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Scattering Ashes

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Cremation and aerial ash scattering are increasingly popular, but DIY attempts by pilots often face practical difficulties such as ashes blowing back into the aircraft, requiring careful preparation and specialized methods for dignified dispersal.
  • Scattering ashes is subject to various regulations, including FAA rules for dropping objects safely, EPA guidelines for ocean disposal, and permit requirements for land areas like national parks, in addition to potential state-level filings.
  • Achieving a dignified and successful ash scattering requires thorough planning, including ensuring cremains are finely processed, selecting an appropriate and accessible location, and using methods that release ashes effectively away from the aircraft.
  • The article emphasizes the critical importance of safety and emotional readiness, warning against undertaking such flights during times of heightened stress, as past incidents have resulted in dangerous outcomes, including crashes.
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We always thought my dad wanted his ashes spread over Cherry Hill, the family farm and B&B in the Catskill Mountains where he grew up. But my mother vetoed our plans to airdrop his ashes from my Cardinal and said he had expressed a desire to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. And so he was. The ceremony, with full military honors, was very impressive.

But cremation – and the question of what to do with the resulting ashes – has become more popular – and problematic. Typically, a group of family and friends will take the urn with the ashes to one of the decedent’s favorite places and scatter the ashes. For sailors, the favorite place might be on the water and for pilots, in the air above a favorite fly-over spot.

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