highflyer wrote:
As Peter mentioned before one does the overhaul every 2-3 years.
There’re rafts with service interval of three or even five years, but those are, as far as I’ve seen, sealed packages. And as for weight, big variable is the survival gear you want inside (you can alternatively have it in a second bag but then you’re risking that only one bag will make it out).
The choice really depends on where one flies. I don’t think it’s necessary to point out that there is a significant difference between coastal waters of Mediterranean and offshore North Sea, not to mention North Atlantic. Peter still makes a good point, you have to be able to deploy the raft or it’s just a dead weight you carry around. Preferably on your own, even when you always fly with someone else (they might be in no shape to help you). And you can extend that logic as you might be injured yourself, it’s not ideal to rely on your full ability. OTOH in an emergency, you’ll be fueled by adrenaline and cortisol. Even when you’re outside the range of helicopters, a proper raft with supplies can be airdropped to you. There are multiple ways to go about this with different trade-offs.
One point I would make: don’t inflate a raft just for fun 
The reason (given to me by SEMS when I suggested testing mine in a pool before sending it to them for OH) is that the gas cools to some very low temp as it exits the bottle (thermodynamics) and this makes the rubber brittle. When they test inflate after the OH they use normal air from a compressor.
Can’s SEMS OH a Winslow?
Yes a raft is your only survival plan in most ditching cases. A life jacket just means they will find your body…
aart wrote:
I do believe that in a real emergency (flipped over in the water) the chances are so much better that you’ll be able to take the Survival out with you compared to the Winslow, You can actually place the Survival on your lap just before hitting the water.
I personally believe in securing a raft in place. This of course depends on the aircraft. Just like you train to get out without relying on your sight or sense of up and down, you should be able to get all the gear. So it helps if it stays in one place. I’m not sure I’d want to hold onto a raft. Weight shouldn’t be an issue underwater. You might have the opposite issue – as they float, they might be difficult to pull/ hold down so they can be pushed out. I believe there was a case of a raft inflating on its own while in transport. One might want to consider this possibility. If a raft doesn’t have (good) ballast, you don’t want to underload it. Also, it’ll probably make boarding difficult, it could even be impossible for you (especially if you have to do it repeatedly). A lot can be written about this.
Peter wrote:
A life jacket just means they will find your body…
It’s handy when you’re under water and disoriented. It’ll come in handy also in case inflation system fails and you have to unpack the raft and inflate it manually. Or when you’re repeatedly thrown out/ capsized. Yes, PFD alone can save you only when help is close (how close it has to be depends on temperature).
Case study on a real world ditching
http://www.equipped.org/1199ditch.htm
Ferry piloting across the ocean requires considerable testicular fortitude.
Very interesting, thanks.
… and scary!
Really great article. Thanks for sharing.
Fearsome indeed! More than ever I will think twice before crossing a serious amount of water. This was after all a professional job carrying more emergency equipment than my bird can carry, and they came close to dying.
Amazing story. Did you see the page where you can try and spot the survivor in the water?
Can you find the survivor in his life vest in the photo below?
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
This was after all a professional job carrying more emergency equipment than my bird can carry,
Not really, if you read the conclusions. Hindsight is of course always 20/20, but from the report they made LOADS of mistakes, starting with an u/s raft via inflating the vests inside the a/c to not tying themselves together to not having flares, etc, etc. Great thing they survived, but I’d put that down to luck and the efforts of the USCG.
