darryl ramm’s blog

Introduction

Having a way to easily urinate on cross country flights in a glider is very important. You don’t want any excuse to not consume lots of fluids and you don’t want to be uncomfortable or distracted fiddling about with pee bags etc. while also having to fly the glider. I’ll describe here the system that I think is by far the best and provide information on how to build the pee tube and where to buy the catheters.

Sorry this discussion is male centric I don’t have any advice for women glider pilots except I know catheter style devices are available that can be connected to pee tubes.

The different approaches for male glider pilots include pee bags, adult incontinence diapers, catheters connected to incontinence bags, pee tubes vented overboard, etc. The system I prefer uses a stiff plastic tube about two feet long with a quick disconnect connector on one end. You poke this tube through a hole in the cockpit wall and then connect the tube to a flexible tube that is connected to an external catheter that is connected to you. When you’ve finished you disconnect the stiff tube from the other plumbing and pull it up or all the way out the hole.

Installation in the Glider

Assuming you have decided to vent pee overboard, which is really the best approach, then there are several possible ways to do this. Some gliders have schemes where a tube is attached to the undercarriage doors or an undercarriage gear leg, these almost always seem to result in urine spaying on the fuselage bottom. They also require lowering the undercarriage when you want to pee. Even fancier systems use a small pump that vents the urine out the tube at the rear of the fuselage tail. While I like that idea in principle it is another mechanical thing to fail.

I prefer the system where a hole is drilled through the cockpit interior somewhere near the joystick, the hole continues through the glider fuselage and a polyethylene or similar guide tube is installed between these holes, and a tape hinged Mylar flap is installed on the exterior of the glider. Any glider repair center can install the holes in the glider for the pee tubes. The pilot’s pee tube is inserted in this hole and hopefully protrudes far enough clear of the glider so that urine does not spray on the glider fuselage. Different schemes exist for pee tubes that use these holes and I will describe below the one I believe is the best.

A Pee Tube Showing Quick Disconnect (the catheter attaches to the Mentor connector hose at right, 6 inch ruler shown for scale)

BASA Members Note: The BASA DG-1000S N451CH is drilled for pee tubes and the pee tube construction directions below will fit 1CH fine.

Catheters

Male external catheters look like condoms with a fitting for a hose at the end. The bad news is that most of them stay on by having adhesive inside them. Trying to remove them after the flight can range from slightly inconvenient to damn painful. After trying out several types the only ones I will use are “Mentor Clear Advantage with Aloe”, the aloe seem to really cut down the adhesive nastiness. I tried several brands and types and nothing worked as well as these, even if you’ve tried and been unhappy with other catheters I would encourage you to try these.

Mentor catheters come in various sizes, see the PDF sizing chart at -http://www.mentorcorp.com/pdf/dm_male_measurement_guide.pdf.

It is near impossible to find these catheters at pharmacies. I buy them and the connecting tube online at St. Louis Medical Supply.

The things you need are ….

Code Description
MN7092 Mentor Connector Kit with Clear N/Latex Tube (Mentor Freedom Clear Latex-Free Tubing and Connector)
MN6000 Mentor Clear Advantage, Silicone Self-Adhering Male External Catheter with Aloe (ordered in your size)

You will need one connector kit per pee tube, maybe get a few spare. Catheters are worn for the day and discarded, I normally purchase several tens of catheters at a time.

Making the Pee Tube

Tools you will need

• Sharp utility knife
• Tape measure or ruler
• Hot air gun (A hair dryer is unlikely to get hot enough)

Components you will need (in addition to catheter and connector tube described above)

• Polyethylene tubing 1/4 inch internal diameter, 1/16 inch wall thickness, 3/8 inch outside diameter – 2 feet required per pee tube.This is a common size of polyethylene tubing. Polyethylene tubing is the milky white semi-transparent semi-rigid tube available at many hardware stores. In my local area it is available at Orchard Supply, Home Depot and some ACE hardware stores, usually in the plumbing section. It is normally sold by the foot from a roll or by the full roll. Don’t worry that it retains the curve form the roll, we’ll fix that later. If you can’t find it locally you can always get it from Amazon




