Trying to find a plane to drop ashes by PDX

ozone

Well-Known Member
I’m grasping at straws here, but I am hoping that someone knows someone in the Portland area that can help. I’m looking for a Cessna of some sort to be able to help my aunt drop off my uncle’s ashes offshore near Astoria.

I’m in the area this weekend and an unfortunate combination of weather, CFI availability for checkride access, and plane maintenance have all combined to prevent me from renting from (literally) every FBO within 30 miles of Portland.

Im hoping that someone on this thread can help me with finding a high wing of some sort to help out tomorrow morning or Sunday morning. I have the ashes wrapped up, all it needs is an open window and there’s no risk of scattering since it’ll be a package drop. My aunt wants me to accompany her, so a 4 seater plane would be ideal.

If anyone can help, please call/text me at: nine70-309-770two
 
Have you looked into any drone operators out by Astoria? Perhaps they'd be able to help as I know there have to be more than a few in Portland if not out by Astoria as well.
 
I’m grasping at straws here, but I am hoping that someone knows someone in the Portland area that can help. I’m looking for a Cessna of some sort to be able to help my aunt drop off my uncle’s ashes offshore near Astoria.

I’m in the area this weekend and an unfortunate combination of weather, CFI availability for checkride access, and plane maintenance have all combined to prevent me from renting from (literally) every FBO within 30 miles of Portland.

Im hoping that someone on this thread can help me with finding a high wing of some sort to help out tomorrow morning or Sunday morning. I have the ashes wrapped up, all it needs is an open window and there’s no risk of scattering since it’ll be a package drop. My aunt wants me to accompany her, so a 4 seater plane would be ideal.

If anyone can help, please call/text me at: nine70-309-770two
Not by air but in the water....
 
The Deed has been done. The ashes were placed in mulberry paper, wrapped like a burrito. The package was then tied up with cotton string. In a Cessna 150, we flew the requisite 3 miles offshore at 5000 feet.
I slowed to 65mph, with 10 degrees of flaps, and started a gentle turn to the right. My aunt then tossed the package out the window. It dropped out of site immediately. From 5000 feet, I expect that it exploded upon impact with the water. In my opinion, dropping the ashes as a package, as opposed to trying to scatter them into the air, is safer for several reasons.

If anyone needs advice or ideas should they need to dispense with ashes, I’m happy to answer questions and give links of the places where I bought the mulberry paper and so on.

FWIW: human ashes are about 200 cubic inches and weigh around 8 pounds
 
It’s a little late now, but I’ve seen people use a contraption similar to a potato gun. Crack the door, then stick the barrel out the door jamb and usually the ashes are in the slipstream. Sometimes they end up in the back seat.
 
It’s a little late now, but I’ve seen people use a contraption similar to a potato gun. Crack the door, then stick the barrel out the door jamb and usually the ashes are in the slipstream. Sometimes they end up in the back seat.
T shirt cannon?

Good choice on the C-150 bugsmasher though
 
Good call on the package. My dad used to fly with a friend who often dropped ashes for people. He said the majority would always end up in the back seat then the airport vacuum cleaner.
Read a number of incidents dispersing ashes where Bernoulli s principle is tested and proven...
 
Read a number of incidents dispersing ashes where Bernoulli s principle is tested and proven...
I did as well. I spent the last 9 months trying to figure out the best way to help my aunt. This technique was the simplest and the most effective and kept the danger level to a minimum. Since another pilot asked, here's what I came up with (for anyone who needs to know):

As for how I wrapped things up:


I knew from my travels that mulberry paper is really strong, rather thick and behaves like cloth. But, it’s totally biodegradable since it’s made from the bark of the paper mulberry Bush. Link: (marbled Momi paper)




The paper is 2x2.5. I sewed it together to make a long piece that was about 2x5 (used a sewing machine and sewed the connection point with 2 parallel lines to ensure strength and prevent spillage). I then folded it lengthwise in thirds and sewed up one end to make sure nothing would come apart when rolled up ( i found all-cotton sewing thread). The ashes were poured in the middle third along most of the length.

At first, I tried rolling the whole thing up (starting at the unsewed end) and quickly realized that it would be too bulky. I backed up and started folding each section about 8 inches (from the free end to the sewed up end). This resulted in a soft package that was about 3-4 inches thick and 8 inches square.

All of that was tied together with cotton string to keep it tightly wrapped, so there would be no chance of it tearing or spilling

By the way, here's a link to pictures of the wrap that I made with mulberry paper: ashes - Google Drive
 
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