BCGA Survival Shakedown

About The Survival Shakedown

INTRODUCTION

We live and fly in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. With that rugged beauty comes terrain and conditions that can be extremely unforgiving and treacherous to those that are not prepared. One of the most important pieces of equipment in your aircraft is your survival kit. The survival kit will vary in contents depending on the season but should contain enough supplies to provide everyone on board your aircraft with shelter, fire and water for a reasonable amount of time to allow for rescue.The BCGA Survival Shakedown is the perfect opportunity to put some thought into your survival kit and put it to the test or spruce it up. You will spend 24hours relying on nothing more than your survival kit that you would carry in your aircraft. ​SCENARIO
You depart Kamloops for a solo cross-country flight to Sechelt. About 20nm West of Kamloops in a secluded area you suffer an engine failure and are forced to land in the trees. You are fortunate to survive the landing with no major injuries and are able to self extricate from the aircraft and recover your survival kit. Rescue is at least 24hrs away.WHAT
The only thing that you may bring is a survival kit that you would reasonably carry in your aircraft. (This is not a luxury camping trip). The contents should fit into one bag and weigh no more than 30lbs. You can also bring whatever you would have on your person while flying this route. You must bring your own rations again thinking survival situation not gourmet camping trip. This will be a great opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t work in your survival kit.WHO
Participation will be limited to 20 attendees. This event is open to all BCGA members. Preference will be given to individuals that became members before September 1, 2020 (If you are not a BCGA member please sign-up. It is free and contributions are voluntary)SPOUSES
We appreciate that some of the attendees would like to include their spouses. In our past experience we have found that in order for participants to get the most out of the exercise we need to keep the group size limited to 20 participants. Furthermore, in order for this course to have the greatest impact we aim to train as many pilots as possible. Spouses may register but will be placed on a separate list and will be accommodated only if space permits. We thank you for your understanding that this policy is in place due to the popularity of this event and our desire to have the most individual aircraft prepared should they encounter the worst case scenario.

UPCOMING COURSE DATES & TIMES:

– next event not planned (yet)

COURSE FEES:

$150

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Greater Than 30 Days In Advance – FULL REFUND
30 Days to 14 Days In Advance – 50% REFUND
Less Than 14 Days In Advance – NON-REFUNDABLE

RULES

– All participants are responsible to bring their own kit.
– Your kit should resemble what you would normally carry in your aircraft for a cross country flight.
– Your kit shall be limited to a total weight of 30lbs and contained in a single bag in addition to any items on your person.
– You must be dressed appropriately for the conditions including appropriate footwear.
– All participants will follow the instructions of the instructors whom are there to ensure your safety.
– Participants are committed to stay for the duration of the event.
– Participants must remain within the confines of their assigned simulated crash site unless instructed otherwise.
– The BC General Aviation Association is not responsible for any loss or damage to your personal property.
– The BC General Aviation Association is cannot be held liable for personal injury or death as a result of this exercise.
– Be honest with yourself and bring only what you would carry in your aircraft.

COURSE STAFF

The course staff will be on hand to ensure that the exercise goes smoothly and to provide direction and instruction throughout the exercise. Each staff member brings a specific area of expertise and desire to pass on knowledge and tips to aid you in being better prepared should you find yourself in an actual survival situation. We understand that for some of the attendees, this will be the first time that they have been exposed to such a scenario. Course staff will be awake throughout the night and will be checking on the well being of the attendees and providing coaching and addressing any concerns.

Ryan Van Haren – Course Coordinator
Shaun Glass – Lead Instructor
Dave Qualley – Instructor
Theresa Bernhardt – Instructor
​Trevor Claus – Instructor

EQUIPMENT

All participants are responsible to bring their own kit. Your kit should resemble what you would normally carry in your aircraft for a cross country flight. Your kit shall be limited to a total weight of 30lbs (not including Water) and contained in a single bag in addition to any items on your person.

How to get the most out of the Survival Shakedown

Know The Limitations of The Survival Shakedown – If we made it 100% real we’d have to sacrifice an airplane.
– The Survival Shakedown is designed to give you a taste of what it would be like to rely on your aircraft survival kit in an overnight situation in a remote area.- The exercise has a start and end time, knowing that rescue will come in the morning puts the participants at a psychological advantage because they know at 2am that it will be over in close to 6 hours. Challenge yourself to think past the end time. Get yourself in a mindset that you may be there for a second or even a third night.- Participants have the advantage of starting the course rested and un-injured. As you go through your survival pattern during the exercise, keep in mind how things might be different if you or your passenger were injured, broken arms, legs or ribs would not be uncommon after a forced landing.- This course is designed to give participants hands on practice at the hard skills such as using the contents of their survival kit to build shelter, fire, signal etc. Participants will most likely be able to see 1-2 other participants from their site which greatly reduces the isolation component of the psychology of survival. Perhaps future more advanced courses may be offered that introduce isolation to the exercise however the focus of the Survival Shakedown is to practice the hands on skills.Be Honest With Yourself – “Train as you fly & fly as you train”
– The reality factor of this course is up to you the participant and how honest you want to be with yourself when it comes to the kit that you bring.- Bring and wear only what you would normally have onboard your aircraft for a flight taken on the day of the exercise (yes weather changes).

