There when you need it?

We looked at life jackets in Right Hand Seat in December 2004 and again in March 2014 but a further review will not go astray as they get little coverage.

For a life jacket to be approved for aviation use the maker has to get approval from the likes of CASA or get FAA TSO C13f approval. That means it meets at least a minimum standard. It may be that a marine unit is of high quality but has not been approved by an aviation regulator. That means it is not approved for aviation use.

Cost should not be the only factor in the purchase of an aviation life jacket. There are cheap life jackets and there are more costly units.

In most cases quality and features should be the deciding factor. There are constant wear units, there are belt pouch units and there are airline vest-style life jackets. There are single and two chamber units and there are extras like a crotch strap to stop the user slipping out of the inflated life jacket as per one ditched ferry pilot. There are spray hoods to stop drowning from splashed water.

Do not even think of purchasing a marine rigid foam jacket. Wearing one of these in a ditching could mean being pinned against the roof of a sinking aircraft. The same applies to a marine type water activated inflation unit. Aviation units all have manual inflation.

Aviation life jackets require a whistle and a water immersionactivated light. The survivors of the Norfolk Island jet ditching were only found when their jacket lights were seen by a rescue boat crew.

Constant wear life jackets are now to be seen with cargo pockets in which an ELT or Cyalume lighting sticks can be carried.

Aviation life jackets have varying service/inspection (S/I) dates. Some are annual and others can be as long as five or even 10 years. This writer has two life jackets that receive annual S/Is. Owning a life jacket can be a pain. Getting the life jacket to the service shop (for that brand of jacket), the cost of the S/I and the time the life jacket is unavailable.

One has to look at the S/I period.

Would you fly an aircraft that has not flown for 10 years without an inspection? For a piece of safety equipment five or 10 years is too long between inspections.

CASA tell us via CAO 20. 11 the requirements for emergency and survival equipment. CAO

Trying to put a life jacket on in the water is very difficult, more so with a panicking passenger.

20. 11 Appendix 4, 1. 4 (a) notes that charter pilots should do a life jacket water demonstration. Few GA charter pilots seem to have done this.

Of the GA life jackets available the constant-wear unit is the most expensive to purchase, but is favoured by serious aviators.

The waist pouch on a belt type can be a good buy for the likes of a flight school or floatplane operator. They can be unpacked and pulled over the head in a moment. They are bulky to have on your lap when putting on a seat belt. In the case of a floatplane that has turned over on landing or sinking from a holed float the life jacket is ready to use. Trying to put a life jacket on in the water is very difficult, more so with a panicking passenger. The regulations require that a life jacket is to be worn if the machine is flying over water below 2,000ft, excluding takeoffs and landings. Trying to put on an airline vest-type life jacket would be a panic-stricken exercise should the engine fail below 2,000ft. Better to have the life jacket on and ready to inflate, once outside the aircraft, is a better option.

The airline-vest model is often the flight school life jacket of choice based on cost. The draw back with this type is that it is packed in a valise that dictates that the life jacket should be repacked if taken out of the valise. OK, so if the aircraft is flown below 2,000ft over water then the life jacket should be worn and that then requires a repack. Who unpacked the unit? Was that with the pilot’s approval? Who is to pay for the repack? With all emergency safety and survival equipment it is best to demonstrate the storage and use to the passengers before the flight commences, just like the airlines do. With life jackets that means handling a unit, explaining the features and how to use it. Having a demo unit is an asset.

Proper use of a life jacket as a survival item relies on the unit being cared for, being instructed on how to use it, being able to put it on, and having it operate correctly to save a life when needed.