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How many sanitary towels can you fit in a 701?
This is a very pertinent question. Those who have seen SALT will know that Angelina Joli also uses sanitary towels for gunshot wounds - but these ones are for the more traditional use.
Having collected 1200 packs of sanitary towels - that is 12000 pads - we are now in the interesting phase of Humanitarian Aviation Logistics - the weight and balance phase.
We are providing two different types of towels - standard 'long' and compact with wings... how appropriate... These personal hygiene items will be taken to a village in order to support and encourage menstruating girls at school. The idea is simple - have good school attendance and get a supply of sanitary towels. Easy and simple idea - but to fly them in on a monthly, or periodic basis, requires a little thought.
First of all, I can reliable inform you all that 12000 sanitary pads fit comfortably in my Toyota Previa mini-van. I can also tell you that the cardboard boxes are heavy and unnecessary to fly with.
Now, we realize that plastic bag repacking is essential - but once they are in plastic bags they tend to be less ordered and more bulky in their arrangements. This is a challenge. I would like to 'band' them - but with what? We could use masking tape - but it may tear the pack packaging on removal... String is possible too - but may damage the product...
Next we need to study the weight and volume quite carefully. The CH701 has a large baggage area - and can carry 18 kgs (about 40lbs) maximum. We then have the questions of size of bundle for potential aerial supply drops (we don't want to have to land each time we deliver - for example during the rainy season the runway may be too wet...
If we package too large the dropper may hit the pilot on the head or knock the centre stick - or worse still get the package stuck in the door! There is a lot of science - and more experimentation needed.
Fortunately, we have some teenage girls starting at the AvTech Academy, an new educational establishment being set up with support from MoM, WAASPS and others, to train young ladies in Aviation and Technology - and giving these girls a large box of sanitary wear and getting them to run the calcs, seems most appropriate!
In the mean time, if anybody out there has experience of aerial supply drops of sanitary towels - or other products - please share your experiences - because this has to be good!
We will be flying around Ghana in the 701 at the beginning of November, demonstrating on National Television that built in Ghana planes, flown by Ghanaian girls are capable of going places and doing things - and it will be just one week before the annual Air Show at Kpong.
We will keep you posted, and also let you know 'how many sanitary pads can fit in a CH701 bush plane for Humanitarian Mission flying!!!
Comment
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Comment by Jonathan Porter on August 31, 2010 at 1:14am
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Bob, No probs, we understand! Just keep on making those supportive and useful comments - they really help - when I show the girls comments like yours it is a real shot in the arm for them - you have no idea how a few sentences from somebody from outside, especially with your experiences, helps to make a real difference to the lives of so many - THANK YOU, fly safe!
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Comment by Bob Pustell on August 30, 2010 at 6:56pm
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I will reluctantly pass, Jonathan. My life is very full these days with numerous family and volunteer (I am retired) job reasons. Maybe, sometime down the road, but not now. Sorry.
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Cheers Bob, The movie is called End of the Spear, and the Pilot was Nate Saint. Steve Saint, his son, recently completed an 801 in Ecuador, and my son, Matthew went over to see it and help out a bit there. Steve has given us a lot of details about the bucket drop - and it is very interesting. The issues are the weight of the winch and rope compromises load and the issue of people climbing in the bucket.... We are more likely to get approval for drops than for the bucket - and can deliver more. Nonetheless, it is an amazing thing to do - and we would like to do it for an air show!
Thanks for the tips - now, why don't you come out and give us a hand trying it out - your presence may help us get our approvals with GCAA - but your experience would be a great thing to share with our local people, if you fancy a trip to the tropics?!
http://www.medicineonthemove.org
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Nope, I flew the big brother to the C-130, the C-141A Starlifter, back in the early seventies. With the right training and support it was amazing how much stuff you could drop into a very confined space. When things went wrong, it was amazing how far away from the drop zone the stuff would end up. Fortunately, we mostly made it go right.
For your first few practice/training drops, I would recommend a large open field with a target in the middle and a dummy load. As you get more proficient, do some drops in your open field with the real load, to be sure your packaging and dropping methods will work out ok. Then do some practice drops to a smaller target area and see how well your ground people can find the load when (not if) it ends up in the bush outside the target area. That is where the bright colors and streamers will come in handy.
Keep us posted.
By the way, have you ever seen video of the missionary bush pilot (I do not know what area he was working in) who worked out a way to use a bucket on a long rope to lower small loads into the center of isolated villages? He did it by circling in a very precise manor, and the bucket with the goods would drop directly down into the village center and sit there. The residents could remove the goods, put in goods or messages of their own and then stand back. Then, the pilot climbed/widened the turn and the bucket went straight up out of the village. Maybe you could do something like that to deliver your hygene products instead of dropping them. I will try to find the video I am referring to, my Brother showed it to me a year or two ago.
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Sounds like you have some really good ideas there... What were you flying C130's ?
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So many details and so many variables for a seemingly simple task. Good luck and keep us posted.
I am afraid my airdrop experience is of no value to you, I dropped trucks and people and cannons and stuff out the back of military transports a third of a century ago. Not the same kind of operation.
I would recommend doing a lot of practice drops with dummy loads before you commence the real thing. You will be surprised how far off target you are intially, and how lost the package can get when it lands. Try very brightly colored wrappings and/or ten foot streamers of brightly colored ribbon or yarn.
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