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Safety’s Right Up There

By Mark Truax

Email-mtruax@link2000.net

November Issue.

The Big Chill

A long time ago, in a land called Purdue, there was a place called Cary Quad. I was allowed to live there as a freshman student.  There was a curious custom, run on the coldest night of the year called the “nude Olympics”.  Brave but stupid young men (and a few women from neighboring dorms-I was aghast) covered themselves with Vaseline, donned sneakers and ski-masks, and would run around the inner courtyard until only one remained (or the Purdue police came).  Observing from the warmth of my window, overlooking the courtyard, with my clothes on, I gleaned several important lessons which remain useful 29 years later (unlike calculus, chemistry or freshman English) .

Lesson #1-  Cover your head when you’re cold.  You loose a disproportional amount of heat from your scalp, especially you bald guys.

Lesson #2-  A ski-mask can hide your identity. Just don’t wear it into the Bal-Hinch convenience store on the way to the field.  A quick exit after flying with mask in place and no-one will know who wrecked that Christmas present on the first flight.

Lesson #3- Avoid volatile chemicals on the skin. Fuels which evaporate at ambient temperatures will cool your skin. If you’re going to spill something spill Vaseline.

Lesson#4- Don’t go barefoot.  Wool socks and some heavy boots would be a good choice for the freeze-fly.

Lesson#5- It’s more fun when someone’s watching.  Take someone with you for the freeze fly. Stupid people tend to encourage one another.  Miserable experiences are more fun when they’re shared.

Lesson #6- Maximize your exposure. No wait a minute that’s the political campaign lesson, never mind.

Lesson #7- Protect your skin. Vaseline is one option. Dressing in layers with a wind shell would also be acceptable.

Lesson #8- Don’t go out the door ‘til you’re ready to run. Have your plane fueled ,warm and assembled as much as possible before you get out of the car.

Please don’t read this article as an endorsement of a nude freeze-fly (that’s an extremely bad mental picture- where’s the airsickness bag?). Hopefully the weather will hold and we’ll see you at the field on January 1^st.

Until next month.

Mark