ELT phase out / transition

[Clay Hammond]

This was on Aero-New.net today. If your flying out in the boonies you might want to consider an upgrade:

Current ELT Satellite Monitoring Ends February 1st

Cospas-Sarsat Wants To Switch Over To 406 MHz
The FAA Wednesday issued a NOTAM announcing plans to end satellite processing of emergency locator transmitter (ELT) distress signals broadcast over 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz on February 1, 2009. This comes at the request of the Cospas-Sarsat program, an international search and rescue program that uses satellite-aided tracking, and is part of a transition to 406-MHz ELTs whose signals provide more information with greater accuracy than the current ELTs.

"AOPA recognizes the benefits of the 406-MHz ELT but opposes any attempt to force pilots to upgrade. The unit alone costs about $1,000, with installation adding more to the cost. So the decision whether to upgrade or to keep the 121.5-MHz system should be left to the discretion of each aircraft owner," said Rob Hackman, AOPA manager of regulatory and certification policy.

Aircraft owners and pilots should be aware that ELTs that transmit on 121.5 MHz will still satisfy FAA requirements and be legal after the transition date, but they will provide limited assistance in the event of an accident because their signals will no longer be received by a satellite. However, the FAA and the Department of Defense will still monitor the frequency from the ground and can initiate search-and-rescue operations.

Currently, only one company in the United States sells the 406-MHz ELT suitable for installation in aircraft. This advanced ELT uses digital technology to transmit information specific to you and your aircraft, including your GPS coordinates and personal contact information.



Pilots who fly in mountainous terrain or unpopulated areas might want to invest in the new equipment because their 121.5-MHz signal might not be picked up by ground stations, thus delaying or even preventing a search-and-rescue operation. But those flying in populated areas might decide against the upgrade because it is more likely someone will see them go down or that an air traffic control facility will pick up the distress signal.

FMI: www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html

 

[Steve Pierce]

Friend of mine who flies for Breitling has an ELT watch. That is the way to go, less weight and no installation required.

 

[RedTail]

now how much would one of those go for?

 

[mvivion]

A ton of money, and the ones I've seen are 121.5 beacons, so wouldn't do you much good in the future. I'm sure Brietling will come out with a 406 version soon, though, if they haven't already.

Bring huge dollars. Or buy a Garmin 430 for your panel.

MTV

 

[cubflyer18]

Breitling sounds ok, assuming watch survives the crash. And how many Watt transmitter?



Jeff

 

[Steve Pierce]

http://www.breitling.com/en/models/professional/emergency_mission/

 

[Cajun Joe]

Hi Mike,

What do you mean by this?

buy a Garmin 430 for your panel.

Is there a beacon mod for the 430?

Joe

 

[mvivion]

Joe,

Nope, sorry, just being obtuse. The point being you could probably buy a Garmin 430 for the price of the Brietling ELT watch.

Sorry joke,

Mike

 

[Cajun Joe]

Well Mike, I was ripe for it. they're stuffing everything else into it. Hell I was heading for my latest trade-a-plane.

Later, Joe

 

[HATIN11R]

Question #1: is your life worth $1000 plus installation? Question #2: at that very moment you realize (after a crash,forced landing....whatever) that you may have a longg,lonnng wait till someone starts to look for you,how much would you pay right then to be in a rescue chopper or other mode of transport to safety? How about if you are hurt...or you watch your loved one die over time? I think you get the picture. Why do we pilots have a propensity to nickle and dime safety equip.and the like.We all have some pretty costly aircraft,we put in some pretty expensive (relatively) fuel etc.I say if it can help me and my loved ones get help quicker...bring it on.I'll gladly pay the price of admission,esp.with all that info.that will be transmitted.I especially like the lat/lon coordinates. But hey....to each his own. By the way....this is not to judge anyone,just food for thought.Wouldn't it be a cryin' shame to mourn your buddy for the cost of $1000 + installation???? Herman.

