The Cessna 172 Bug Out Plan, by Captain Zoobie

My Situation
I currently live at the outskirts of a larger metropolitan area. In the event of TEOTWAWKI, I want a way to quickly get out of Dodge. I have a retreat a few hundred miles away from where I live which I know my family can, and almost certainly get to in the event it is necessary.

I have my BOB for both my car and my home and while I could try to drive to my survival retreat, I recognize that survival is about adaptability and relying on my skills. I hold a pilot’s license with multiple ratings and want to discuss my plan for how I would “bug out” in an airplane. In many ways, it would be like bugging out in a car, but there are some special considerations.

As a side note, I have prepared a couple binders with all of my emergency plans and provided one copy to my family and left another one at our retreat. This is an excerpt of part of my plan (as I know that their knowing what I have will make them more secure in what I am capable of accomplishing).

Bug Out Airplane (BOA)

There has been a lot of discussion in SurvivalBlog about bug-out vehicles (BOVs) but I’ve only seen a brief article or two on BOAs (Bug Out Airplanes) and all but one of those (that mentioned Cessna 172s) dealt with having a small recreational single seat ultralight for recon and not real long term travel to a retreat.

My scenario is prefaced on using my Cessna 172. The reason I chose the 172 is because it is the most produced aircraft in the world (over 43,000 have been built since 1955). Additionally, its performance is versatile and needs, if fully loaded, not much more than 2,700 feet of runway at 4,000 foot elevation.

I’m presenting my plan in the hopes it inspires others to (1) share their plans, or (2) start a discussion about other considerations as to a BOA.

Appropriateness
Using an airplane in an emergency situation is not always the best idea. In fact, in many situations, such as nuclear war, it may be downright suicidal. However, in the event of an economic collapse, or possible pandemic, it might in fact be the quickest way to get out of Dodge.

There are many considerations that I’ve taken into account and here is a brief outline of my plan.

Planning
These are my general planning concepts:

• Navigation. In the event I need to bug out, I need to begin with the presumption that the total breakdown in society includes the loss of all navigational aids (due to loss of power or other interference). This includes GPS as well as ground based NDBs (non-directional beacons), VORs (VHF omnidirectional range [beacons]), and TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation [beacons]). Thus, in the event of an actual bug out, my starting presumption is that I cannot rely on any air navigation and will have to operate under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). This lack of navigation also includes a loss of FAA services such as radar services. Here it becomes especially important that I adhere to established VFR protocol (specifically altitudes). I ask that if we are in this situation, other pilots have strict adherence to this as well.
• Weather
  Additionally, because there is a complete breakdown in society, I will not have the luxury of any weather information. To compensate for this, I plan to carry extra fuel (see supplies section for further explanation).
• Route Planning
• Altitudes. My plan is to travel at either 7,500 or 8,500 feet depending on my direction. In short, VFR traffic flying easterly should be at odd altitudes plus 500 feet (e.g., 7,500 feet). Westerly bound traffic should be at even altitudes (e.g., 8,500). My rationale is twofold. First, the Cessna’s best performance is based on the airplane flying at 8,000 feet (approximate range is 485 NM +/- wind effect). Second, this altitude is high enough that I shouldn’t be a target for any trigger happy individuals. Third, this should keep me below jet and military traffic. Finally, at 8,000 feet, I should have a 12 NM glide range in the event of an emergency which will give me plenty of time to make decisions and potentially put myself at least a half-a-days hike away from or closer to any location I chose.
• Avoiding Airspaces. I planned my route to avoid two types of airspaces as much as possible: Class B and MOAs. I’m afraid that with Class Bs and MOAs, there might be some jet traffic and in the event things are an uncontrolled free-for-all, I don’t want to play chicken with someone’s private jet.
• Navigation. As discussed above, I anticipate a complete failure for major navigational aids. However, I have identified a few navigational aids near military bases and power stations which, as my thinking goes, could still be active in the event of an emergency to help coordinate government. I’m not going to rely on them but I will first monitor those in the hopes that they can provide some directional assistance. GPS is ultimately controlled by the US Government, so I don’t have a lot of hope that it will be a useful resource in complete government collapse.
• My ultimate tool is going to be Visual Flight Rules (VFR) [piloting] and again, I’ve chosen landmarks in my prepared flight plan which should be easily recognizable (bodies of water, geographic features, large and distinct construction projects, etc…).
• Route. When traveling, I’ll do my best to fly point-to-point, keeping in the considerations listed above. I have scouted a few isolated airstrips and found a few patches of remote roadways where, if necessary, I could put down to refuel or wait out any weather. I’ve marked all of these on old aviation maps and will alter my course slightly, if necessary to keep myself within range of them. There are a lot of nice small airports that are in isolated locations that, with a little looking, can be easy to find.
• Radio. Finally, I’ll monitor appropriate frequencies where appropriate, including 121.5 but not broadcast unless I feel it’s absolutely necessary since I don’t want to give
• Landing. Before I land, I feel it is important to overfly the area I plan to set down to make sure I’m not flying into a danger. I’m also going to make sure that I have enough fuel that if it is not safe or prudent to land, I can abort with a comfortable reserve (preferably 45 minutes). My initial though is that I’ll descend to the desired landing area, overflying and inspect the intended runway and then proceed past it for a while, to not give away my intentions. I’ll then climb to altitude and come in with a simulated engine out (with low power to be as stealth as possible) yet having the ability to add power if needed and climb out.
• Time of Day. I’ve done a reverse line of retreat and figured out what time I need to depart from in order to arrive at the destination before dark [at the wither solstice]. I have, in the emergency book I’ve prepared for my family, directions on how to communicate with me at the airport when I arrive (code using road flares and non-aviation radios) to warn me of any dangers.

