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Flying On Board Seaplanes
Be prepared!
Read this before flight! |
Familiarize yourself with these matters before your flight:
- Baggage limits and stowage locations
- Seat belt operation
- Securing of seat backs and table trays
- Situational awareness
- Exit locations and operation
- Safety briefing card (always review before flight)
- Equipment - ELT, survival kit, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, oxygen
- Electronic devices
- Life preserver location and operation
- No smoking requirements
- Underwater egress
Pilots are required to provide a complete safety briefing before takeoff. Be sure all the above are covered.
Ask questions if you are unsure about anything.
Should an accident occur, your pilot may be unable to provide additional instructions regarding an emergency
landing or evacuation. Prior to every takeoff and landing, passengers should have a clear understanding of what
their actions would be if they needed to locate and operate exits, regardless of aircraft orientation
Baggage
Unsecured baggage can cause serious injury. Many operators do not permit carry-on baggage in the cabin - check
with your pilot to find out if it is permitted, and if so, where the approved stowage areas are. Check with your
pilot before packing or carrying gases, corrosives, aerosols, flammable liquids, explosives (including ammunition),
poisons, magnetic materials or any other material or substance of which you are uncertain. Carrying certain dangerous
goods or hazardous materials on board a seaplane is illegal.
Seat belt operation
Make sure it fits tight around your hips at all times, and always use the shoulder harness when available.
Practice locating and releasing the latch with both hands and your eyes closed until you are confident you could do
so in an emergency.
Situational awareness
Locate the exit in relation to your left or right knee. If the exit is on your right while upright then it will
still be on your right in the event the seaplane comes to rest inverted. No matter how disorienting an accident, as
long as your seat belt is fastened, your relationship to the exit(s) remains the same. Be familiar with your
surroundings so you can find your way to an exit, even with your eyes closed.
Exit locations and operation
Ensure you know the location of, and how to use, all exits. The method of opening an exit may be different from
one seaplane to another, and even within the same aircraft. Ask the pilot if you can practice opening the exit(s)
before engine start up.
Equipment
Know the location of all on-board safety and survival equipment, including the emergency locator transmitter
(ELT), survival kit and equipment, first aid kit, oxygen and fire extinguisher. See the safety features card for
details.
Electronic devices
Check with your pilot for restrictions on the use of electronic devices. Typically, devices that are permitted
may not be used during the take-off and landing phases.
Life preserver location and operation
Locate yours! Know how to reach it, how to put it on and how to inflate it. Seaplanes are required to carry life
preservers or personal flotation devices (PFD) for every occupant. Check with your pilot to see if the life preserver
is to be worn in-flight. If so, wear it, but NEVER INFLATE IT WHILE IN THE AIRCRAFT.
Underwater egress
In water accidents, seaplanes tend to come to rest inverted. The key to your survival is to retain your
situational awareness and to expeditiously exit the aircraft. The following actions are recommended once the
seaplane momentum subsides:
- Stay calm - Think about what you are going to do next. Wait for the significant accident
motion to stop.
- Grab your life preserver/PFD - If time permits, put on, or at least, grab your life preserver
or PFD. DO NOT INFLATE IT until after exiting. It is impossible to swim underwater with an inflated life preserver.
You may get trapped.
- Open the exit and grab hold - If sitting next to an exit, find and grab the exit handle in
relation to your left or right knee as previously established. Open the exit. The exit may not open until the cabin
is sufficiently flooded and the inside water pressure has equalized. DO NOT release your seat belt and shoulder
harness until you are ready to exit. It is easy to become disoriented if you release your seat belt too early. The
body’s natural buoyancy will cause you to float upwards, making it more difficult to get to the exit.
- Release your seat belt/harness - Once the exit is open, and you know your exit path, keep a
hold of a fixed part of the seaplane and release your belt with the other hand.
- Exit - Proceed in the direction of your nearest exit. If this exit is blocked or jammed,
immediately go to the nearest alternate exit. Always exit by placing one hand on a fixed part of the aircraft,
and not letting go before grabbing another fixed part (hand over hand). Pull yourself
through the exit. Do not let go until you are out. Resist the urge to kick, as you may become entangled
in loose wires or debris, or you might kick a person exiting right behind you. If you become stuck, back up to
disengage, twist your body 90 degrees, and then exit.
- Getting to the surface - Once you have exited the seaplane, follow the bubbles to the surface.
If you cannot do so, as a last resort inflate your life preserver. Exhale slowly as you rise.
- Inflate your life preserver - Only inflate it when you are clear of the wreckage, since life
preservers can easily get caught on wreckage, block an exit, or prevent another passenger from exiting.
NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS INTENDED TO SUPPLEMENT
THE SAFETY FEATURES CARD AND PASSENGER SAFETY BRIEFING. |
For information, comments, or to obtain additional copies, please contact the Transport Canada Civil Aviation
Communications Centre at 1 800 305-2059 or on the Web site at www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/communications/centre/
menu.htm
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