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#14716 - 04/04/03 07:44 PM I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


Let's say that this is an awful lot like "Lord of The flies" and I was in a plane with a bunch of other people and the plane crashed on a completely empty island except for pigs, fruit, flowers, vegitation, and all that stuff. What do I need to survive?

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#14717 - 04/04/03 07:48 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


A satelite cell phone and a handheld GPS. Just call the Coast Guard and wait.

Anything else? <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

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#14718 - 04/04/03 07:51 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


Cool! But, how long do you think it would take for the Coast guard to get there? What would I do while I was waiting? How would i be able to tell them where I am. Say the island that I'm on is uncharted.

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#14719 - 04/04/03 08:32 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


Satelite phones and GPS's, by their very nature (communicating with a network of satelites in space), work pretty much anywhere on the planet.

Whether the island is charted or not, the GPS will tell you your unique coordinates on the planet (latitude and longitude, even elevation about sea level). That information, if known accurately, is all the rescuers need to know to come get you.

Even if you're in the South Pacific. I don't imagine it would take much longer than 8 hours for the long-range helicopter to come get you from Hawaii (or Fiji, or Bora Bora, or New Zealand, or whatever civilized place is most appropriate).

Once you've placed the call, how you amuse yourself is up to you... you could always try to catch one of those pigs just for the fun of it. Hey! Anybody remember that joke about the guy stranded on the island with the pig and the dog when Hillary Clinton swims up? <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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#14720 - 04/04/03 08:46 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
gear_freak Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 09/25/02
Posts: 239
I would simply use my cybernetic implant to transmit a distress call to the mother ship. They would then beam me to safety.
_________________________
Regards,
Gear Freak
USA

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#14721 - 04/04/03 08:56 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


Dang it! Why didn't I think of that!? <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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#14722 - 04/04/03 10:15 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
jet Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 03/06/01
Posts: 220
Hi LOTFquest,

First, I would recommend you read Chris Kavanaugh's story of being stranded on an island. It has some excellent comments regarding gear, equipment & supplies. Doug's analysis follows the story. At one point, he specifically mentions the time it took rescue to reach Chris' party after the signal was relayed.

Second, I would suggest you take benman's reply to heart. Signalling gear is good. As I once wrote in another post, "Do you want to try to survive from days to a week or more with just a knife until you can walk out by yourself? Or do you want to get Search & Rescue there ASAP w/ an ELT (or EPIRB or PLB) and be home by the next day's breakfast, or at least, hopefully, late afternoon lunch?"

But to answer your question with a few specifics, I'd start with the fruit you mentioned. If there are "flowers, vegetation and stuff", then it sounds like there's a useful bit of water. That's good. If you've got fruit, then you've got a source of prepackaged and prepurified water. That's even better; it makes water collection, purification and storage less critical. Without that luxury, sponges, trowels, tubing, canteens or bottles and iodine or chlorine tablets become more important.

Depending on the location of the island, you'll need some sort of shelter from whatever elements you face. That means a knife, cordage and fire starting materials (and, perhaps, a saw and/or tarp?). Sunscreen or a full brimmed hat may be a lifesaver (or at least seem like one). I don't know, but I would assume that some islands in some parts of the world might have insect problems. Repellent? I have also found a very small compact folding umbrella to be excellent portable shelter from the sun.

If someone is hurt, you may need a First Aid Kit.

It's doubtful the pigs would be a serious problem, but you could make spears if you had too, I suppose. Whittle points, char the points in a fire to harden them, then scrape the blackened tips to make an even better point. I wouldn't risk hunting unless you were very confident. I'd just stick to the nice safe fruit. Others may be more confident than me in that regard, though. Personally, I'd just be trying to avoid injury.

And, as mentioned, you will need some sort of signal. Satellite communication is the best, of course. Three "X's" on the ground, three big fires, etc. are classic signals. A signal mirror is always nice. Flares, smoke and/or dye are of somewhat more limited usefullness, but certainly may help if you actually spot a boat or plane and want to try to attract their attention while they're in sight.

This is just a list of some quick suggestions that came to mind right away. Aside from these, it's up to you. You'll likely have what you prepared yourself to have and little else.

Stay safe,
J.T.

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#14723 - 04/04/03 10:17 PM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Tjin Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 04/08/02
Posts: 1821
like benmen said a sat-phone and GPS would come handy, but he forgot the PLB's ! <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

in a plane crash first priority is medical attention.
since contollers usually know weather a plane crashed or not, he/she proberbly will sent a SAR unit out, so signalling would be importent to. ( make fire, make ground to air signs on the ground, etc. ) unless you got the GPS, sat-phone or PLB.
in the mean time build a shelter incase the weather turns bad or nobody is seaching for you.
after that get your self hydrated ( in a hot inviorment i would get some water first and than build a shelter, if the weather looks good... ) And than food...

so you need:
-medical suplies
-signal devices
-shelter building equipment or a shelter
-water or water producing equipment
-food or food producing equipment ( traps, snares, etc. )
( got a strange feeling i forgot something... )

And make sure you don't end up like the folks in the lord of the flies !
_________________________


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#14724 - 04/05/03 12:43 AM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


Fear not. When your implant fails to pass through the toll-booth within the parameterized time slot on Monday morning the nice folks at Homeland Security will be alerted to your deviation from norm and they will activate your cybernetic implant and find your corpse if that is all that is left for them to tortue for your terrorist motives and secrets!





<img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

see I can get political too! <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />


Edited by miniMe (04/05/03 12:44 AM)

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#14725 - 04/05/03 01:03 AM Re: I've landed on an empty island!
Anonymous
Unregistered


Thank you all so much for your help-all of them will be used, fear not! I'm supposed to be finding this information scattered all over the web for a homework assignment, but I figured it was so much easier to just ask here <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

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