Ditching Principles

Bryan Webster started out his 10,000+ hour flying career by taking a ride in a two-seat single engine Cessna 150 and ending up inverted in the silty Fraser River beneath a large unmarked power line span east of Vancouver, BC, Canada. This experience left a lasting impression which 25 years later was the foundation for a new training concept for pilots of light aircraft, Aviation Egress Systems. (More at www.dunkyou.com). During Bryan's many years as a pilot he witnessed other aviators in the industry and recreational flyers with no predetermined escape strategy succumb needlessly to drowning while unable to egress from an inverted aircraft forced to ditch in water. Understanding personally the perils of egressing from a ditched aircraft he designed and built equipment to be used in aquatic centers simulating the challenges of disorientation and panic. After witnessing thousands of students in a controlled situation, many of which who had great difficulty coping with the inverted underwater experience he felt compelled to document behavioural strategies in a book form to reach the flying public and educate them on the importance of this not well documented subject. This books content teaches pilots and passengers what to think about and how to react to successfully escape from a downed aircraft and then survive the after effects regarding life vests, life rafts and hypothermia. Designed to be educational on the technical aspects of ditching an aircraft mixed with real life experience and a bit of humour for an informative, useful guide to help pilots and passengers understand and respect the hazards of light aircraft ditchings world wide.