Against that dire chance of being forced down upon the water, the Wind Bird was outfitted with a dump valve that could drop the bulk of the fuel load in fifty seconds. Another protection in case of a wreck on the ocean was a steel saw that would enable Hal to hack off the motors and the steel fuselage, and thus turn the wing into a raft. Within the wing was a compartment to store emergency rations, a still to condense water, a water-tight radio transmitter. Four gas balloons were to be carried to lift the aerial of this transmitter.