Basic Survival Skills for Aviation
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OK-06-033 BASIC SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR AVIATION OFFICE OF AEROSPACE MEDICINE CIVIL AEROSPACE MEDICAL INSTITUTE AEROMEDICAL EDUCATION DIVISION INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI). CAMI is part of the FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine (OAM). As an integral part of the OAM mission, CAMI has several responsibilities. One responsi- bility tasked to CAMI’s Aerospace Medical Education Division is to assure safety and promote aviation excellence through aeromedical education. To help ensure that this mission becomes reality, the Aerospace Medical Edu- cation Division, through the Airman Education Programs, established a one day post-crash survival course. This course is designed as an introduction to survival, providing the basic knowledge and skills for coping with various survival situations and environments. If your desire is to participate in a more extensive course than ours you will find many highly qualified alternatives, quite possibly in your local area. Because no two survival episodes are identical, there is no "PAT" answer to any one-survival question. Your instructors have extensive back- ground and training, and have conducted basic survival training for the mili- tary. If you have any questions on survival, please ask. If we don't have the answer, we will find one for you. Upon completion, you will have an opportunity to critique the course. Please take the opportunity to provide us with your thoughts con- cerning the course, instructors, training aids. This will be your best opportu- nity to express your opinion on how we might improve this course. Enjoy the course. 1 NOTES CIVIL AEROSPACE MEDICAL INSTITUTE _____________________________________________________ Director: Melchor J. Antuñano, M.D. _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ AEROSPACE MEDICAL EDUCATION DIVISION _____________________________________________________ Manager: Brian S. Pinkston, M.D., M.P.H. _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ AIRMAN EDUCATION PROGRAMS _____________________________________________________ Team Leader: Rogers V. Shaw II Larry “Bo” Boshers JR Brown _____________________________________________________ Donald DeMuth Eric “Bart” Simson _____________________________________________________ Roger Storey _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Contact Information FAA, Civil Aerospace Medical Institute _____________________________________________________ Airman Education Programs, AAM-400 P.O. Box 25082 _____________________________________________________ Oklahoma City, OK 73125 _____________________________________________________ Office: 405-954-4837 Fax: 405-954-2305 _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Website http://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/airman_education _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 2 NOTES _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Psychology of survival…………………………… Page 4 _____________________________________________________ Search and rescue………………………………… Page 11 _____________________________________________________ Signaling…………………………………………... Page 17 Hotland survival…………………………………... Page 34 _____________________________________________________ Coldland survival…………………………………. Page 44 _____________________________________________________ Tropical survival………………………………….. Page 52 Water survival…………………………………….. Page 60 _____________________________________________________ Kits, rafts, and accessories……………………….. Page 88 _____________________________________________________ FAA kits, rafts, and accessories…………………. Page 103 Pick-up devices……………………………………. Page 114 _____________________________________________________ Fire building………………………………………. Page 120 _____________________________________________________ First Aid/Self Aid…………………………………. Page 125 Quiz………………………………………………... Page 138 _____________________________________________________ Advisory Circular 120-47…………………………. Page AC-1 _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 3 PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL NOTES _____________________________________________________ Post-crash survival should be a subject of interest to all who fly. However, ask yourself the following question; how serious do I take the sub- ject? The answers will vary from person to person, and from personality to _____________________________________________________ personality. The chances of actually being thrust into a multi-day post-crash survival scenario are remote. Still, statistics prove that it can happen. If it hap- _____________________________________________________ pens to you, are you prepared to deal with the stressors associated with a post- crash environment? Before you can start dealing with first aid, or signaling, _____________________________________________________ you must be able to deal with yourself mentally. This chapter will address the many mental stressors that can be involved in a post crash survival situation, and how you can deal with them successfully. _____________________________________________________ When preparing for a potential survival situation you must first admit _____________________________________________________ to yourself that it can happen. Once you have taken this first step, you can then start preparing for an event that will hopefully never occur. _____________________________________________________ Preparing for an event that may never occur is not always easy. However, if you take the time to prepare yourself both mentally and physi- _____________________________________________________ cally, your chances of survival will increase dramatically. Having the right frame of mind and being able to think productively are critical. Having _____________________________________________________ knowledge of the intended use of gear, or the ability to improvise using gear, increases confidence and ultimately your chances of survival. _____________________________________________________ Throughout your survival experience, it will be imperative to main- tain a positive mental attitude. Having a positive outlook may be the differ- _____________________________________________________ ence between success and failure. A positive mental attitude will be tested by many factors. These factors will test your ability to cope with the situation, and will test your will to survive. _____________________________________________________ Several factors that could influence your positive outlook: _____________________________________________________ Post Crash Shock - Being suddenly introduced to a new and threat- _____________________________________________________ ening environment can be a very traumatic experience. Your ability to handle this change will depend heavily on your mental state. A person who thinks randomly and/or irrationally will act in the same manner. After evacuating _____________________________________________________ the aircraft and treating for injuries, you should sit down and take an objective look at your situation. If you have water, drink it, it will help you to think _____________________________________________________ rationally and minimize the risk of shock. (Refer to S.TO.P. on pg. 1-5 for more on this topic.) _____________________________________________________ Injury and Illness - Whatever affects the mind will in turn, affect the body. This is the principal behind the whole body concept. A continuous, _____________________________________________________ nagging injury can take away from a positive mental attitude. Try to remem- ber that pain is the body's way of telling you something is wrong. Treat the 4 (18) A survival kit, appropriately equipped. Some of the items injury that causes the pain. If the pain persists, keep your mind busy by doing which could be included in the survival kit are: the work necessary to be rescued. (i) Triangular cloths. Thirst and Hunger - For the body and mind to function normally, it must have food and water. Water is essential to survival. Life expectancy (ii) Bandages. without water, in extreme conditions, is three days. Even when you are mildly dehydrated, mental skills decrease. When you feel thirsty, you are already (iii) Eye ointments. dehydrated. If you get into the aircraft thirsty, then you are also going into your survival experience dehydrated. By entering the aircraft already hydrated, (iv) Water disinfection tablets. you can prevent this. (v) Sun protection balsam. When dealing with hunger, it is important to remember that the aver- (vi) Heat retention foils. age person can survive 30 days without food. Human beings are creatures of habit. We have established our eating schedule over many years (breakfast: 6 - (vii) Burning glass. 8 a.m., lunch: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., dinner: 5 - 8 p.m.). During a survival episode, when these established times are upon you, the body is expecting to be fed. (viii) Seasickness