Integral life raft, survival kit, and step

An assembly, comprising:

• a container;
• and
• a life raft in the container;
• and
• an inflation mechanism coupled to the life raft;
• wherein the container comprises:
• a container body comprising a container top and a plurality of container sides, wherein the container body has a storage cavity having a first region, a second region opposite the first region, and an open channel connecting the first region and the second region;
• and
• a container bottom disposed at a bottom of the storage cavity, wherein the container bottom is releasably coupled to the container body;
• wherein the life raft has a first portion and a second portion opposite the first portion, and a third portion between the first portion and the second portion, wherein the first portion of the life raft is disposed in the first region, wherein the second portion of the life raft is disposed in the second region, and wherein the third portion is disposed in the open channel;
• and
• wherein a top surface of the third portion is below a top surface of the first portion, and the top surface of the third portion is below a top surface of the second portion.

A method, comprising:

• providing an emergency kit that comprises a container and a life raft in the container;
• inserting the emergency kit into a recess of a step on a rotorcraft;
• and
• securing the emergency kit to the step;
• wherein the step is disposed at an egress region of the rotorcraft on an exterior surface of the rotorcraft that is above and separate from a landing gear of the rotorcraft;
• and
• wherein, once the emergency kit is inserted, the life raft is disposed within a storage cavity having a periphery that includes a bottom interior surface of the container.

A method, comprising:

• releasing a mechanism that is coupled to a charged bottle, wherein the mechanism and the charged bottle are disposed in an interior of a rotorcraft, and a release of the mechanism activates an emergency kit installed into a step that is disposed at an exterior of the rotorcraft, and that is separate and apart from landing gear of the rotorcraft;
• discharging gas, in response to releasing the mechanism, from the charged bottle into a gas channel that extends from the charged bottle into a life raft in the emergency kit that is disposed in a recess of the step, wherein the emergency kit comprises the life raft and a container, and the life raft is disposed in a storage cavity in the container;
• inflating the life raft, in response to discharging the gas;
• opening the storage cavity to an exterior of the step, in response to inflating the life raft, by an inflating life raft pushing a side of a container panel away from a step surface;
• and
• releasing the life raft from the step;
• wherein the releasing comprises sending a release signal to the charged bottle with an electric coupling of the mechanism to the charged bottle, or engaging a release of gas from the charged bottle, with a member that physically couples the mechanism to the charged bottle.