– If you want to upgrade your kit before the exercise and try some new components that is not discouraged so long as the items were purchased to be added to and stay with the kit in the airplane and not solely for the survival exercise. We know and appreciate that the Survival Shakedown is a great reason to rethink your kit which is what this exercise is all about! We just ask that any changes made to your kit in advance of the course are for the long-term benefit of your kit and not just for the exercise.

– Long story short, the Survival Shakedown is as realistic as you want to make it.

Challenge Yourself – This is your time to make mistakes!
– Imagine going into the wilderness with a medic, a navigator, and a search and rescue team ready to save you from yourself at any moment. Welcome to the Survival Shakedown!

– This is the time to try new things and challenge yourself. In a true survival situation I’m reaching for my lighter to start a fire but at the Survival Shakedown I’m going to try a flint and steel or magnifying glass.

– You brought food and water but remember that you can go 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. Consider pushing your hunger and thirst a little bit. See what it is like to be a bit thirsty and hungry after expending calories building your shelter and fire. The Survival Shakedown is the perfect opportunity to push or learn your limits in a controlled environment with experienced staff to help answer your questions.

– Don’t be a hero!  There as a fine line between pushing yourself and putting yourself in danger. Being a bit thirsty, hungry or cold is part of challenging yourself. Being seriously dehydrated or even mildly hypothermic is not part of challenging yourself and needs to be addressed. Do not hesitate to ask for help. If you find yourself in a potentially compromising situation please notify course staff early. This will allow staff to help you remedy your situation while there is still an opportunity and time to do so. This is a training exercise and there is no shame is asking for help or advice.

– Know your limit! For many participants just showing up to this exercise is pushing their personal limits. During the exercise trust your gut and know that it is ok to be uncomfortable. With that said if you feel that you are in danger you need to let course staff know. There is no shame in tapping out this isn’t a reality show but a true training opportunity.

– Course staff may pull participants out of the exercise if they feel that the participants safety may be in jeopardy.   Remember, that you the participant may not be the best judge of your current situation due to fatigue, core temperature or any other number of factors. Course staff will make every effort to assist you if need be however in the event that a staff member asks you to join us at the staff site we ask that you comply as we are looking out for your well being.

Participant Testimonials

~ “No amount of book reading or Youtube watching can prepare you to truly understand what it takes to survive. Every pilot should take this course for their own confidence and the sake of their passengers!”~ “I think everyone needs to do this course. If you think you know everything, I think you mistaking. Always learn something and this something can save your life one day.”

~ “I loved it, but it sucked.”

~ “Great course, every active private pilot should take this course.”

~ “I think the site, weather, etc.. was perfect. There had to be a risk of freezing your ass off to motivate us.”

~ “I think everyone, not just pilots everyone should take the course!!!”

~ “Great weekend of learning. You may have pre-conceived ideas on how you would fair an impromptu night in the woods. This was a great chance to learn some techniques then test them in a real wilderness situation. The coaches did a great job providing pointers and making sure everyone had a safe experience. It was better to experience a bit of discomfort now then learning the tough lessons after a real incident.”

~ “Would highly recommend to anyone in aviation or who finds themselves outdoors in remote locations.”

~” It’s such a great opportunity to learn about what works and what doesn’t in a survival situation ( in our local environment) all in a supervised situation. Thanks also to the SAR guys teaching it and trying to keep us safe as we push ourselves.”

~ “Thank you so much for putting together such a comprehensive, safe, and eye-opening weekend. Thank you for all the effort that you and the SAR team put into the weekend! I learned a lot about survival skills and survival psychology!”

~ “BC back country flying is growing in popularity and that’s a good thing. But those of you who like to fly over BC’s back country and those especially who like to land in remote areas/ back country strips etc really should also be somewhat proficient at wilderness survival in BC. If you’ve never done survival training, the BCGA is doing a great job at helping introduce pilots to the skills needed all in a safe/controlled environment. This is an awesome opportunity that should not be passed up.The BCGA and the SAR guys are committed to these events and put a lot of thought and effort into them. This course should/could cost a lot more and could save your life or those of your passengers. You will not regret taking a BC back country survival course. Might even live to fly another day.”

Video’s From The Survival Shakedown

Articles & Information From Past Courses

• Survival Shakedown Sumas Oct 1-2, 2016
• Survival Shakedown Kelowna Apr 22-23, 2017
• Drone Footage from Survival Shakedown Kelowna Apr 22-23, 2017
• Survival Shakedown Sumas Oct 14-15, 2017
• My Survival Shakedown Experience By: Sarah Bernal Sumas April 13-14 2019

Article From The November 2017 Canadian Owners & Pilots Association Magazine

Article From NavCanada News