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And by that, I mean have you considered airborne transport as a bug out vehicle? I know there are at least two pilots on the forum.* A book I bought a summer or two ago (I forget, because I'm crazy person), but happened upon again, reminded me of this. Said text is Build the Perfect Bug Out Vehicle: The Disaster Survival Guide, by Creek Stewart.

The aforementioned covers every conceivable human powered, motorized and animal transport, on land, water, or air. Some we already do (various 4WDs), some I've done in that past and would make sense here and in Arizona (horse and mule), and one I just want to do just because; the gyrocopter. I've always had a strange fascination with the autogyro and, as @TeacherSmurf can attest, I bring it up as a solution when we are discussing preparedness scenarios. (The fact it was invented by a wacky Spanish nobleman isn't helping.)

A couple other events makes me think something airborne might be a good idea to pursue:

  • When Hurricane Maria nailed Puerto Rico, me and my boss talked about how to get our man out of there. The idea of using his yacht (boss piloting, me helping and packing hardware) came up, but it was nixed. An airlift came to mind, but the guy we contract to fly stuff refused to do so, fearing for his own safety.
  • In my family, there is a disagreement as to where to migrate the tribe. One group ("faction" sounds to contentious) thinks gulf coast Texas, the other rural Arizona. The main driver of the former is my older brother (number 2 of 6), the latter yours-truly (3 of 6). The patriarch has voiced support for my plan, but I've noticed the division seems to break down to urban versus rural clan, my father being in the latter. With air-power, maybe it won't matter much to bridge the gap.
Anyway, perhaps a delightfully fruitful discussion will commence.

* My parents-in-law were pilots back in the day. My airborne piloting was limited to taking the controls of a prop plane of a family friend on a few occasions. As an adolescent, flying over eastern Oregon and then landing on a hilltop strip was way cool, even if I kind of bumped it on the runway. :s0112:
 
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Gen H-4 Ultralight helicopter.
GEN AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
 
I plan to bug by air if it's possible, but that's just one of many possibilities. Depending on the type of event and how wide spread it is will have as much effect as any thing else!
There are a lot of reasons NOT TO as well! AV fuel is going to be limited ( unless you can burn Auto fuel) Which I cannot!
ZERO protection from any thing with a muzzle velocity greater then a Bumble Bee.
Limited lifting capabilities ( about 400 pounds per trip)
Kinda slow, tops out around 120 MPH and really burns the gogo juice doing more then about 90 MPH!
Easy to see target, (see my avatar) bright Arrest Me Red!

Now for the pluses!
NO ONE can go the places I can, so no one can track and follow me!
NO ONE can take off or land where I can unless they have a Helo!
NO ONE is going to be as Quick to bug very far very fast, so I have the advantage!
A few cans of dark green spray paint and i'm very hard to spot.
My Motor and Prop are pretty quiet, so hard to detect, especially at night.
I can move very quickly from place to place and remain difficult to impossible to reach.( As long as I have fuel)
I can also Hunt from the air, spot from the air, and recon from the air, giving me numerous advantages over every one else!
I can also attack from the air! I can do little raids, and snatch and grabs of needful things!
 
Now reality! I am required to have a transponder in use at all times, if there is still rule of law and or functioning military, I can be tracked and located by those with access to that signal. IF all civil aviation is grounded I.E. 9/11, i would become a target! I cannot hide from radar, my bird is steal, aluminum and carbon fiber, it would show on any scope as exactly what it is, and altitude isn't going to mask me from those who would be equipped with that!

I can fold the wings in about 10 min and tow the plane with my 4X4 or even a off road motor cycle and get as far away as quickly as possible, saving the plane for later on, or at least keeping others from using it!;)
 
I plan to bug by air if it's possible, but that's just one of many possibilities. Depending on the type of event and how wide spread it is will have as much effect as any thing else!
There are a lot of reasons NOT TO as well! AV fuel is going to be limited ( unless you can burn Auto fuel) Which I cannot!
ZERO protection from any thing with a muzzle velocity greater then a Bumble Bee.
Limited lifting capabilities ( about 400 pounds per trip)
Kinda slow, tops out around 120 MPH and really burns the gogo juice doing more then about 90 MPH!
Easy to see target, (see my avatar) bright Arrest Me Red!

