When you’re flying, whether winter or summer, but especially winter, you should be dressed to survive in the country you’re flying over. Now, having some additional clothing isn’t a bad thing, but you should be wearing everything you NEED.
[/quote]

That's the joke. Down here in Ohio we don't go fly in bitter cold. If I am flying then it is sweater weather (for a former Alaskan).[/quote]

I hear you. Actually, the one I get a kick out of is all the folks I see flying around the Rockies wearing shorts. Those are not going to be comfy if the worst happens

MTV

I get a deep chuckle when we pick up the "unsuspecting" after a week or so in the deep south for a return trip to The Great White North

Hammer wrote:

Mapleflt wrote:Ah man, now I need to research headlamps !!!!!!

Here you go: https://www.surefire.com/illumination/h ... dlamp.html

Ya, I know...$200. But they're worth it, and here's why: you can dial it down from 300 lumens to 5 lumens, and it's that low-end that's so valuable. It means you can use it as cockpit lighting while you're flying if you need to. It also means you can choose a brightness level for any condition that won't blow your eyes out...especially valuable in the snow or while pre-flighting.

The lithium C123 battery is very cold-resistant, has a ten-year shelf life, and they're light and cheap. The rechargeable version has (much) more performance, but the utility of lithium batteries is worth more to me than the performance of the rechargeable in this scenario.

My wife and I have been using this headlamp (well, the predecessor of it) for over a decade. It's one of those pieces of gear that just works. To me, the reliability and utility of it makes the price a non-issue. I think I've purchased seven of them so far...two for us and five for gifts. I think they're that good.

Very good points on the brightness level and the batteries. I have two Surefire flashlights with the C123 battery and totally agree.

In case you're looking for a rechargeable headlamp you may want to also check out Lupine (https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com). I have the predecessor of the Pico and love it! Several Mountain Rescue organisations here use it. Very powerful, yet the setting I use the most is the 0,3 Watt (lowest). You can program all kinds of stuff (like which power setting it starts with and how they cycle through etc.). The newest generation has a third extra LED for an even lower output, probably good for reading or in the cockpit.
The smaller Neo seems great too but it didn't exist back when I bought mine. This one also has a red light mode.

Sierra7 wrote:...In case you're looking for a rechargeable headlamp you may want to also check out Lupine (https://www.lupinenorthamerica.com).....

Damn...and I thought I was spendy!!

Not to be facetious, but I think this is one of those situations where a few minutes of experience is worth many hours of internet research.

A simple test of what you should be wearing/bringing in winter is to just go to the sort of environment you fly over and spend some time there wearing what you're planning on wearing. Imagine spending up to 24 hours in that environment in those clothes, most likely with some injuries. Then, imagine that you have passengers. How are you going to care for them while you wait for help? Could you make a satisfactory shelter in this environment? Would you have access to water? How would you get it, etc.

Anyway, that's an exercise I like to do that helps crystallize things pretty quickly. Comfort isn't the measure here. Survival is a much lower bar. Your task simply put is to keep everyone's core body temperature at or near 98.6 F. The right clothes and staying dry are paramount, as is signaling. Gear-wise having things that can serve multiple functions and a positive mindset that allows you to improvise solutions is more important than what specific gear you have.

I switched all my AA battery needs to EBL rechargeables a few years ago, and have never looked back. They seem to have the same lasting power as alkaline, maybe more, 2800 mAh, and store well also. I even use them in my outside thermometer sensor, and they last for months. So my main flashlight criteria, headlamp or whatever, is that IF they need external batteries, they better be AA's.

Oregon180 wrote:... Gear-wise having things that can serve multiple functions and a positive mindset that allows you to improvise solutions is more important than what specific gear you have.

OK...I'm ON this one:



Sleeping pad; water storage; emergency fuel container; frustration venting conveyance; companion (or is that the same as the frustration venting conveyance?); emergency signal most likely to be seen from the air; income generator if downed in a bush village; key to the carpool lane after being rescued; etc..

Oregon180...no offense to your excellent post or to you...the timing just happened to coincide with my thanksgiving shopping so I figured I'd throw it out.

COOL

Ice screws have been mentioned a number of times - being new to ski flying, can anyone recommend specific screws? I’ve used duckbills quite a bit for summer flying, but haven’t got a clue where to start for ice screws for securing the plane on ice.

Brian M wrote:Ice screws have been mentioned a number of times - being new to ski flying, can anyone recommend specific screws? I’ve used duckbills quite a bit for summer flying, but haven’t got a clue where to start for ice screws for securing the plane on ice.

Black Diamond Turbo ice screws are of excellent quality and a reasonable price. I used them often in another life with less responsibilities. Now I just use them for flat surfaces. For holding your plane, I don’t think it necessary to have the latest and greatest. Save your money and buy extras. You buddy might need some. I would check eBay for deals.