Spreading ashes

[727cargoAv8R]

It's been a few years since I have done one, but I recall we used a tube that is usually sent in the mail system to hold posters. I fastened a string to one of the plastic caps and pushed it as far out in the slipstream as I could before I pulled the string. DO NOT let a family member perform this task. Hope this helps

 

[tarp]

Did it in A C-152 with a lady who wanted to spread her mom's ashes over some parkland.

Remember to fix the window.

The C-152 was so slow there almost wasn't enough airflow to keep the window open.

Very moving experience - bring some kleenex for the tears.

If you don't slip and keep it slow, you may hear something hitting the tail feathers. Be aware.

Lady was very cool - transferred her mom's ashes into a small velvet bag - reminded me of a Crown Royal bag (but it wasn't). She asked if she could toss the bag - I gave her my swiss army knife and told her to cut the seams and then she tossed it like a towel.

 

[OtterFO]

I spread my fathers ashes out of a Cherokee a couple of years ago.

Took a 3' length of 1.5" diamater PVC pipe. Put a plug one end. Loaded it like a muzzle loader. Then we took a plastic plug and drilled a small hole in the center and attached a string to it, then pluged the other end of the pipe.

In the Cessna, open the window, hold the whole pipe out aligned with the slipstreem and pull the stringed plug off. You may have to shake the pipe to get all the ashes out. My dad was pretty good sized and I ended up packing it pretty tight. Its is critical that you hold the whole pipe outside the aircraft and make sure the discharge end is aft of the open window. Also if you angle the pipe down and use a little bit of flaps you will avoid dusting the tail.

Good luck

 

[Hovernut]

From what I recall of the "Flying" mag article, the crew had a bad experience with a 172 with the cloud in the cockpit. They chose a Piper product with the vent window because of the substantial suction it produces when open in flight.

 

[RJones]

My father did this once for a friend. My father owned a C-185 on floats; they took off with the urn, climb to about 800', opened the window, opened the urn and attempted to get the ashes out. Spitoo, spitoo, caugh, caugh and gray looking faces when they returned, sad but extremly funny. Five years after that we were still vacuuming ashes out of the plane at every annual.

So my father modified the procedure, same family. He built aluminum box with a lid that had a release mechanism (string into the plane) and duct taped it to the strut. Much better results this time.

RJ

 

[AK737FO]

Ashes to Ashes...

I use to do this out of a Cherokee 6. One guy flys, one guy (another pilot) cracks the back door and send the ashes on their way.
Sometimes the family wanted to fly along. Bring several boxes of tissue...
Sometimes they family would just want it dropped over the ocean, over Tillamook head light house, over the farm... and did not care to fly along.
The ashes would usually come to us in an urn or in a cardboard box. We would always transfer the ashes to a paper bag. This gives you a lot more control on getting the ash out of the airplane through a cracked door or window. If we were off shore we would just "bombs away" with the whole bag. The water splash when the bag hits is pretty impressive.

We did notice a little "sand blasting" on the 6's tail after a half dozen or so airial dispersions.

 

[banned username 2]

Re: Ashes to Ashes...

We did notice a little "sand blasting" on the 6's tail after a half dozen or so airial dispersions.

Such is life, one day you are rolling along fat, dumb and happy... the next you are chipping paint off of some Cherokee's horizontal stab with your teeth....

 

[F/O]

AK737FO

I used the "paper bag method" you refer to offshore from Pacific City one time. But, I was by myself on that run, I think family members prefer scattering directly from the urn...

 

[Aviation Forum]

I've heard horror stories of all of the ash blowing back into the plane! Yikes!

 

[LR25]

I have done this with a 172.

Here are a couple thing to think of.

Undo the latch that holds the window at the 45 degree so you can open it up all the way.

Have someone in the back seat do the dumping, I had someone in the front seat do it, and we were getting real close to spreading some in the airplane. Not a good thing with the loved ones in the airplane with you.

Good luck.