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Post by freebirde on Apr 6, 2019 22:37:47 GMT -6
Prologue
I wish my pilot instructors could see me now. Flying 'op-force', pretending to be a drug smuggler to train Coast Guard crews! Low altitude to stay under the radar. Low speed to keep my heat signature down. Flying straight toward radar sites to keep my profile small. It's below the horizon, but I can see the reflected glow of Pensacola over my left wing as I head to a small airstrip north of Tampa.
"What's that bright light high up to the North?" Engine died! Auto pilot is gone. "Mayday! Mayday!" Radio is down. Rudder and flaps still work. Flat turn into the waves and nose up to lose speed. Loosing too much speed, nose down. Just above stall and almost wave top high. Check harness!
CRUNCH!
I'm down and floating, but I don't know for how long. Deploy life raft. Plane is going down slowly, but going down never the less. Life raft is out, what else? Ice chest, check. I guess my fishing trip is out but there is room for my tackle box. CO2 fire extinguisher, don't know what for, but why not. Toolbox, check. Flare gun and flares, check. What else? Oh, my personal bag and I'm out of the cabin.
Paddle around to the cargo hatch. Oh, Man! The tail broke completely of and is gone. Can't get the hatch open but I can reach in from the tail. Everything is jammed! All I can get out is the bottom half of one of my rods and it's open face reel. There she goes! She wasn't mine, but I'm going to miss her. What I won't miss will be the days spent filling out forms when I get back to base.
Back to here and now. Shelter is up and beacon light is flashing on top. It will be awhile before anyone gets here, probably mid morning. Get everything arranged, no corners or sharp edges near the raft wall or floor. I know it cost more than I could really afford, I'm am glad I bought a top of the line, four man raft rather than rely on the raft they provided that is still jammed up with the rest of the stuff in the tail of the plane. Now I have room to stretch out, I'm going to get some sleep.
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Post by sniper69 on Apr 7, 2019 4:44:04 GMT -6
How far out in the gulf was the plane when it went down?
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Post by papaof2 on Apr 7, 2019 5:35:54 GMT -6
Magneto ignition, unless a very modern version with some electronics slipped in, is pretty robust. Which plane?
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Post by freebirde on Apr 7, 2019 9:18:35 GMT -6
How far out in the gulf was the plane when it went down? Somewhat south of Pensacola, sort of west of Tampa. Not to far, but far enough.
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Post by cutter on Apr 7, 2019 10:21:28 GMT -6
Flying slow to reduce heat signature implies a turbine engine.
EMP? Good start
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remembergoliad
Member
if you send friend req on FB, message me too. I won't accept if I don't recognize you.
Posts: 158
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Post by remembergoliad on Apr 7, 2019 18:55:36 GMT -6
Start of another good one. Thanks!
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 7, 2019 19:56:21 GMT -6
Let me guess. His Ipod or Ipad or whatever they are, is damaged and the only music he has to listen to is the theme from "Jaws." Seems to be the start of another good one.
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Post by solo on Apr 8, 2019 7:48:56 GMT -6
Trouble in paradise/err austere environment. Love these type of what if stories; we often do not think about the folks who are already in austere environments when stuff happens.
Paddle due north to Gulf Breeze, I'll give him a cold one from my solar power supplied mini-fridge always stocked for Hurricane season... may be the last cold one for a while. Hey, what's his name again?
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Post by freebirde on Apr 8, 2019 16:55:57 GMT -6
Beginning of day one:
Ah the breakfast of champions, an almost cold bottle of Dr. Pepper and the leftover half of a bag of chips. I have the six inch sub and four more bottles of Dr. Pepper in the ice chest that was suppose to be for my fishing trip lunch. I hope to be rescued before I need to get into my emergency supplies.
The sea anchor is out and tight, I guess the breeze is moving the raft along. There's a yellow Mylar and foil kite in the kit, I think there is enough wind to launch it. It is suppose to make me easier to find with eye or radar.
