SOS
The purpose of the S.O.S demonstration is to prepare the passengers for the emergency landing and to maximize their chances of survival. The S.O.S
... [Show More] demonstration is performed in a specific order:
S – SURVIVE THE IMPACT - Seatbelts & brace positions.
O – GET OUT – Exits & strip path lighting.
S – SURVIVE OUTSIDE – Life jackets (Ditching) & safety cards.
Search and Rescue
There are 24 hour emergency rescue services in place in the event that an aircraft is lost from the radar systems; if this happens then the rescue services will treat this as lost aircraft. The procedure that is the rescue services use to locate the aircraft in distress is called Creeping Line Ahead
Creeping Line Procedure
The search aircraft goes to the last known position for the aircraft it is looking for.
It then flies a track, the average track being the same as the missing aircraft.
Whilst flying this pattern, the search aircraft projects GREEN pyrotechnics at regular
intervals every 10 to 15 minutes and always before and after turning.
As soon as the survivors see GREEN pyrotechnics, they must endeavour to attract the
aircrafts attention by all means at their disposal.
When the rescue aircraft has seen the survivors signal, to acknowledge it will:
During hours of daylight – rocking its wings.
During hours of darkness – flash its landing/navigation lights ON and OFF TWICE.
Principles of Survival
In order for the human body to survive then certain considerations apply, we call these the 4 Principles of Survival and we prioritise them in the following order:
PROTECTION LOCATION
WATER
FOOD
Protection
As aircrew we should be ensuring to protect ourselves and passengers from any hostile environment depending on the conditions in which we have landed into. We may need to protect ourselves against fire & smoke, weather conditions (sun, rain etc) or even wild animals! We should be using all available resources around us in order to have maximum protection; a good resource of protection could be the A/C fuselage depending on its condition after impact. A point to remember is that the A/C has a lot of electrics as well as fuel which could be a fire risk. We can use any of the natural surroundings to build a shelter as protection.
Location
We will attempt to alert the rescue services of our location by whatever means we have available, our main survival tool that we have is our ELT radio beacon which will be activated by a CC. We can also use ground to air visual signals, make markings on the ground, use brightly coloured materials such as passengers’ baggage and life jackets, we can also make use of whistles & mirrors.
Water
Our bodies can survive for longer periods of time without food than it can without water; this is why water is of a higher priority in this case. Water may have to be rationed in survival situations as we have to think long term, we will not know how long it will be until we are rescued.
Sources of Water include:
Rain Water
Old Sea Water
Water from Fish
Snow
Ground Water
Plants
Food
This is of least priority of the Principles of Survival as initially our bodies can survive on accumulated fat, sometimes for as long as several weeks. Again we must think long term, lack of food will make it difficult to work, keep warm and resist illness and disease. Food is known as a morale booster and it will help to keep ‘spirits high’ with survivors. We should collect all suitable means of food from the A/C if it is still intact and safe to enter as well as any foods that we can locate from the natural surroundings.
Never eat food if water is not available!
Surviving a Forced Landing
After a crash landing in a remote area the aircrew must:
A - Keep a safe distance until explosion risk has passed
B - Make contact with other survivors
C - Apply First Aid in the following order:
- Breathing Difficulties
- Major bleeding, wounds and fractures
- Shock
D - Separate the dead from the living
E - Investigate the wreckage for salvageable items but take no risk from fire or
explosion
F - Decide whether to stay or move. Remember the crash site itself is probably the best aid to location
G - Apply the “Principles of Survival”
International Distress Signal
Below is the International Distress Signal that we should make with fires as a way of attracting attention. (Bright fires at night, Smokey fires during the day)
Ground Air Signal Codes
In the table below you will see the signal codes that survivors should use to communicate to the rescuers from the ground to the air, these symbols should be made by visible materials and be as large and prominent as possible (at least 2.5 meters or 8 feet long). [Show Less]