According to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), there are about 2,700 flights that cross the world’s oceans every day. When you’re halfway between continents and your airplane suffers an in-flight emergency, sometimes the only option is to ditch in the angry ocean below. Surviving this kind of “blue water ditching” was the subject of a virtual education session at last week’s NBAA Virtual Business Aviation Conference and Exposition (VBACE).
Best Practices for ‘Blue Water’ Ditching Presented at VBACE
Key Takeaways:
- Despite modern aircraft reliability making "blue water ditching" rare, thorough preparation and training for comprehensive emergency water landing scenarios are crucial for pilots on over-water flights.
- Key preparation tips include immediately activating satellite-connected ELTs, utilizing apps like Ergo Blue to identify nearby ships, and understanding ocean conditions (like swells) for a safer water landing.
- New technologies such as the space-based Aireon ALERT system provide global, real-time tracking of ADS-B equipped aircraft, vastly improving search and rescue efficiency by dramatically reducing potential search areas.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
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