Drive to Survive Kicks In

Preparing for the unthinkable on an Alaska excursion.

Friday, November 22, 2024 at 08:54 AM ET

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FLYING contributor Sam Weigel decided to build a custom survival kit specific to our needs, using the best-quality components I could find. [Courtesy: Sam Weigel]

Key Takeaways:

The author, a seasoned pilot, recounts his shift from reckless flying in youth to a meticulous focus on risk management and comprehensive survival preparedness for a trip to Alaska.
He developed a three-tiered survival kit strategy (personal vest, main kit, camping gear) designed to ensure critical items are accessible in various emergency scenarios, including rapid egress or aircraft salvage.
The survival plan prioritizes making oneself findable through satellite trackers and flight plans, alongside provisions for medical emergencies, warmth, shelter, water, and food, all optimized for a 72-hour self-sufficiency period.

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When I think back to the bygone years of my misbegotten youth, I can only shake my head and shudder at some of the flying that I blithely undertook without a second thought—and continually got away with.

Hard IFR in junky old airplanes with no autopilot, no GPS, and minimal redundancy? Check. Over rugged mountain terrain, howling wilderness, and frigid open ocean? Check. In the dark bowels of a storm-tossed, moonless night? Sure, why not.

Sam Weigel

Sam Weigel has been an airplane nut since an early age, and when he's not flying the Boeing 737 for work, he enjoys going low and slow in vintage taildraggers. He and his wife live west of Seattle, where they are building an aviation homestead on a private 2,400-foot grass airstrip.