The viewer of our route will have noticed that we orientated ourselves to a great extent by land masses. This has to deal with our great respect for cold water. We managed to reduce cross water flights to a great extent. Naturally, we could not avoid the water completely. Hence, the study of literature and survival instructions for emergency landings on water was a compulsory program (a great elaboration is found under www.equipped.org). But still we did not feel prepared very well with pictures and texts alone on long route segments with up to 4 hours flight time over open water at temperatures of 2-10°C  (35-50°F).
How do you really cope with the so-called hypothermia, an extremely rapid cooling of the body in the water (which is 30 times faster than in the air)? Within only a few minutes a person may become completely incapable of movement and action – not a nice idea at all. What kind of equipment is helpful and what really is essential? How would you use all this equipment under difficult conditions and extreme stress (finally, you made a ditching the very first time in your live just before). Sure: In case of doubt, a lot of equipment may help a lot. But how much equipment is really useful so it does not become a handling or a load problem?

Use of Emergency Signals / Gebrauch Notsignalmittel

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

AOPA North Atlantic seminar

The AOPA (www.aopa.de) "North Atlantic seminar" of Arnim Stief introduced, among other very important aspects, also the subject equipment for North Atlantic flights in a refreshingly amusing way on 11/21/2009. Arnim Stief brought his personal Survival equipment to the seminar. He indicated alternatives for equipment and gave his point of view as one of the most experienced North Atlantic flyers and successful “Earthrounder”. Furthermore, the one-day course in Egelsbach addressed many other topics to be considered for a North Atlantic crossing: Navigation, legal, flight security aspects, etc. One of his recommendations also was to visit the „sea survival training” of the German Army Marinegeschwader in Nordholz in order to get real hands on experience.

"Sea Survival Training"

This training took place 12./1. &2. 2009 on the premises of the German Army “Marinegeschwader 3 Graf Zeppelin" in Norholz, Germany. Because this training is set up for navy pilots and the air force, a “civilian” cannot simply book this course. However, in case there are available places left on a given course, the armed forces allows a few external participants. The company Life Guard Association not only helped us booking on one of the rare places. They (in person Mr. Holm) also gave us advice and encouragement during the two days. This training should turn out not to be a normal seminar in the classical sense...

The first day

After a very friendly welcome in the barracks (Wilma thought armed forces would be somehow different) our agenda was:

• Introduction to dangers on sea
• Progress reports
• Personal equipment: Survival suits, life jackets, life rafts
• use of the equipment briefing
• use of distress signals
  
  

The second day

07:30 o'clock … now it became serious. Outdoors we had frosty December temperatures – inside pleasant 30°C. Clothing (navy blue flight suits, airman's helmets, light footwear) and somehow all in a sudden we were in the water.

What started as harmless "warm-up exercises", like diving straight through the pool along a rope down to 4.5-m depth and jumping from 5 m tower quickly led to the real survival drill.

First we had to straighten up a survival raft which had resolved fully from the packaging. Unfortunately it waited for us in the water with the life saving opening face down (here 50% of chance exists that a raft does not follow the colorful pictures of a prospectus). Before this exercise we had no idea, how much power is necessary to bring a 4 man's raft into an operational state. Next step: One person secures the raft - the others get. What sounds comfortably, felt much more strenuous. The flight suit and the gravitation tried to hold us back in the water with all means – and dear goodness – was this raft glibbery. Then the last step: heave in the securing person … we made it (see picture below).

You want a little rest in the life raft? No way! A simulated "rescue helicopter" reeled the rescue harness from a 5 m tower and "winched" to us successively from the raft. Jump in the water – afterwards "winching" out of the water.
Short breather – now we went into the METS (Modular Egress training simulator): A cockpit model which can be flooded completely using cables from the roof. We got a briefing about how important it is to know your cockpit “reference points” for survival.  Further, we got answers to the questions: What kind of technique should we use to get to the exit reliably under water – even if it is dark? How important are seat belts and above all how can you open them with a few quick actions? (If they stick, a belt knife in reach is a life-saver)
Splash! The first exercise was conducted with the cockpit upwards.  Suddenly, the swimming supervisor sprang to our minds. She calmed us before the exercise with the words that the human body manages to cope without respiration for 1.5 minutes – we would have all time in the world. After ditching and only a few seconds later we experienced, how a little the human respiration centre really knows about this logic under strain and stress…
In the second round conditions were exacerbated. This time upside down: Air bubbles all over the place and loss of orientation within seconds. Now the drill helped us: Open seat belt (if necessary move hand along leg to the opener), with the other hand always stick to the seat, recognize your reference points and … right side remains right side even upside down. Otherwise you don’t find the exit.
An impressive crowd of rescue divers in the water signaled: Help is always near in case we failed to follow the drills – a safety we will be lacking in a real emergency case.
The afternoon was dedicated to a very important theoretical introduction to the dangers of hypothermia, their recognition in the different phases and counter measures.
To sum up, we can say for ourselves: The participation in this course hopefully remains a complete waste of time because we never will have to apply the learnt. If, however, the undesirable emergency occurs: Then we would have had only very little survival chances without this training – even with the best survival equipment in the world. Our respect for the cold water has increased even further – but now we know what needs to be done at least. It really was a great honor for us to be invited to Nordholz. Therefore, at this point a big thank you to all involved for the chance to participate in this excellent training!