Member's Home Forums General Discussion International Flying - General Topics Life Jackets - Constant wear

As our partner, Randy Boone from AST Overwater repeatedly says, "If its not on you when you get in the aircraft, it probably won't be when you get out".

Most pilots who purchase or rent life jackets obtain the type that comes in the plastic pouch, similar to the one used by the airlines. These are relatively economical and convenient to store away in an aircraft. However, if one pauses to think of this scenario, you are over water level at 6,000 feet, engine fails, you have to trim for best glide, review emergency procedures, try and re-start the engine, squawk 7700, communicate a distress call, brief the passengers, decide where you want to navigate to..... All of this while you are trying to rip open the pouch, figure out how to put it on without strangling yourself or getting tangled up in your seat belt or the yoke.... It is not a very pretty mental picture.

Therefore, a practical option is to use a "constant wear" vest which you put on before you get into the aircraft and never have to worry about until you get back out. There are different options available. When we are conducting operations over water (and we do have a twin), we use Switlik vests which are also used by US Coast Guard helicopter pilots. These vests are very rugged, TSO'd and are reasonably comfortable. The only problem is that they are also very expensive.

Some pilots opt to use marine type "constant wear" vests which are more readily avaialble and economical. However, some of these vests have a feature which could be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS for pilots, the AUTOMATIC inflation feature. Some vests have a seal that dissolves in water so that the vest automatically inflates if the user falls into the water and is incapacitated. However, if a vest were to inflate while the person wearing it were still inside the cabin of an aircraft, it could become an extremely dangerous situation.

Therefore, if you plan to use a marine type vest in an aircraft, you should make sure that it is suitable for your operation. The other "Kapok" type vests are totally useless in an aircraft and are probably a greater risk than an aid to safety.