Canadian Bush Pilot Survival Kit Requirements

 

Pilots flying over remote areas in Canada are required to carry basic survival items aboard their aircraft.

Canada used to have pretty stringent regulations regarding required survival gear. Then we revised the regulations, leaving the contents virtually undefined and ambiguous, presenting unscrupulous operators with loopholes large enough to fly a 747 through. The current version of the regulation follows, with the former version, a fairly good guide for what may be considered acceptable with modification by some field personnel, following the current regulations. (In other words, follow the old regulation if you plan on surviving in the bush.)

Survival Equipment - Flights over Land

CAR 602.61 (1) Subject to subsection (2), 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

(a) starting a fire;

(b) providing shelter;

(c) providing or purifying water; and

(d) visually signalling distress.

(https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-96-433/page-58.html)


Old Canadian Regulations (no longer in force)

Emergency Equipment for Flights in Sparsely Settled Areas (most of the area north of 52 degrees North latitude is designated as "Sparsely Settled")

• Food having a caloric value of at least 10,000 calories per person carried, not subject to deterioration by heat or cold and stored in a sealed waterproof container bearing a tag or label on which the operator of the aircraft or his representative has certified the amount and satisfactory condition of the food in the container following an inspection made not more than 6 months prior to the flight.
• Cooking utensils.
• Matches in a waterproof container.
• A stove and a supply of fuel or a self-contained means of providing heat for cooking when operating north of the tree line.
• A portable compass.
• An axe of at least 2 1/2 pounds or 1 kilogram weight with a handle of not less than 28 inches or 70 centimeters in length. (typically referred to as a "Hudson Bay" axe)
• A flexible saw blade or equivalent cutting tool.
• Snare wire of at least 30 feet or 9 meters and instructions for its use.
• Fishing equipment including still fishing bait and a gill net of not more than a 2 inch or 3 centimeter mesh.
• Mosquito nets or netting and insect repellant sufficient to meet the needs of all persons carried when operating in an area where insects are likely to be hazardous.
• Tents or engine and wing covers of a suitable design, coloured or having panels coloured in international orange or other high visibility colour, sufficient to accommodate all persons when operating north of the tree line.
• Winter sleeping bags sufficient in quantity to accommodate all persons carried when operating in an area where the mean daily temperature is likely to be 7 degrees C (approx. 45 degrees F) or less.
• Two pairs of snow shoes when operating in areas where the ground snow cover is likely to be 12 inches or 30 centimeters of more.
• A signalling mirror.
• At least 3 pyrotechnical distress signals.
• A sharp jack-knife or hunting knife of good quality.
• A suitable survival instruction manual.
• Conspicuity panel.

The following are suggested as useful additional equipment:

• Spare Axe Handle
• Honing stone or file
• Ice chisel
• Snow knife or snow saw
• Snow shovel
• Flashlight with spare bulbs and batteries
• Pack sack

Firearms are carried at the operator's discretion. However, if it is proposed to carry firearms in an aircraft as additional emergency equipment the operator should be aware that hand held pistols, revolvers, etc., known as small arms, and fully automatic weapons are not authorized to be carried or worn in Canada.