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Old 9th Feb 2014, 08:38
  #35 (permalink)  
werbil
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Darwin, Australia
Age: 53
Posts: 424
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Beaufort MK 28 also has a spray hood in addition to the crotch strap and heliograph that are not found on a lot of jackets. If you're going to spend time in other than calm water the spray hood will stop you from inhaling salt spray which I understand can cause secondary drowning. I think mine was about $350.

This Beaufort is my second constant wear jacket. I got about six years out of the first - to get even that life out of it I had to get the valise replaced about half life. Admittedly mine was worn daily in commercial ops - they wore where the seat belt shoulder straps ran over them.

The colour makes no difference to comfort. I've had dark blue, yellow and black valises and I couldn't tell the difference. I've worn mine in Beavers, Caravans and an open cockpit Ag Cat in the tropics.

Mine also has a GME GPS PLB in the pocket. If I ever end up swimming I want to spend as little time in the water as possible. Unless you're very lucky it will take at least thirty minutes for a search asset to be on scene from the time of activation. GPS PLB's can pass on your location instantly to a geosynchronous satellite whereas a standard 406 requires passes to be made by polar orbit satellites which can take up to 2 hours in coastal areas of Australia.
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