Checked Lifejacket Recently ?

[LateFinals]

Given that there's little flying to do at the moment, I got my aviation life-jacket out and noticed it was 14 months past the time I should have had it serviced.

Out of interest I pulled the toggle, guess what, it didn't open !! :rolleyes: (turned out the cannister had got loose)

Anecdotally I've chatted to a few pilots, who like me, were more casual with lifejacket servicing than we should be. If the big shiny thing goes AWOL over water, our lifejacket will become our best friend ! Another lesson learnt and my LifeJacket will be well looked after from now !

LF

[scooter boy]

While cleaning out an old outbuilding 3 months or so ago I came upon an Aero Peru under seat type lifejacket last serviced in 1992.
I did the same and rather surprisingly it inflated just fine (15 years after last service).

It did make me wonder whether 12 months was excessively frequent for servicing.

SB

[BackPacker]

I just bought me one so there's no servicing to be done for a while yet. But what I intend to do is the following:

- Put on, check all buckles etc.
- Inflate manually (orally), check for leaks/deflation over a longer period (24 hours or something)
- Get very accurate kitchen scales and measure the weight of the CO2 bottle. (The empty weight should be on the cylinder and it should be filled with x grams of CO2. So that should be the combined weight.)
- While the cylinder is removed, visually check the mechanism for proper function.

Yes, the ultimate test would be to inflate the vest automatically but getting an exchange bottle plus a new plastic thingy to cover the inflation mechanism is just a little too costly.

[Cusco]

It's not just the CO2 cylinder that gets replaced: Our group had all our group and personal lifejackets and the dinghy serviced last month and we came away with a stack of water activated lights whose batteries were past dates.........

They are great fun in the bath...........

Safe flying

Cusco.;);)

[stevef]

I'm not sure it's a good idea to test-inflate the LJs orally because of the moisture content in your breath (possible bacterial attack on the lining). A slim chance of any adverse reaction but you'll only get one shot at inflation when you need it for real!
Normal servicing practice to use an electrically-operated air pump for the annual inspection.

[UV]

Backpacker, isnt that just a little amateurish??
Whats your life worth??
About £15 (to have it serviced properly) I guess.....
UV

[BackPacker]

UV, as with all things in life, it's a cost/benefit issue.

I have a simple life vest and although I'm not an expert I think I can safely render an opinion as to whether it will save my life or not, when I do a service myself. Besides, servicing the vest myself will teach me something about its operation and that can only improve my chances of survival if something goes seriously wrong. So because of this, I'd rather spend my 25 euros (or more) on something else. Up to date charts for instance, or a route which takes me more inland than originally planned.

My life is worth a lot more than the cost of a service. However, I don't see that a "professional" service will make a 100% difference with an "amateur" service. Too many ifs and buts: Your assumption is that I will ditch somewhere in the next year and that a professionally serviced life vest will inflate and save my life, while the vest I serviced myself will not inflate so I will drown. I don't see it that black and white.

stevef: Good point. I will use a hand pump from now on. Although I don't think it will make much difference - how often do we blow up air matresses orally without any ill effects to the matress? In fact, the manufacturers instructions tell me that for its annual (or more often) test, you should inflate orally.

[Kolibear]

I think that the assumption is that a professionally serviced lifejacket WILL inflate whereas an amateur serviced one might not.

As a matter of interest, does your simple lifejacket have a crutch strap? The life jacket will always bob merrily on the surface of the waves, whether or not your face is up there next to it depends on how tightly your body is attached to it. The jacket will always go up, your body will always go down. Being suspended an inch below the surface of the water just gives your relatives the chance to bury your body.

To anyone contemplating it - buy a lifejacket with a light and a crutch strap.

At the risk of getting this post binned - I can recommend the Southern England lifejacket/dinghy suppliers in Basildon.

[BackPacker]

Kolibear - yes. I bought the extra safety pack including a crotch strap, water-activated light and a (next to useless) spray hood. All from afeonline.

I have been on a maritime survival course and I know how uncomfortable a life vest is without a crotch strap. (In the water, I mean.)

[Mariner9]

I was under the impression that its now mandatory to have your lifejackets propery serviced (and be complete with whistle and light) now :rolleyes: (too lazy to search the appropriate part of the ANO but hopefully someone will)

[UV]

Mariner9...not quite yet, the CAA were thinking of it and maybe these suggestions (by a diver no less) support their reasoning!!

