I use the sailing-type lifejackets. Now my children are wearing them, I’m more risk-averse, and ‘serviced’ the oldest two this weekend. There are commercial companies offering this, but it doesn’t look difficult; Force 4 Chandlery have a good guide .
Quick summary of the inspection:
I was tempted to inflate them for real so the kids would have fun, but a) the cold gas might make the fabric brittle and b) I’m too cheap to buy new CO2 bottles. They did try them on once inflated.
Despite being 15 years old, the lifejackets were still in brand-new condition. For aviation use they’re only worn a few hours per year, and in an environment far less extreme than designed for.
Are there any steps to add? Paging sailors @GA_Pete @UdoR @alioth
For ‘real’ use at sea, they recommend servicing every year. How often do others do this?
Are there any items to add? I bought some crutch straps, as these particular lifejackets didn’t include them when new. I also got a couple of inexpensive signalling mirrors for the lifejackets worn by the adults. Maybe lights?
For me, I believe you have it completely sorted.
Absolutely good to add crutch straps…..
Using one in the water would confirm their requirement immediately, especially in non flat calm water, so it’s one bit of advice that really does need to be taken.
Did you do this yourself or did you have them do it? What do they charge? I can imagine that a check like this could quickly reach a price that would make simple replacement cheaper, especially if shipping charges are involved.
Capitaine wrote:
I use the sailing-type lifejacketsSelf inflating lifejackets can be made non-self-inflating by replacing the dissolving tablet with a dummy – relevant in planes where you need to crawl through narrow doors to get out, probably less in those where the canopy opens up. Or when using a parachute, you’d want to remove it before you start swimming.
I did it myself. ‘Service’ is misleading; it’s just an inspection. Maybe it would be a different matter if it had spent a year actively worn outdoors in the hot and cold, UV radiation, and soaked in salt water and diesel.
A quick google shows four companies all quoting £15-£16, plus shipping both ways; I assume any parts will cost extra (for example a CO2 bottle is approx £12). To compare, the cheapest brand-new lifejacket is £55.
Interestingly, manual lifejackets designed for children seem not to exist: either they’re automatic on contact with water, or the bulky non-inflating type, neither of which is suitable for aircraft use. The adult manual ones seem to fit ok, both inflated and uninflated.
Capitaine wrote:
For ‘real’ use at sea, they recommend servicing every year. How often do others do this?
Well one may recommend whatever one wishes for 
and I assume that “they” is the manufacturers.
I don’t know whether this is a worldwide – or europeanwide – thing, but my inflatable lifejackets bought in Germany do come with a date stamp for the next service. It’s two years valid (just like a car inspection, it really even looks very similar to th badge on the car) and some actually look at it.
If you let a company do the check they put a new badge on it showing again a two-years cycle of validity. The relation between new and “repack” is even much worse where I looked. It’s the same starting at maybe 60-70 Euro for a new vest – but a service is at least 30 Euro. The difference in price is well worth just trying out the “old” vest while jumping in water, to see what actually happens.
I actually repacked a life vest two days ago, because one of them on a boat where I’ve been popped open while the strap was accidentially pulled.
Capitaine wrote:
Are there any steps to add?
There’s no magic in repacking a life vest.
I highly recommend that you and the kids try it for real. The cost is relatively low , especially now you know how to repack them.
The two tricks that can be eye openers in that test are the pop and neck pressure when inflating as well as the need for tightening the crotch strap.
Safety in those situations is greatly about mitigating the startle factor.
I’ve told the account a couple of times herein…I was the proudest father when, upon landing at the end of the first overwater flight after having done the pool training with vest (and raft) inflation, my 5YO casually came back asking, “but daddy , we forgot to land on the water and deploy raft and inflate vests, are we going to do it on the way back?” priceless….that is how casual you want it to be for them: zero panic.
I use the sailing-type lifejackets.
By ‘sailing-type’ I hope you mean that the inflation mechanism is still manual, not automatic. That can have unfortunate consequences in descent from cruise altitude which some aviators have already experienced (although mainly with regard to rafts).
I have two ‘aviator’ crew vests and four ‘airline style’ passenger vests. Like you, I inflate them annually and leave them 36 hours to check for deflation. I weigh the bottles and repack. I have owned them all for over ten years and apart from replacing the bottles two years ago (because I thought I should!) they’ve been fine. When the bottles were replaced we inflated the vests using the old bottles and all inflated faultlessly.
I added whistles and lights (which are easily tested each year) and also, most importantly added spray hoods. I note your vest doesn’t have one. Having a hood is essential if in any form of rough water. There’s no point in surviving the ditching, only to drown from enforced intake of spray.
This is my annual ‘life vests tea party’ which is set up every February in preparation for the season.
General survival equipment thread
I have been told by SEMS to not inflate using the integral gas cylinder because the cold expanding gas embrittles the rubber.
BoeingBoy wrote:
I hope you mean that the inflation mechanism is still manual, not automatic
It is said already in this thread, but it is easy to transform an “automatic” into a “manual” vest. The automatic one is preloaded and a salt chip holds the bolt. Just take that mechanism off and it’s manual.
