EVALUATION OF THE KC-135 AND U-2 BAILOUT SURVIVAL KIT

• Main Authors: Veghte, James H., White, Freeman E., Millard, Walter W., Schumann, John R., Kennedy, Cecil F., III
• Other Authors: ARCTIC AEROMEDICAL LAB FORT WAINWRIGHT AK
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1963
• Subjects: Escape; Rescue and Survival; *COLD WEATHER OPERATIONS; *SURVIVAL KITS; SHELTERS; SURVIVAL(PERSONNEL); CLOTHING; BAILOUT; C-135 AIRCRAFT; EVALUATION; U-2 AIRCRAFT; FEASIBILITY STUDIES; SLEEPING BAGS; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0410822; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0410822

This field trip was made to determine the hazards and problems of surviving in the Arctic under extreme cold. The clothing worn appeared to be inadequate to tolerated -35 to -40 F weather without suitable shelter. The MC-1 sleeping bag proved very inadequate and it should be replaced by more appropriate insulative items or modified. The shelter is extremely important at these temperatures. Snow affords the best available insulation; A-frame parachute shelters, teepees, etc. are not adequate. Survival is unlikely for more than two or three days unless a snow house or snow packed over the canopy shelter is used. After the first day, lethargy is common so it is most important that the survivor build the right shelter from the beginning. At this time of year there are several simple shelters that utilize snow for insulation. If no snow is available in timbered country, a structure built of grass and logs appears to offer excellent insulative properties. In extreme cold, it appears that the first thing to do is to build an adequate shelter for the first night. All of the subjects thought they would put up a crude shelter the first night and improve it the following day. However, the first night is extremely critical, and once over the first or second nights, things should become easier.