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Old 15th Oct 2006, 21:04
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Lavatory kit

A small kit to take care of any (either) problem is easy to put together.
Standard (TSA approved!) 1 qt ziplocs, diaper gel (safesorb or other binding powder, safesorb.com, a hospital/lab product), two large garbage bags, a roll of paper towels, some baby wipes, a pair of rubber gloves, and some tie wraps.
I have a small cooler (12 can) that doubles as a box for ropes, oil, funnel, etc, but it can be emptied.
To micturate enroute, put the safesorb in a plastic ziploc AFTER testing it with air for leaks, and place a towel or two in the lap for a barrier. The gel absorbs the urine quickly, giving a hard snow consistency. Place it in a separate ziploc for safety and stow in an opaque bag for disposal later. This can be done by the motivated female, I promise.
If the undesirable is inevitable, line the cooler or other bag/box with the garbage bag, and offset front seats so you can hang a cheek and place yourself over the open bag. Some safesorb (or towels) will help if consistency is, er, thin. The gloves help stay clean and the baby wipes are helpful later (toothpaste works as hand soap in a pinch). The bag can be closed with the tiewrap and then placed in a second bag with a closure, making the rest of the trip bearable.
Except for the "box" the whole kit fits in a single ziploc.
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Old 15th Oct 2006, 21:08
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Originally Posted by PCentR
A small kit to take care of any (either) problem is easy to put together.
Standard (TSA approved!) 1 qt ziplocs, diaper gel (safesorb or other binding powder, safesorb.com, a hospital/lab product), two large garbage bags, a roll of paper towels, some baby wipes, a pair of rubber gloves, and some tie wraps.
I have a small cooler (12 can) that doubles as a box for ropes, oil, funnel, etc, but it can be emptied.
To micturate enroute, put the safesorb in a plastic ziploc AFTER testing it with air for leaks, and place a towel or two in the lap for a barrier. The gel absorbs the urine quickly, giving a hard snow consistency. Place it in a separate ziploc for safety and stow in an opaque bag for disposal later. This can be done by the motivated female, I promise.
If the undesirable is inevitable, line the cooler or other bag/box with the garbage bag, and offset front seats so you can hang a cheek and place yourself over the open bag. Some safesorb (or towels) will help if consistency is, er, thin. The gloves help stay clean and the baby wipes are helpful later (toothpaste works as hand soap in a pinch). The bag can be closed with the tiewrap and then placed in a second bag with a closure, making the rest of the trip bearable.
Except for the "box" the whole kit fits in a single ziploc.
My god, whats up with making them go for a dump before the flights takes off and diverting if the need really arises?

There are very few places or aircraft in GA flying that require this sort of preperation or need for this discussion!
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Old 15th Oct 2006, 22:10
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Apologies

The request said not to be shy. There are reasons to know these things.
www.n30ew.com
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Old 16th Oct 2006, 07:06
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Most of us don't fly long enough legs for it to be a major problem. Eat sensibly beforehand, go to the loo before you go, and land after a couple of hours for lunch and a break....hey, this is supposed to be fun!

But at the other end of the scale I remember Polly Vacher being asked during a talk what she did during her first round-the-world flight during the 16-hour leg over the Pacific. She gave an extremely funny account of getting out of her drysuit and many layers of clothes and using her plastic bottle thingy. I don't think anyone asked her about poo, but in the middle of the Pacific, when solo....needs must, and I'm sure she found a way.
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Old 16th Oct 2006, 10:08
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Remember reading a post of someone who urgently needed a No.2 on a long trip, a McDonalds cola cup was in the cabin (a super sized one) and was the ideal receptacle. The consistency wasn't the best and neither was the aroma. The C172 window was opened and the offfending item was ejected.

On landing the empenage of the plane was suitably decorated in the style of a dirty protester in the H blocks.

Made me chuckle.
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Old 17th Oct 2006, 21:20
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If it's your own aircraft, or one you use very regularly, then perhaps you could fit a 'Pee Tube'. These tubes are available from most good aviation 'chandleries'. They consist of a 'Pee Cup' with a legnth of pipe that goes to a venturi under the aircraft and in the prop slipstream. The suck they produce is remakable (I will leave the obvious comment!) and they can be used equally well by women.

I once fitted the device for a friend of mine who had an arial photography job and spent so much time aloft he had to have surgery for kidney stones!

His airborne life improved imeasurably. Further, we were able to tuck the unit out of sight behind part of the carpet that went up the side just behind the rudder peddles. - All certified and approved!

If you own a Cherokee Arrow, don't pee into a bag and put it out of the DV window. I know someone who did that in Africa, it went over the pitot head on the aircraft side, the one that controls the Gear.

"What - no airspeed? - he must be landing". So the gear went down and the resultant drag meant he could no longer make his destination, and in Africa that's bad!
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Old 17th Oct 2006, 21:36
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Originally Posted by 172driver
.... and of course there's always that wonderful NRST button on your GPS
Quite a hard target to hit, and it would probably knacker the GPS. Might raise a few laughs at the Garmin service center through.
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Old 17th Oct 2006, 22:20
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As has been suggested I always carry an empty plastic bottle, Tropicana is fine but for those who require a wider brim I would suggest "Oasis" lovely wide top, nice capacity and doesn't leak - thank good!

