Come Prepared or Go Home

When the weather turns cold, and the storms begin to blanket the US, other pilots might either head south of the border to quench their flying thirst or take advantage of US flying sites that typically aren’t good until winter rolls around.

This is probably my favorite time of year, since it means one of my favorite places to fly, Santa Barbara, will be turning-on and getting ready to serve up some spectacular XC. What that also means is that I’ll be paying very close attention to the items I take along for my flights. Some of the terrain I’ll be flying over will be rugged, dense with foliage, and barely accessible, even on foot.

When I was learning the XC ropes, I was taken in by the Topa pilots. This group is a bit fractured now, but its legacy lives on. The Topa pilots were a group of hungry, fearless pilots who flew in and around Santa Barbara, Ojai, and the Antelope Valley, led by Tom Truax and Tony Deleo. Our mission was to fly as far as we could, in as many directions as possible, and, hopefully, pioneer new routes along the way. We flew everywhere, in every condition imaginable; there were a lot of talented pilots in our group. Of course, along with our epic flight ambitions came some equally epic hike-outs. I remember times when pilots had to spend a night in the mountains, in freezing temperatures, and hike out the following day. There were a couple of occasions when pilots had to crawl on their bellies for hours in 100+ degree heat, while dragging their gear behind them, because it was the only way they could get through the dense, thorny shrubs to a retrievable road. One of the funniest stories, but not funny to the pilot who was involved, was when one pilot landed deep in the alluvial fan and had to hike in 110+ degree heat for a few hours in his socks. Why? you ask. Well, thirty minutes into his hike the intense heat of the sand melted the glue in his cheap KMart hiking boots, and they literally fell off his feet. The Topa pilots landed everywhere you could think of, trees included, and we were certainly no strangers to the search and rescue number either; we were notorious!

One of the things I value most from my experiences with this group of pilots was the learning the importance of planning and preparation. No matter where I’m flying now, I always carry the basic XC necessities, and the amount of items I carry definitely increases when I know the flight has good XC potential that may require flying over rough country. Plenty of you already know the importance of good flight planning and preparation, but new blood trickling into our sport might benefit from having a good XC check list. That’s really what I want to focus on.

So the question is: are you prepared?

Should you find yourself in one of the situations described above, will you have the tools you’ll need to escape as quickly and safely as possible? I’ve created a top ten list that represents what I, and some others that I fly with, carry with us when XC is the order of the day.

• GPS and Vario: The GPS is an absolute necessity for its numerous flying benefits. More importantly, should you land out, it could become your best friend. You may know where you are, but the person trying to retrieve you might not have a clue. Relaying a few GPS coordinates will make the retrieval job much easier. If you find yourself needing to be rescued, having the GPS coordinates available become vital. A vario may not be absolutely necessary, but it sure makes your flight easier.  

• Cell Phone: Cell phones are a must-have, and almost everyone I know carries one with them. Satellite phones are an option as well, but the few pilots I knew who had them complained of reception problems. If you have a really good battery for your cell phone, leave the phone on during your flight. If you are incapacitated because of a bad landing, most cell phones can be tracked and used to locate you. Plus, having your phone on while flying comes in handy if you find yourself in some really rough thermals and feel the need to “call your mommy.”

• 2 Way Radio: Again, an absolute necessity, but only if it’s turned on! I can’t believe how many pilots carry a radio and purposely don’t turn it on. I keep my radio turned on even after I land in case someone needs to radio me or needs assistance. Use the radio often while flying to broadcast your general position. Having others know your general position will come in handy if there’s a need to search for you.

• Maps and a Plan: If you’re flying alone, make sure someone else knows your intended path, and always carry the relevant emergency numbers for the region you’re flying in. Do you have a map of the area? Even thought I know the areas I fly in very well, I still carry a map in my flight deck. Get familiar with the areas you’ll be flying in and always keep an eye out while flying for potential bail-out LZ’s.

• Compass: I have two compasses: a small ball compass on my flight deck for flight, and a slightly larger one in the back of my harness for those epic hike-outs. The small version on my flight deck is there just in case I find myself enveloped in clouds. It’s happened, it’s very disorienting, and it’s not a good place to be. Clouds wrap around you very quickly in Santa Barbara, and I’m glad I have my compass right in front of me at all times. The electronic compasses within your GPS don’t refresh fast enough to accurately give your relative bearing, which is critical if you’re trying to escape the white room quickly and happen to be low to the terrain.

• Survival Kit/Rescue Kit: I have a bag of stuff (an emergency kit) I always carry in the back of my harness. It has most of the things I may need should I land in a tree, have to hike at night, or require rescue. My kit contains: headlamp, tree saw (foldable and light), signal mirror, whistle, sun block, small strobe light, water purification tablets, Leatherman pliers, dental floss (no – not for personal hygiene). You’ll need it if you need to drag the rescue rope up to you if you’re stuck in a tree), and a small first aid kit, including a compression bandage and some type of anti-inflammatory medication. This may sound like a lot, but believe it or not I can fit all these items easily into a one gallon zip-lock bag, about an inch thick, that fits easily into the bottom part of the back of my harness.

• Extra Batteries: I always carry extra batteries for my cell phone and my GPS. When I’m planning for XC, I include extra batteries for my headlamp and 2-way radio as well.

• Food and Water: A few months after I started flying, I purchased a 100 oz. CamelBak for water. I’ve carried that same CamelBak with me on every flight since then—no exceptions. You may not know when or where you’ll need it, but when you do need it, you’ll be very glad you have it. Don’t forget, you can get dehydrated just as easily in extreme cold as you can in hot weather. For food, I carry two protein bars, and a small zip-lock bag full of mixed nuts to add a little salt to the mix. I’ve had several flights where I’ve exhausted all my food and water supplies while hiking out and wished I had more.

• Protective Clothing: Never underestimate the need in this department. We all want to be cool and comfortable when we’re flying, but how many times have you dressed light, expecting not to have a high flight, and had just the opposite occur? I’d rather sweat than freeze. If you’re flying your local site and you don’t have any plans on going XC, it’s okay to dress lighter, especially in the heat of the summer. If you’re planning XC, wear pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and have at least one more layer in the back of your harness. I remember a few years back when I arrived to retrieve one of the Topa pilots who decided to wear shorts and a t-shirt for the day. When he came into view after plowing through the dense, thorny brush, it looked as if he’d been attacked by cats; he had scratches and small cuts all over. He wasn’t pretty, and I’m sure his next shower stung a bit, too. Trust me, wear a little more that you think you’ll need. If you’re flying in cold weather, put a few more layers into your harness as well, just in case you find yourself hiking in the middle of the night; you never know…

• Emergency Locators: These handy little units are becoming very popular and I plan on adding one to my kit in 2009. If you have room in your pack, and can afford it, get your hands on one of these babies. A few of the guys I fly with regularly have “Spot” emergency beacons and have nothing but great things to say about them. They’re small, lightweight, and have some great features. Some of the guys that used satellite phones have now switched to using emergency locators.

There are additional items that you could carry. Some flights may require you to carry oxygen for extremely high flights, or maybe heated gloves for extremely cold weather. The list I’ve compiled is simply what I believe to be the most important and most often used, items to include and/or consider when jumping on the XC highway. You may find that your particular harness may not have the capacity to carry all the items you’d like, in which case you’ll have to select which items will work for your limited space. One of the things I consider when purchasing a new harness is whether it has enough storage and easily accessed pockets to accommodate all of my carry-on luggage.

I hope you’ll all remember to show up to launch prepared and fly smart!