Survival kits
 

As some may know I have an unhealth interest in all things to do with ejection seats and kindred systems.
Part of my collection is the stuff and paraphinalia that goes with the pilot should he eject.
I am keen to find out what kind of medicinals are included with the current PSP's as in my collection from the near past (Mid 90's) there are first aid kits that contain the following tablets in various quantities:
Codeine Phosphate
Cyclizine
Diphenoxylate & Atropine
Paludrine
Proguanil
Sodium Chloride and Dextrose
Tetracycline
Pentazocine

What I would like to ask is:
1. What kind of training were aircrew given to use such medication?
2. What are they all for?
3. Having read some of the treads about spreading a little instant sunshine in the east, was this heady mix of chemicals ever intended for purposes other than medicinal? If you get my drift!:sad:
4. What does the average (combat) aircrew carry with them these days?

It's always a good party joke (with nerds) to tell everyone that those meat defrosting stands were originally designed for pilots to sit on after they ejected in an artic environment...

You'd be surprised how many people fall for it......

Jim

In the early 80s, I received zero trainig on the contents- just a list.

When later, an instructor on the airman aircrew school, there was a first aid input, but not linked to the contents of FAKs at all. It wasn't on the syllabus.

CSRO course - nothing there either.

CG

Seems a tad strange that there could be a scenario where one is sitting next to smoking hole in the ground, days from the nearest CSAR response and in no immediate enemy danger and looking at a list of pills that one hasn't the foggiest what they are for.:confused:

So you were expected to keep your prooning ID a secret then?

Now you really have lost me!!!

Can you make you'r cryptic comments a little clearer please Onan?:confused:

Concur, we were told diddly squat.

One trip I sustained a bad cut on my hand opening a tin of sausages. Fortunately we had tomato sauce so the sausages were OK.

I opened my FAK and strapped up the cut there and then.

I got a bollocking from the medics for opening my 'drug kit' and had to account for all the contents. Oddly the most powerful drugs were missing. 'Must have fallen out through the flare shut sir, very strong suck.'

I should have used the aircraft kit they said.

Sorry Onan, Beagles response has just come up in front of yours and it all makes sense now!! Doh!:O

Way back, when I trained, the individual kit contained morphine. Now today's yoof would know exactly what to do with it, but we had not a clue.

The writing has worn off on mine :)

jimgriff for a minute there I thought you'd taken maybe one seat ride too many :)

I can see how that would have been confusing though.

Its been a while and I am guessing a bit but I suggest:

Codeine Phosphate - medium stength pain killer
Cyclizine - anti-seasickness
Diphenoxylate & Atropine - Anti-sh!ts
Paludrine - anti malaria
Proguanil - another name for paludrine and vice versa
Sodium Chloride and Dextrose - rehydration a la 'dioralyte'
Tetracycline - anti-bacterial but more probably anti-malarial for choloriquine/paludrine resistant malaria
Pentazocine - strong pain-killer

If it makes you chaps feel any better, having been through relatively recently, I didn't here a single word about the contents of the med kit.... I reckon they're full of cotton wool due to budget cuts, but no one wants to admit it....

>Black astras now pulling up<

my point exactly beags;) that and the medics probably can't handle the raw power of the omega....

No-one ever gave us instruction as to what the pills were all were for. However, someone did once tell me that there would be written dosage instructions inside the sealed FAK. However, as I have never opened a FAK in anger, I cannot verify this - anyone care to comment?

Don't the kits have two locks, over six feet apart so that it takes two people with separate keys to open one?

Not much use in a PSP, then!