When flying in and out of farm strips of course there may not be facilities available, much more descrete to pee in the cruise than some farmers field!

Avionyx
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Old 17th Oct 2006, 22:42
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It's something we all think about and fear, but never talk about it. Until now.

My underground toilet kit: saran wrap, toilet paper, ziplock bags (2).
Unfortunately, my planning did not count for one thing: what to do with the bag. See, underground is very dangerous place for items that can be smashed, punctured, or damaged by water.

Solution: put it in my helmet. Nice and warm. Extra padding too! The s**thead jokes afterward were just a bonus.
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 06:27
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It's something we all think about and fear
We do??? I'd never actually even considered it till this thread came up. I go for a pee beforehand, and that's it. Seriously, I can't ever, in ten years of flying, recall it having been a problem. Leaving aside those who fly across the Atlantic, or just have to do Northern England to Southern Europe in one hop, do many others actually think about this that much?
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 10:20
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Originally Posted by Whirlybird
Leaving aside those who fly across the Atlantic, or just have to do Northern England to Southern Europe in one hop, do many others actually think about this that much?
Not often a problem; as already suggested, it's the last thing to do before a flight and the first thing after. Please hurry, Mr Customs!
For emergency use I always carry a couple of "convenience" bags

usable by both sexes. I tend to nip in the back and kneel down
During my first 14 hour leg in an Archer, wearing a drysuit, I made use of the trusty ziploc bag - inside the suit, it was a lot easier than taking it off!
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 11:54
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One for Whirlybird. It's thinking about things like this that makes for better flight preparation, I think. Perhaps many may not be aware that the prime cause of pilot incapacitation is by far tummy trouble and associated 'gastric works' and this can be incredibly debilitating. Full marks for those planning for such eventualities. One can only say that there are two kinds of pilots, ones that have had the indignity of having to go in flight, and simply those who are going to suffer the same.
I'm lucky I guess, since I am now of that age at which I can make the decision never to fly an aircraft that doesn't have a toilet on board!
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 13:52
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Originally Posted by Whirlybird
We do???
Sorry, the portentous dramatic tone just didn't come through on the Internet.
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 14:19
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I think this thread has become totally bogged down (hohoho) in confusion between pee and poo.

Pooing while in the air must be an awful problem. An autopilot will take care of the controls, and you can warn ATC in advance to not expect you online, but you need a sizeable container which can be sealed, and it's going to be very messy. I know this is stating the obvious but if you need to poo that badly then you must have a serious internal upset and what comes out is not going to be of particularly solid consistency!! Nor is it going to come out slowly... I would guess a large self-seal plastic bag is going to work, but there's going to be a lot of cleaning up to do.

Peeing is easy, using the various devices described. Women will probably prefer a bit of privacy, like climbing into the back seat, but it works perfectly.

Leaving aside those who fly across the Atlantic, or just have to do Northern England to Southern Europe in one hop, do many others actually think about this that much?

The name of the game in long distance touring is to get somewhere which is different, interesting, etc, and (in case the weather goes bad) OK to spend a few days in before moving on. One can't usually achieve that in a 30 minute flight; well not from the UK. I like to make the first leg 4-5 hours and that gets you somewhere nice and warm.

I'd say that something to pee into is absolutely essential. Maybe gurlz have better bladder control (because a proper gurl can't just get behind a tree and whip it out like a boy can) but I have been on an 1hr flight and ended up absolutely totally completely desperate and just about to pee myself. Especially in the winter, and doubly so on winter evenings/nights.

There is no excuse for not carrying a bottle to pee into. It's totally bonkers to expect somebody to land, just for this purpose, surely
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 16:05
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There is no excuse for not carrying a bottle to pee into. It's totally bonkers to expect somebody to land, just for this purpose, surely
It depends on the aircraft and the type of flying. For some types, landing in a field when on a long cross country and having a pee is quite feasible, whereas having a pee in the air is asking for trouble (microlights and some open cockpits for example).
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 16:39
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And some of us know we can hold on for three hours or more if we have to. It's not a big deal for me. Can't everyone?
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 17:43
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And some of us know we can hold on for three hours or more if we have to. It's not a big deal for me. Can't everyone?
Depends on how drunk I am!
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 17:45
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For some types, landing in a field when on a long cross country and having a pee is quite feasible

and you would risk a pothole in the grass, a broken gear, broken prop, engine shock loading? Or much worse. All for a pee?

Perhaps in "some types" one doesn't bother with a shock load inspection?
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 18:22
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Originally Posted by Mixed Up
It depends on the aircraft and the type of flying. For some types, landing in a field when on a long cross country and having a pee is quite feasible,
Assuming it was a properly assessed and prepared field of course!
Although you'd also have to assume that the farmer was friendly, having previously stopped my car to have a bit of a wee in a remote field and being shouted at by a big farmer.

It was reasonably easy to run away with a car, hopping in an aircraft might be a bit harder!

Avionyx
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Old 18th Oct 2006, 18:44
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Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat
Got one to FL95 without any trouble. Could see pretty well the whole of East Anglia - navigvation was just point and shoot.
While we're on the subject - I got a 152 to 14,000' - it just takes a long time...
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