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&newstype=n&mode=detail&nid=1457

UV

[neilgeddes]

Hi, does anyone know who might service life jackets in the Redhil or Biggin Hill areas? Would be great to use a collect or drop off service if possible. Thanks.

[peterh337]

SEMS (http://www.aerosafe.co.uk/) in Basildon, Essex.

[L'aviateur]

The servicing is generally very simple, its easier to have spare CO2 cylinders and servicing kit. Inflate the jacket using the toggle, leave it inflated for 24 hours. Then replace the CO2 cylinder and any O rings, also if it's got a self inflating feature (not ideal for aviation use), then check the salt tablet.

Nothing complicated, a very simple inspection.

[peterh337]

SEMS told me to not use the gas cylinder to inflate the rafts because the gas comes out very cold and makes the rubber brittle. They test inflate using room temperature air.

No idea if there is substance in this but that's what they told me.

[stevef]

This thread's resurrection has just reminded me of a crew lifejacket annual inspection I did a few years ago. It was losing its pressure within seconds - the oral inflation tube attachment (to the lifejacket proper) had started to disbond.
The jacket would have been completely useless in an emergency.

[piperarcher]

I have a couple of the Transair lifejackets, and I noticed their date had expired. Transair do sell replaceable gas cannistors for them, which although they come with instruction, I am a bit apprehensive to do the work myself. Theres a chance I will mess it up and they will activate in my face, or worse still, they wont activate in a real life situation (which I hope wont happen). No plans to fly over water just yet, so I need to think do I do a DIY replacement, or just buy new jackets and have a stronger peace of mind.

[BackPacker]

Those gas canisters are really simple. You just screw them in and out of their housing.

A visual inspection will tell you whether the lid has been broken (assuming the inflated vest doesn't give you a clue), and if you want to be 100% sure that the CO2 is still in there, all you need is some accurate kitchen scales.

As for the jacket itself, blow it up manually using the inflation tube (with a low-pressure air pump preferably to prevent introduction of a lot of moisture, like when you would when inflating it orally), then let it sit for 24 hours (maybe with a bit of weight on it) to see if it doesn't leak.

[what next]

SEMS told me to not use the gas cylinder to inflate the rafts because the gas comes out very cold and makes the rubber brittle. They test inflate using room temperature air.

No idea if there is substance in this but that's what they told me.

I can't imagine. A couple of weeks ago we had our annual sea survival training (in the swimming pool) and inflated some expired lifevests and a dinghy (from the 1980s, more than 15 years over it's expiry date!). Everyting worked perfectly and I saw the dinghy this morning in the corner of the hangar still fully inflated. It's more difficult to get the air out of it again than to inflate it. Obviously, the rubber is 100% compatible with cold CO2 gas.

[Pilot DAR]

I tested my inflatable life jacket last summer - by accident. I went out to the amphibian to go flying, and found my lifejacket sitting inflated on the seat.

It would seem that the water in the bilge of the fuselage, combined with a few very warm days, and a closed cockpit, made it humid enough to dissolve the little catridge which actuates the automatic deployment feature. I don't use the automatic feature in the plane, but had moved the lifejacket from the boat to the plane a few days earlier, and not disarmed it yet.

An easy fix with a rearm kit, $40, but now I change out the little yellow cartridge more often - they're much cheaper than gas cylinders!

[achimha]

I found 4 life jackets dated 1980 from the previous owner. They inflated just fine :)

[gasax]

The yachty forumsare full of these sort of horry stories bout this time every year - if nothing else it drums up a bit of business.

I would suggest that if you own a life jacket you simply open it up and check whether 'all the bits' are still attached. The most common failure is similar to that noted earlier - the cylinder or release mechanism comes loose - and naturally the jacket does not inflate.

For boating I have some autoinflation jackets - and they have a real tendency to self actuate when damp or heavily used. The manual ones I use in the aircraft are much more reliable. All of them use the same clyinders and other bits which are readily available from yacht chandlers. In my opinion it is far better you know what is in the wrapper than simply sending it away.

And FWIW when I bought my old Terrier it came with an ex-British Airways passenger jacket - at least 20 years old. Out of curiousity we pulled the string and yes it inflated.... Our liferaft is now aroubnd 18 years old and has racked up three service visits - it will be interesting to see how long it is judged to be fit.