I wonder if I can get a cellphone signal out here? I heard they were putting cell towers on the oil rigs. I didn't think my phone got wet, but it won't come on. My radio has a crank and solar charger along with a USB port I can hook my phone into. I'll put them into a dry, sunny spot to dry and charge.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 8, 2019 17:05:06 GMT -6
9idrr, I don't have an Ipod or Ipad.
Solo, the name won't be seen until the last post. I will say I was surprised when I learned it.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 10, 2019 15:11:48 GMT -6
Morning day three:
Wind must have died sometime last night, the kite is down. Good thing it floats, or it would have been another sea anchor if the line didn't break. I have to start bringing it in after sundown.
My phone fully charged, but won't come on. My radio, that was in my aluminum personal bag, sort of works. AM and FM are nothing but static. Short Wave has static but I can hear faint voices that I can't understand the words. I wished I had saved some wire from the plane, I could run an antenna up the kite line. Maybe tonight I will get a better signal.
No sign of any search. I haven't even seen a contrail since I started looking yesterday. If I see one, there is a slim chance that they would see the reflection of my mirror, but a slim chance is better than no chance.
I started on the survival rations last night. It was a basic four person, two meals a day, two week kit. One hundred ration bars, two dozen freeze dried meals, and eight half gallon water bags in it. That's only enough water for two days for four people, but it has a water filter for fresh water and four floating solar stills. Aquamate Solar Stills produce one to four pints a day, which is at max barely enough for an adult for a day.
One thing no one mentions in stories is how boring it is being alone in a raft. I've read all the manuals that came with the raft and equipment, twice. I finished one of the paperbacks I had in my personal bag and almost finished the other one.
Well, the kite is dry, I guess I'll launch it. I am going to do some fishing. What I'll do with them if I catch some I don't know, I don't care for sushi.
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 10, 2019 18:48:06 GMT -6
Good stuff. Short chapters to make it last longer, right? Feel free to string it out as long as possible.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 12, 2019 16:11:33 GMT -6
Day five:
I'm tired for a change. I was up all night last night filling containers with rain water. Everything that would hold water, including myself, that wasn't keeping something dry is full. The wind kept pushing the raft along inside a rain storm. The wind and waves weren't too bad but it rained hard.
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 12, 2019 19:13:55 GMT -6
Now, of course, comes the fun of figuring out your new position.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 14, 2019 7:30:55 GMT -6
Day eight:
Had a scare today. I was taking care of some 'personal business' this morning and a small bull sharks bumped the raft. It was less than five feet long, but I was holding a rope stretched across the raft as I was hanging over the side. I had heard that urine attracts sharks. Since I am not a shark, I don't know if they mistake urine for blood or if they think the urine is from a large school of fish. It's not big enough to kill you quick or eat you quick, but out here any major injury can kill you. No gun but a flare gun and outside of Hollywood, it is hard to kill or drive off a shark with a flare. Tying a knife to an oar is a good way to loose both. Maybe I'll hit it over the head with the fire extinguisher.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 16, 2019 17:29:55 GMT -6
Morning Day nine:
Still no AM or FM radio, but I heard something on Shortwave that I could understand last night. Somebody in northern Idaho was retelling what he heard from the West Coast. Either whoever had set off the EMP bomb had miscalculated or had a second one that didn't go off because electronics that were in valleys that didn't face east in the western mountains were protected. Also on the southern West Coast the damage was lighter and no damage farther out in the Pacific or Alaska. After the EMP, some pilots got replacement electronics out of protected storage and repaired their crop dusters all across the country. Most of the pilots were South Americans, but there were diverse groups such as Aryan Brotherhood and Radical Black Muslims. Many of the planes had "FEMA" or "DHS" stenciled on their wings and sides.
