Last weekend, I'll pulled my Fly Baby's seat out for a bit of upholstery work. Before I re-installed it, I noticed the orange survival kit attached to the lower baggage shelf behind the pilot's seat. It had come with the airplane when I bought it in 1996

The rope tieing it down was a bit loose. Started to look how to adjust it, then realized in the 22+ years I've owned this airplane, I'd NEVER taken the survival kit out and looked at it.

So I figured I'd better do that:


Wire variety of stuff, including some food items which might not still be edible and a flashlight with dead batteries. Had some stuff I didn't think was necessary, such as a set of anodized aluminum chocks.

It's a fun game, thinking about how to restock it. But something occurred to me.

Like some of us, I've got a single-seat airplane. The kit was located in a box behind the pilot's seat. If I had a bad crash and couldn't move, I wouldn't be able to get to it. Or, if I were bleeding badly, would I have enough time to crawl out, remove the seat, then reach back deep into the baggage compartment to get the kit?

So now I'm thinking of adding an "auxiliary" survival kit, within reach of the pilot. There are a couple of nooks and crannies that I think I could rig up to hold some small items.

So...what should be included? Remember, we're not talking about survival kits in general, we're talking about what's within reach of the pilot seat.

I'm thinking:

1. Survival knife (cut seat belt straps, potentially saw through cables
2. Compress bandage, combat type - stop bleeding
3. Parachute cord (general use, including tourniquets)
4. Space blanket (wrap around for warmth if I can't get out)

I'm thinking of adding a signal mirror to this list, just because they're thin and easy to stow. However, this being the Seattle area, the utility is a bit less... :-)

What other ideas?

Ron "Ouch!" Wanttaja