Now for the pluses!
NO ONE can go the places I can, so no one can track and follow me!
NO ONE can take off or land where I can unless they have a Helo!
NO ONE is going to be as Quick to bug very far very fast, so I have the advantage!
A few cans of dark green spray paint and i'm very hard to spot.
My Motor and Prop are pretty quiet, so hard to detect, especially at night.
I can move very quickly from place to place and remain difficult to impossible to reach.( As long as I have fuel)
I can also Hunt from the air, spot from the air, and recon from the air, giving me numerous advantages over every one else!
I can also attack from the air! I can do little raids, and snatch and grabs of needful things!

Weather. Huge issue for any pilot - especially those without IFR rating/experience. I am guessing you probably have an IFR rating/experience and have flown bad weather. I am not a pilot - never have been, but my father was and flew bad weather a few times with my family on board - once he scared the fecal matter out of me by insisting to fly in weather in the Siskiyous when he shouldn't have. Other times in commercial flights (small commuter flying thru a thunderstorm).

About six months out of the year I would consider that most pilots with small aircraft could not bugout from where I am - much less where I plan to live when I retire (the coastal range).

Then there is where you can land. Yes, helos and to a degree STOL aircraft can land some places that you might want to, but I can go places in land craft no aircraft can get to - not to mention where I can go on foot.

Your prop and engine may be relatively quiet, but not near as quiet as most land craft. I live not far from a small airport and in the flight path of other aircraft going to a larger airport, and I have yet to see any aircraft that I could not hear miles away - unless they are gliding.

So unless a person already has aircraft for other purposes and/or their budget is such that the $$$ are not an issue, I don't consider an aircraft that is solely for the purpose of bugging out, to be practical for most people - especially in the PNW.
 
If the guano hits the rotator, I plan to 'bug in'.

Then later, you can find me a dried out, husk like corpse in bed, like they do in in post-apocalyptic movies when the heroes go searching for food or ammo.

I don't wanna be jivin in da mad max whorl - I wanna be dade...let you suckas live a 14th century life...
 
Have I mentioned my pipedream of turning a C-130 into an RV on wings? Problem is needing at least two aircrew, plus the fuel cost just to start engines never mind go anywhere...

The owner of South Coast Lumber in Brookings did something very similar... converted a PBY into an RV and hired a friend to fly him on his fishing/hunting trips in Canada and Alaska, etc. I understand it was very nice accomodations.

Texas Gulf Coast as a bug out option?

Dumb...

Oh, you think it might be out of the frying pan and into hurricane alley???

The best plan for bugging out is to bug out early; e.g., to already live at your BOL.

Gotta get home from work tho! Could be Mad Max scenario.
 
bbbass,

You hit the nail on the head.

This is the time of year we all plan for the worst i.e. hurricanes.

In addition, refugees heading here as a bug out location option is laughable, as the folks here are very hospitable, but if the refugees think this area is something they can command, look out...really, really look out...carpetbagger facsimiles will be shot like looters...
 
Gotta get home from work tho! Could be Mad Max scenario.

True that - and for me, in the poor shape I am in, it could be a big issue as it is 25 to 30 miles by car, probably more if I have to walk. Considering I am bordering on a heart attack if I walk one mile up a hill, it is a concern - I would have to cross the west hills, which are steep enough to cause me a real problem. I think I would probably take one of the many scooters or battery powered bicycles parked around my office building that cost a $1 a minute and see how far I could get on one before having to abandon it.

Most likely scenario being an earthquake.

OTOH - I spend 70% of my time at home in any given week, that is about the odds that I would already be home. In about a year or two, I plan to retire, at which point the issue would be moot (unless it is winter and I am traveling - which I plan to do).
 
I'm soon to start pruning my oak, pecan, sycamore and lots of others for hurricane season.

If left un-pruned they can be severely damaged.

Gotta cut out some limbs in the middle - later, cuz they big limbs, I have mo firewood for de winta...
 

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