Today we have technology that should make these long, long rescues a thing of the past, at least in North America. These include: 406ELT, 406PLB, cell phones, sat phones, trackers and communicators like InReach, Spot, Spidertracks, aircraft and handheld radios, radar, ABSB Out. Some are passive, some require activation and some are both.
I agree that we all have technology available that can and will make rescue faster/better or even possible (in places that would not have been feasible years ago). But each of these systems need to be installed and maintained correctly. I.e., a 406 ELT that does not trigger on impact or a sat phone with dead batteries is just junk along for the ride. And are you able to employ the system during an emergency? If you are sitting here, right now, warm and comfy and you need to think for a minute on how to activate an emergency system, then you may not be able to do that when you are alone, cold, and bleeding. There is a reason that systems such as ELTs activate automatically or with a simple flip of a switch.
My experience (both civilian and military) tells me that most of us simply gloss over the details of emergency gear. Spinner's example above shows that we need to take more care in the 'normal' day to day procedures that WILL help keep us out of serious trouble. When you have a change of plans, do you make positive contact with some one each and every time that happens? That needs to happen whether by radio, phone, inreach, etc. Remember, positive contact, means they reply to your contact. Not only is this important to direct rescuers to your location in an emergency it also prevents a search party from looking for you when you divert for fuel/weather or even stop by a buddies strip for coffee.
This doesn't just apply to operations in wide open areas. If you crash just off the end of the runway in darkness or bad weather, 'they' may not know your location immediately or even that you've crashed, if you don't have a means of communicating. In these situations an ELT signal should tell the world that you have crashed. But if you have a radio or phone working (with the correct numbers pre programmed) you can contact emergency services directly and provide information that will get them to your location without searching and with the correct emergency equipment. Minutes can save lives, maybe even yours.
You do a walk around before each flight, do you do a daily or weekly inspection of your emergency systems? Do you follow the ELT manufacturers instructions for periodic functions checks? Is your sat phone fully charged, right this minute? Does your portable equipment such as inreach or even your portable gps have a fresh set of batteries, right now? Do you have a schedule for changing batteries or do you just let them run down? Sure you want to be on the ground with half dead batteries?
I'm from Alaska, so I don't have an issue with some one risking their own safety. Lots of us live by the standard of 'it's your ass'. But, what if you've just crashed and have a friend or family member that needs immediate medical care? Trust me, you do not want to watch that scenario play out in slow motion.
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