The planes sprayed diseases, typhoid, cholera, and such. Information gained from one South American pilot that was captured while refueling said they were to target operating transportations, large groups of people, residential neighborhoods, and government buildings. The hate groups focused on the ones their hate was towards. The plane spraying Hollywood stopped spraying and attacked the one spraying the Barrios. The two planes exchanged pistol shots until the both crashed into a radio tower. In San Diego, another was shot down as it approached the Marine base. The explosion and fire didn't destroy all the typhoid that was in the tanks. The base is locked down as they try to stop the epidemic.
There were similar sprayings in Europe, Russia, and Asia. Fighting with conventional weapons has broken out in Africa and the Middle East. Mostly it is tribe or sect against tribe or sect. U.S. military commanders are trying to return with their commands intact. They are finding it most difficult to get out of countries that wanted them the least.
Alaska is deporting most foreign nationals. People that were trying to become citizens are being judged on a case by case basis. Some are being sent to the lower 48.
South America is in turmoil. The leadership of several countries were killed by small groups of black clad men. After that several laboratories and factories had mysterious fires and explosions.
What this means to me is that there is no one that is going to be looking for me. If I am going to be rescued, I will have to rescue myself. I've pulled the kite and sea anchor. The cover has been reset to act as a sail. The wind continues out of the southwest and I am using an oar for a rudder to steer toward the north or northeast.
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 16, 2019 21:08:30 GMT -6
Gotta be gettin' mighty lonely.
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Post by freebirde on Apr 18, 2019 16:11:54 GMT -6
Day twelve:
I am seeing an occasional seabird in the distance, I must be getting closer to land. I've gotten so tired of food bars, sushi doesn't sound so bad now. I had caught a fish this morning, but lost it to what looks like the same small bull shark. Not only did I lose the fish, I lost one of my favorite lures. If I'm out here much longer, I will need to do something about that shark.
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Post by papaof2 on Apr 18, 2019 17:07:59 GMT -6
Shark steaks or shark pizza?
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 18, 2019 21:25:47 GMT -6
This certainly don't sound like the kind of situation on which I'd like to find myself. I guess one could develop patience, but that many days with no input might have me talkin' to myself.
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Post by texican on Apr 19, 2019 21:28:37 GMT -6
FB,
8 days before one tries to get to land....
Finally wakes up....
Depending on landfall location, the flare gun may be useful....
Texican....
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Post by freebirde on Apr 20, 2019 7:39:18 GMT -6
Day thirteen:
Water is getting low again. I put out two of the floating stills. I get almost three quarts of water from them. I drink an ounce or two of seawater every evening to replace salt and minerals. Much more that that is counter productive, causing the body to loose water and salts.
Afternoon day fifteen:
Rained this morning. Not as hard or as long as last time, but I collected about four and a half gallons of water plus what I drank.
Day eighteen:
Last evening I saw seabirds flying north and east at sundown. Land is getting closer.
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Post by texican on Apr 20, 2019 15:54:58 GMT -6
FB,
At least he does not have to lament: "water, water every where yet nothing to drink"....
Texican....
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Post by freebirde on Apr 22, 2019 17:05:11 GMT -6
Day twenty:
I finally did it, the bull shark and I had it out. It kept rubbing on the same spot on the raft and I was afraid it would wear a hole in the raft. I saved up a days worth of urine. Caught two small fish near the raft. I cut the smaller one into small pieces and put the large one on the end of the nozzle of the CO2 fire extinguisher. When everything was ready, I dumped the urine, then the chopped up fish. When the shark showed up, I put fish on the end of the extinguisher into the water. When the shark went to bite the fish, I shoved the nozzle as far as I could into the shark's mouth and pulled the trigger. I don't know if it was the cold, the pressure, or both, but the shark thrashed twice and rolled belly up. I didn't know if it was just stunned, so I quickly gutted it. Shark tartar is not bad after more than two weeks of meal bars.
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 22, 2019 20:09:06 GMT -6
Necessity bein' the mother of invention, I'd say our boy's doin' pretty good.
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