Why Switlik Life Vests Are Top Rated for Pilots
When flying your aircraft over water, it is wise to carry enough life vests for you and any other crew and passengers aboard your aircraft. Even if you have a life raft aboard your aircraft, there is no guarantee that you will be able to stay afloat long enough to reach it. This factor is particularly true if the landing injured you or the water is shockingly cold. A life vest ensures that you will last long enough to board the life raft and keeps your head above water if you cannot deploy the life raft.
But what qualities should you look for in a good life vest? Who makes the best ones? Let AVI Helicopter Helmets guide you on why Switlik Life Vests are the top-rated products for pilots like you.
What Makes A Good Life Vest?
Before you can figure out which life vest is the best one, you have to know what makes a good life vest. Consider the following qualities:
Size
The size of your life vest is crucial. A life vest that is too small for you will limit your range of motion during an emergency, which is right when you need it the most. If your life vest is too large, it will ride up and fail to support you properly, making it harder for you to stay on the water's surface. The best way to determine if a life vest is the right size for you is to put it on and have another person pull up on it. It is a good fit if the life vest stays secure to your body and doesn't come up to your neck and nose.
Weight Capacity
When choosing your life vest, you must be aware of its carrying capacity. Next to the size of the life vest, this is the most critical feature. A life vest rated only to support someone lighter than you will not do you any good in the water. Make sure you are picking a life vest that can support your weight.
Materials
Another critically important feature of your life vest is what it's made out of. You want a life vest made out of nylon and neoprene. This desirability is because they are durable and last longer than other materials. For example, while a polyester life vest might last for five years, a neoprene one will last for six and a half years -an important factor when the expense of life vests is considered.
Design
Three words: mesh drain panels. These panels might sound like a minor feature, but they make a world of difference. Mesh drain panels provide ventilation and allow your life vest to dry more quickly by a factor of hours sooner than without mesh drain panels.
Color
The color of your life vest might seem insignificant, but it contributes to your survival. Bright colors like orange, yellow, and red stick out even over long distances, particularly if they have reflective strips. This quality makes it easier for search and rescue teams to find you.
Why Switlik Life Vests?
Switlik Survival Products is a venerable company that has been in existence for over a century. Since World War II, they have provided pilot and gunner belts, flight suits, and parachutes, switching from military production of parachutes to commercial survival equipment. Switlik designed and released the first constant wear life vest that meets Federal Aviation Administration approval this year. Even after more than 100 years, Switlik is still innovating and coming ahead of its competition. They are an American company that you can trust.
Spotlight on the Switlik UA-80 Evolution Life Vest
The Switlik UA-80 Evolution Life Vest is a Federal Aviation Administration-approved product. Switlik designed it to be comfortable enough to wear daily, every day. Switlik considered the needs of helicopter pilots when they designed this product. It has a low-profile design so that it does not get in the way, and it is adjustable to be worn over any type of clothing.
Switlik Innovations
The Switlik UA-80 solves two problems that have long plagued helicopter pilots and crews: improved head and neck mobility and more MOLLE space to increase carrying capacity. Its most significant innovation is the revolutionary underarm flotation technology with over 85 pounds of buoyancy that helps the wearer keep their head above water effortlessly. This positioning of the air bladder removes the bulkiness present in most life vests around the head and limbs, giving the wearer a much more comprehensive range of motion. In addition to providing better mobility, maneuverability, water channeling, and a higher freeboard than other life vests, the Switlik UA-80 provides an auto-righting feature to keep unconscious wearers facing out of the water. The vest has over twice the number of available MOLLE loops than any previous Switlik product, allowing for a greater carrying capacity. To top it all off, the underarm flotation bladder is more resistant to punctures, abrasions, and fire than conventional vest bladders.
Get Your Switlik Life Vest at AVI Helicopter Helmets
AVI Helicopter Helmets proudly carries Switlik life vests. Providing the highest-quality products to our customers is essential, which means offering Switlik life vests, including the UA-80. As the first life vest with FAA approval and innovative quality-of-life and survival features, we cannot recommend the UA-80 more in addition to Switlik's other excellent survival products. So stop wearing that puny single-cell life preserver on your flights. Call AVI Helicopter Helmets and get your Switlik life vest today!