• Colder CPC Positive Shut-off Quick-Disconnect (Male/Female) pair these are available from Wings and Wheels as the “Positive Shut-off Q-D’s Quick-Disconnect (Male/Female) couplers complete” for $18.80. Williams Soaring may also have these connectors available. I recommend using this specific model coupler, Cumulus Soaring sell the similar Colder APC Positive Shut-off Quick-Disconnect but these don’t have the stainless steel components that these higher quality models have. “No spill” quick disconnect mean that as they disconnect both the male and female parts seal, this helps avoid any leaks or drips. And if you like leaving the polyethylene tube sitting in the hole but pulled up most of the way it stops the tube leaking air or whistling.

Building Instructions

1. Cut a two foot long section of polyethylene tubing
2. If your polyethylene tubing is curled then heat the polyethylene tubing with a hot air gun to help straight in. Work the gun over the tube to heat the tube consistently then bend the tube gently to straighten it and hold it straight as it cools. The tube does not need to be perfectly straight, but it may take a couple of attempts at heating and bending to get a fairly straight tube.
3. Cut about two inches off the plain hose end of the Mentor Freedom Clear Latex-Free Tubing and Connector.
4. Use this two inch piece of flexible hose to join the polyethylene semi-rigid tube to the barb of the female quick-disconnect connector. If the hose is too tight to fit try heating it in hot water.
5. Cut the remaining exposed end of the polyethylene tube at a 45 degree angle. This will help make the tube easier to insert into the pee tube hole in the glider.
6. You will have about 18 inches left of the Mentor Tubing and Connector. Depending on the location of the pee tube hole in the glider cockpit this will likely be too long, you probably want 6 to 8 inches of this flexible tube attached to the end of the quick-disconnect. If possible take this to the glider with you, sit in the glider with a catheter on and see how much tubing you’ll need and trim the
   Mentor tube to length before pushing it onto the male half of the quick-disconnect.

Using the Pee Tube

To avoid pubic hair being caught in the catheter glue it is a good idea to trim back your pubic hair with scissors. You have to remember to put the catheter on before the flight as they are difficult to put on in the air. I recommend putting the catheter on just before the flight, don’t put it on at home and spend hours unnecessarily wearing the thing. The manufacturer provides instructions on proper use.

I prefer to remove the catheter as soon as possible after flight, if you find the adhesive still too nasty to remove after the flight then waiting and removing it while showering is easier. The warm water will help the catheter come off. But again with the mentor catheters with Aloe I don’t find this is needed.

Find somewhere in the glide to stow the pee tube. I disconnect the long stiff tube and the flexible tube and usually place them in the side pocked or put the long stiff tube down by my right leg when flying my DG-303 or front seat of the club DG-1000S.

When I want to use the pee tube I take the long polyethylene tube and insert it in the hole, push it almost all the way down. Push the connector tube onto the end of the catheter and click the two pasts of the quick disconnect together. When you are finished disconnect the two halves of the quick disconnect and stow the line tube again. At this point I usually leave the short tube connected to the catheter the no-flow quick disconnect stops any leaks. Some people just separate the two halves of the quick disconnect and pull the stiff pee tube most of the way up but leave it in the hole. This won’t work if the pee tube is going to get in the way of the joystick etc. Try what works for you.

After a flight I’ll take home the pee tube and wash it while showering, dry it and put it back with my flight gear.

Some people also find it easier to leave the pee tube assembled and just plug the Mentor tapered fitting into the catheter each time you want to use it.

BASA Members Note: The rear seat pee tube hole in the DG-1000S N451CH is drilled in a slightly awkward position and depending on how the seat pan of the rear seat is adjusted it may be difficult or impossible to insert the pee tube in flight. So insert the tube in this hole and leave it in the up position until you need to use it and don’t pull it all the way out after you are done and you may not get it back into the hole.