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Most of these are minor, but some are more serious incidents or accidents that result in substantial damage or injuries. Being prepared to handle that potentiality is an unfortunate reality of being a pilot.

Experts say that acceptance is the first step to being successful in an emergency situation. That’s as true after the incident as it is before. Like most activities, flying has risks that we must be able to anticipate. An aircraft can fly anywhere, regardless of what’s on the ground. Sometimes our routes keep us close to rescue resources, but sometimes we explore remote wilderness from the air. Knowing and acknowledging you could land far from help is essential to being prepared.

Once you’ve embraced the idea that there may come a time your flight doesn’t land at the airport as planned, increasing your chances of getting out of the scenario safely comes down to a three-part strategy—prepare, plan, and act.

Prepare

The Scouts had it right all along—be prepared. Start with your gear. Consider the route you are flying and gear up to suit the flight. Typically, you won’t need a massive survival shelter, water for days, a raft, and a backpack full of knives and fire starters. Although people flying large twins and turboprops might be able to carry that much extra weight, most of us will be limited in baggage area and useful load. That’s OK. Consider a list based on most-important survival tools to least-important.

• Clothing. Flip-flops and a T-shirt may have worked in Florida where you departed, but it’s not good for the mountains where you are landing. Pack for the entire route and anticipate having to spend a few nights outside with only the clothing you are wearing or have packed.

• Water. You usually don’t have to carry all the water with you that you’ll need. There are many purifying and filtering devices on the market that can make nearly any water source potable. These are usually light, nonperishable and easy to use. Consider the human body can usually only go about three days without water.

• Flotation device. If you’re flying over large bodies of water, have a life jacket for every person on board and consider wearing it.

• Signaling device. Airplanes can be hard to spot from the air. Make yourself easier to find with a mirror or space blanket.

• First aid. Even basic all-in-one kits are useful.

• Tools. A knife or multitool might already be in your flight bag. If not, add one today.

Whether or not to bring food is debated. Some people believe it is essential, while others say it is heavy, spoils without a regular rotation, and is unnecessary. Most humans can live three weeks or more without food, and the vast majority of aircraft are found by then (with a few notable exceptions). But what an uncomfortable three weeks that would be. Experts generally recommend against foraging for food because the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Most of us are not Bear Grylls, and food doesn’t simply appear. We expend a lot of energy (calories) finding it, and expertise is required to stay away from poisonous sources.Taking stock of your situation and coming to terms with it are essential to having the right survival mindset.

Plan

In an ideal world we would all file a flight plan on every flight and follow that plan exactly as filed. Having someone look for you quickly after you miss your arrival time, and knowing exactly the route to look, would be a big leg up in helping find you in case you don’t make it to your destination. But honest talk here: Filing, activating, and canceling flight plans is a pain. Digital tools have made it easier, but there are other modern tools to help supplement the search.

Like a good hike into the wilderness, tell someone where you are going, how long it’s going to take you to get there, and in what aircraft you are flying. Not only does this give some agency to partners, parents, and other loved ones, they can alert emergency services nearly as quickly as flight service will. Don’t forget an initial conversation on how to use that flight information, including whom to call in case they don’t hear from you.

There are other, more automated ways of alerting emergency responders and loved ones to your location. The most ubiquitous is the emergency locator transmitter installed on nearly every general aviation aircraft in the United States. These devices include a crash sensor that automatically detects an impact and then transmits a signal on a monitored frequency. Newer versions transmit on 406 MHz, while older versions transmit on 121.5 MHz. It’s important to know which is in your aircraft because emergency services no longer monitor 121.5. Some pilots do, and they can relay a signal, but no one will automatically come looking for you if it starts transmitting. By contrast, the newer 406 MHz versions send a signal that’s monitored by satellite, which prompts an emergency response. Better still, a unit hooked into the aircraft’s GPS can further pinpoint your location. Many aircraft have panel-mounted activation buttons. Learn how to use yours, and make sure you teach your passengers as well.

Similar to an ELT, personal locator beacons are handheld satellite-monitored devices that will pinpoint your position in the case of an accident. The downside is that they have to be manually activated, but the upside is that you can take them in the airplane, hiking, on the water, or wherever you need a watchful eye.

Less expensive products perform a similar function. Transmitters from Spot, Garmin, and others are cheaper to buy, but require a subscription. They also use different satellite networks that provide more international coverage. And they have tracking features that drop pins as you fly, letting someone follow you as you go.

Finally, some watches, such as those from Apple and Garmin, provide a range of safety features, including tracking, crash detection, and more.

Act

Once you get to the airplane, transition to the safety mindset by briefing your passengers on the use of doors, windows, emergency exits, seat belts, and any other emergency tools like the ELT. It may feel tedious, but we’re all used to the airline safety briefing. Doing your own will instill confidence in your passengers. If your aircraft has shoulder harnesses, use them. Using both a lap belt and shoulder harness reduces your risk of serious injury or death by 50 percent. A little discomfort is a small price to pay for that protection.

If the unexpected happens and you find yourself in a survival situation, experts recommend coming back to acceptance. Taking stock of your situation and coming to terms with it are essential to having the right survival mindset. Staying positive is both a rational approach based on the high likelihood of rescue and a good strategy to keep everyone calm and engaged.

If the ELT hasn’t gone off, activate it, as well as any PLBs or handheld devices. Cellphones work in surprising places. Call 911 and your loved ones to tell them what happened and where you are. This is where a portable back-up battery would be useful. As would a handheld radio to call airplanes flying overhead. Most handheld radios only reach a few miles from the ground, so try and save the battery by only trying it occasionally or limiting your attempts to contact aircraft you can see or hear.

In terms of triage, injuries obviously come first, then comes signaling. After that, doing nothing might be the best action you can take. In nearly every case, it pays to stay near the accident site, as finding an aircraft is significantly easier than finding a person. Water is imperative, but food isn’t. Spending energy finding food is often energy wasted unless you are an expert.

Getting into a survival situation isn’t part of what you signed up for when learning to fly, but the immense freedom and adventure aircraft provide comes with some responsibility to be prepared. Thankfully there are many tools and practices we can use to ensure that even if the worst happens and we land far from civilization, we stand a great chance of living to fly another day.

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