TRAVEL TIPS That sinking feeling One would think that having to ditch an airplane would be the worst thing that could happen to a pilot on a trip over open water. But throwing the life raft overboard only to watch it float away would be much worse. Avoid that with these easy steps: 1. Attach the raft to the aircraft. Every raft comes with a lead line. Attach this to the aircraft prior to throwing the raft overboard. 2. Inflate it. Once the raft is a safe distance away, give the line a quick tug to inflate it. 3. Hop in. Follow the lead line out to the raft and hop in. Stay with the airplane as long as possible to make a bigger target for search and rescue. www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 45http://www.aopa.org/pilot