Tom Spiesser
The Striedieck article provides a good description of how the peeing issue can be resolved. Given that it is based on the US, I will use this section to describe the Australian solutions (Tie me kangeroo down sport!) because you may not realise how easy and how cheap it is to set yourself up with a convenient and practical system. Lisa Trotter has provided some input on the women's business so that this does not become a one-sided account. Most items are identified on the photo/diagram on the next page.
If you own your own glider you can either provide a fixed plumbing system with an outlet behind the seat, next to the undercarriage or you can use urine incontinence bags. When you fly club gliders or cross-hired gliders you normally don't have a choice.
While there are stories of all kinds of containers, which have been used by glider pilots in the past, my view is that we should use a system, which provides the least distraction from flying and is as safe and leak-proof as possible. Bridgeland Pharmacy in Benalla sells male external catheters for less than $2.00 each. There are a number of different brands. One, which works well and comes with a double-sided adhesive band, is called "URI-SURE Penile Sheath Medium 30 MM No. 883. They will know what you are looking for, but don't ask for Irish condoms, that might just confuse them. The Irish condoms and the urine bags are now also available at the office.
These Irish condoms fit neatly onto a pipe, which is connected to a 2-litre urine incontinence bag, which has a tap at the bottom and is meant to be re-usable. One can easily take two of these bags along on a flight. The piping and the bag are transparent, allowing you to check the colour of the urine, a good indicator of your level of dehydration.
If you own your own glider then the Irish condom can be connected to the piping, which leads to the outlet in the bottom of the fuselage. This system can be constructed at a cost under $20 with components purchased at Bunnings, such as 12.5mm clear vinyl tubing and Gardena garden hose joints. To get a tight fit to the Irish condom I have used the top end of the piping of one of the urine bags described above because it has a conical end piece. This I have stuck into the Bunnings 12.5mm vinyl tubing, using an intermediary size (small piece) to ensure a tight fit between these different tube thicknesses. Fitting three different sizes of tubing into one another allows one to extend and contract the length of the whole contraption to fit the pilot's requirements.
If you are using this tubing system then there is some further practical advice. You should carry some tissues in the glider. They come in handy on disconnecting. Also good to have a small blow tube with the blow-in end clearly marked. This is used after you have landed - near the runway and not in the hangar - to blow out the remaining urine. I also carry a 600ml bike bottle with water in the glider. That's useful to flush the system with water after you've blown out the urine. This bike bottle comes in very handy in case of an outlanding for water to take along when you walk to the nearest farmhouse or road.
So much for the guys; how about the ladies?
I am told it's all about padding, using incontinence or bladder control pads and pants. These come in different strengths or absorption capacities, with the more absorbing ones effectively taking the shape of undergarments. There are different brands. My female advisor recommends a brand called DEPEND, which can be found in most supermarkets, certainly at Coles in Benalla, otherwise in a pharmacy. (Another brand is called TENA.) Best to buy the ones with the highest capacity to absorb liquid (blue and purple packet). They cost about $15 for a packet of 8. For long flights its recommended to use two - put one on top of the other with a slit in the bottom layer of plastic in the top one. This is usually good enough for long flights. Sometimes if it is cool and there is a lot of cloud cover it may not be quite enough. In order not to have to worry about this (fairly rare) eventuality, it is recommended to put a protector between the parachute and the body (on top of the sheepskin, i.e. sit on it). The protector is just a square cut to fit from bed protectors for incontinence and can be bought at the chemist.
The other trick for the ladies is to land long so that they can have a pee in peace after landing and change any damp clothing. So next time you think that our female cross country aces are not very good at spot landings you'll know that it actually was a spot landing, just using a different "aiming point" for reasons of convenience.
| Depend Product | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Super absorbancy refastenable underwear | 3 1/2 cups |
| Fitted briefs | 3 1/2 cups |
| Overnight fitted briefs | 5 cups |
| Pads | ? |
| Seat pads | ? |
| Tena Product | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Comfort maxi | 1800 ml |
| Comfort super | 1500 ml |
| Slip large maxi | 1900 ml |
| Slip medium maxi | 1800 ml |
Some of the more absorbent products are not available in supermarkets, but can be ordered from the following address:
Australian Home Health Care
Melbourne: 9326 6511
Elsewhere: 1800 033 649