused by the destruction of the aircraft. Had we had a method for heating the interior, it would have been far better than building a shelter since the winds were around 40kts. Inside the Heli, it would have been cold, but protected from the wind. Since we had fire-logs and 15 gallons of fuel for the snowblowers, we felt the snow/tarp shelter was the best approach. Had I had a candle lantern and knowing what I know now, for sure would have picked the helicopter for shelter. http://www.mec.ca/product/4008-763/uco-candlelier-candle-lantern/ Also, found some gel alcohol fuel based products that claim to be clean burning and safe to use indoors (would crack the vents if forced to light one in the cabin.) Have 2 small tins of these under the seat now. They are safer if they get tipped because of the gel fuel, they don't spill. They also don't throw a ton of heat, so good for making warm water or tea, but won't melt the cabin. http://www.realflame.com/product.cfm?id=55&f=0

Someone had a good suggestion the other day. I've switched out my thin emergency reflective survival blankets for the SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer), Thermal bivvys and survival blankets. But someone suggested keeping 4-8 collapsable water bottles. They weigh nothing. You'll want them for water anyways and if you buy a brand that can take warm/hot water, they would be great to put under the armpits for keeping the core warm. Those, inside an emergency bivvy would add a lot of heat. Plus, then you have water also. http://www.groceryalerts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/clip_image006.jpg http://www.surviveoutdoorslonger.com

Jerry F? I don't think so. He flies a Red R44 not a Rotorway. Whoever the guy was posted a picture on his instagram of it out in the blueberries after I flew over and tagged me in it. I've tried to find the picture of if but can't remember the guys IG name.

I flew right over this guy as he was sitting out in the middle of the blueberry fields at the end of runway 18. I said to my passengers how it was a weird spot for him to land because his tail was less than a foot from big bushes that would have destroyed it had it touched them. There was no firetrucks there yet, so I guess it was right after it happened.

Iceman. Was it a red coloured A-star? If so, I saw the picture of the machine after they were able to get up to you guys when the weather broke. Looked cold and windy if it was the same pic!

4 years ago, I did 30+ hours of volunteer searching for a missing hiker who was friends with a lot of my friends. His body was never found, despite it being one of the largest and longest searches in BC's history. I wrote this as an observation of a pilot as to what I see, and what is going to get you found from the air. http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36672&whichpage=19 The biggest thing I took away as an observation was the visibility of pink flagging tape from the air. After the first day of searching, I added a roll to my survival kit and always carry it with me. It's small, light, and extremely visible. http://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-6089FP/Flagging-and-Marking/Fluorescent-Pink-Flagging-Tape?pricode=DK757&gadtype=pla&id=47588014508&gclid=COnAnajV_LwCFY0-MgodCXsAbg&gclsrc=aw.ds And you can get biodegradable versions. http://www.hazmasters.com/Mutual-Industries-Flagging-Tape

As someone who was in a situation that necessitated the unpacking of the emergency kit and trying to stay warm recently, this is a great post. But, a word of caution to people who plan to use the reflective space blankets. Yes, they are awesome and reflect a lot of heat back to you, but, they are incredibly easy to tear, and when they do, they tear their entire length. Look into some coated versions like these. http://www.surviveoutdoorslonger.com/survival-1/shelter.html