What to know about survival equipment

By Adam Hunt
We often get questions at COPA about what is required for survival equipment. In the good old Air Navigation Orders days before we had the CARs the problem was simple.
If you flew over a line drawn across the country you were in a “Sparsely Settled Area” and had to carry a prescribed list of equipment. The fact that the sparsely settled line made no sense was irrelevant – at least the rules were straight forward, if hard to justify.
Since the introduction of the CARs on Oct. 10, 1996 we have had a “performance based rule” instead, where the onus is on the aircraft owner to have the right equipment for the time of year and location. Believe it or not it is a better system! The rule that tells you what you need is CAR 602.61 Survival Equipment - Flights over Land.
It basically says two things. First when you don’t have to carry survival equipment and second if you do, what it has to be capable of accomplishing.
You don’t have to carry survival equipment if you are flying a balloon, a glider, a hang glider, a gyroplane or an ultra-light aeroplane or are flying “within 25 nautical miles of the aerodrome of departure and that has the capability of radiocommunication with a surface-based radio station for the duration of the flight.”
You also don’t have to carry survival equipment if you are flying a multi-engined aircraft that is operated south of 66 30’ north latitude in IFR flight within controlled airspace, or along designated air routes or an aircraft that is operated by an air operator, where the aircraft is equipped with equipment specified in the air operator’s company operations manual, but not with the equipment required.
There is one last instance where you don’t have to carry survival equipment: if you are flying over “a geographical area where and at a time of year when the survival of the persons on board is not jeopardized.”
That last clause may allow you to fly in some areas of southern Canada in the summertime without any survival gear.
As long as you don’t qualify for one of those exceptions you need to have survival gear. But what do you need?
This CAR is pretty clear on this. It says “no person shall operate an aircraft over land unless there is carried on board survival equipment, sufficient for the survival on the ground of each person on board, given the geographical area, the season of the year and anticipated seasonal climatic variations, that provides the means for starting a fire; providing shelter; providing or purifying water; and visually signalling distress.”
That is it – no other regulations or standards apply. Because it is a bit vague, the good folks who write the AIP (and soon the AIM) have added some guidance material to help pilots out in deciding what to carry and when.
Consult your AIP or AIM for this information.