So this happened today. My airline ID, FAA pilot certificate, FAA medical certificate, FCC licence, vaccination records for accident site access and more — hanging by a string. Without that secondary tie, I could have lost them all.
Easy aviation lesson: Always have a backup. A secondary HF frequency, enough fuel for an alternative airport, a spare battery, another option. A second string on your ID.
Take a look at everything you do, and eliminate the single points of system failure. Are you listening Boeing?
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(Big thanks to my crashpad roommate for 16 years, Captain Earl the Pearl, for setting me up with the secondary ID tie years ago.)
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