Supplies and Other Weight Considerations

• The question of what to load into a Cessna Bug Out Airplane Presents a few unique challenges.
• Any airplane has a weight limit. In this case, my goal is to load 900 lbs of supplies into the airplane (the maximum amount allowed per the POH). There are some weight and balance considerations (see the following weight and balance / loading section for further explanation). This is where your survival planning is really tested because everything needs to be planned out since weight is a major limitation factor.
• Me. Obviously I need to fly the plane. I’m going to assume that I am fully loaded down with clothes (e.g., jacket, boots, hat and gloves) and just ate a full meal (something I would do in the event I decided to bug out to keep my alertness) at 170 lbs.
• Extra Aviation Gas. In the event of TEOTWAWKI, we all can agree that fuel becomes a valuable commodity. Aviation fuels are leaded so they won’t work that in regular cars as regular unleaded gasoline won’t work in airplanes. Thus my assumption becomes that the minute I take off, I’m not getting any more gas beyond what I have.
• My plan is to carry 8 Gerry cans of Aviation Gasoline with me in the cockpit. Each Gerry can weighs about 11 lbs empty and holds 5 gallons of fuel (1 gal of aviation fuel = 6 lbs.). Yes, under normal situations this is downright stupid but after reflecting on this, I feel the risk outweighs the reward and flexibility of having extra gas. My biggest fear is having to divert because of weather and not having enough gas to carry on thereby putting me a worse situation than I started with. These eight cans have a total weight of 320 lbs.
• To minimize my risks, I’ll take advantage of the fact I can open up a window in my airplane and make sure each Gerry can is tightly sealed. If I could find plastic cans, I would obviously switch to those because I’d estimate that they are less than 3 lbs each and that would save me about 40 lbs in weight but I want to plan for something heavier.
• Bug Out Bag. I would take my two best BOBs with me. The first is a backpack containing everything I need to survive for 3 days (including food, water – lifesaver bottle, supplies, and even a primitive shelter). I’d also pack my survival duffel bag (including my shotgun and handgun, 2 week food supply, foul weather gear, warm clothes and basic tools) as well as sleeping bag. Remember, that carrying a firearm on a flight line is a crime and use discretion. Combined, these items weight about 75 lbs.
• Water. I would also take five gallons of water with me (in addition to the water and lifesaver water bottle contained above). Water weights 8.35 lbs per gallon and with the plastic container, I estimate five bottles will be 54 lbs.
• Briefcase. Inside my briefcase I have my laptop computer and aviation charts. On my laptop computer, I have a folder with .pdf files which include instrument approach charts and emergency preparedness/survival materials. I generously estimate this at 10 lbs.
• Ham Radio. I have an amateur radio license and have a small kit packed with my Ham Radio and other communications devices. I have the equipment necessary to hook it up to a 12 volt battery as well. This weighs no more than 25 lbs.
• Generator. I’m sure a lot of you are asking why I plan to take a generator. I have a small 1,000 Watt Honda generator that has served me well for many a football tailgates. I’m not sentimentally attached to it. My reason for taking it is that it comes with a 12V plug adaptor. Since I mentioned that I have accounted in my plans to divert in the event of bad weather, I want to have an auxiliary power source to charge the battery or use it to fire up the engine. The generator (with a full fuel tank), hand fuel pump, and the small tool kit I keep with it have a combined weight of no more than 40 lbs. I also see it having significant barter value. If I make a land stop I can use the generator to help recharge my laptop batteries or power my Ham Radio set.

Total Weight
I estimate my total weight will be just about 950 lbs. I know this is probably slightly above the upper limits of the airplane but I anticipate burning off some fuel during taxi and run-up and am at an airport where I can afford to climb out very slowing. Further, the airport sits in a temperate climate (50-70’s) near a body of water where there is frequently a headwind. I have no major obstacles preventing me from climbing out. If weight is too much (and I’ll probably feel it during my first take off attempt), I can always jettison a fuel can or two but would prefer to have the ability to completely refuel the airplane one.

Other Considerations

Finally, I have a couple cargo nets and tie down kit and will secure everything before departure. Since I’ll be using the front seat, I don’t want cargo to shift and contact the flight controls. I’ve done the math in my head and given how long it takes me, I estimate that within two hours of making the decision, I can leave. I know that two hours may be a long time, but I’d rather spend two hours prepping than be stuck in traffic for two hours and run out of gas or be exposed to a mob.

Weight and Balance / Loading

This is the tricky part because you have to pack things in just right so the weight and balance are within limits. My plan is to remove all of the seats except the pilot’s to give me extra space and weight.

Here is a rough draft of my sample packing list a weight calculations:

Arm [aka station or centroid]: 46.78149

Final Thoughts
As I mentioned before, I can drive to my destination but that may not be the most prudent move. The preceding sketch is the start of a plan.