 

[StewartB]

If you stay conscious, a satellite phone is the better tool to initiate a quick rescue. ELT's are for when you aren't conscious. Put the thousand bucks where it's likely to do the most good.

SB

 

[Steve Pierce]

The accidents and missing A?C I have been around weren't found by the CAP. Don't kid yourself. Tell someone where you are going and take SB's advice. I've searched for wrecks while the CAP drank coffee.

 

[mvivion]

My vote is for both. That said, if I'm concious, I'm betting I can survive pretty well, unless I'm busted up.

As noted, the ELT is for when you aren't. The CAP isn't the only search asset, by the way, and with precise coordinates, its not a search, but a rescue. The 406 beacons are coded. RCC gets a hit, they look up the numbers, and call your house. Your wife answers and says, "nope, the Dummy is out flying". RCC launches a rescue helicopter, not the CAP. I think that's the way it would likely happen up here, anyway, but maybe I'm fooling myself.

Note that the $1000 aircraft mounted beacon does not send a GPS coordinate to RCC, but they can triangulate pretty quickly, and accurately. The 406 beacons that are aircraft mounted AND attach to an ELT are VERY expensive.

If I were going to buy a new ELT right now, I'd buy a 406, not any of the 121.5 beacons.

MTV

 

[StewartB]

I just bought another ELT. It's the second cheapest one on the market, the yellow one. I'd have bought the cheaper orange one, but it's such a fashion risk!

I think sat phones should be required equipment. Think of the resources that could be saved with improved communication. No big search areas, no worried families, no flocks of searchers in the sky. It's the smartest thing a pilot can do, and certainly the most considerate. Obviously some bad things will prevent some pilots from using such a resource, but if half the searches conducted were eliminated, it'd be a very good thing.

SB

 

[Torch]

Dayum, I just bought a 121.5 elt this year. Instead of investing in the new elt I think my money would be better spent purchasing a quality satellite telephone. If I am still alive I can just call for help. I don't care is some dayum elt helps find my dead azz.

 

[HATIN11R]

Mike.....I thought you might make an appearance on this subject.Again,when it comes to safety issues,you usually have the bases covered.I'm with you on the Sat Phone/406 combo.About the best insurance one could bring.Oh......and the tent,first aid kit,water, .454 Casull and Marlin 45-70 and....and.....oh that was another thread. Herman.

 

[scubber]

While thinking about ELT's etc., some "food for thought" on that remote ON-Off switch you may have put in your panel. . .and that you may wish you had a back-up ELT or the like. If you have the misfortune of ditching . . in salt water . . consider the following. If any vent lines come under your panel . . or salt water comes in the door, windows, etc. it may well make your switch in operative. I'm talking in minutes. (Our impact did not activate the ELT.) We could not reach the main unit in the tail and they searched the wrong area for us. I had that experience . . in fact 36 years ago tonight off the coast of Columbia. Whoa . . I think I'm gonna have a beer.
A side note: I turned off the master, all beacons, etc. They shorted out and all came back on. I wasn't a happy camper trying to pull breakers out with wet fingers . . in the dark. Larry Ciszak

 

[Anne]

I vote for the new ELT. The crash was probably caused by a lost pilot running out of fuel, so what good is a sat phone going to do? How would you tell someone where to come get you if you don't know where you are?

Anne.

 

[StewartB]

I vote for the new ELT. The crash was probably caused by a lost pilot running out of fuel, so what good is a sat phone going to do? How would you tell someone where to come get you if you don't know where you are?

Anne.

Do you get lost often? I have to say I've never been lost in an airplane. Not for one second. I can't even imagine. Even before GPS, I could tell you within a section line on a map where I was. Now, I can tell you within 60 feet.

Aren't DF Steers still available in the technologically superior lower 48?

I can only imagine that if a situation arose where I didn't know where I was going, I should at least have a pretty good idea of where I've been. Couple that with low fuel, and I'm turning around and finding suitable terra firma to get down before I run out of gas and crash. In that scenario, I can then make a call on the sat phone to let my family know I'm okay, and get a friend to bring me some gas. Hey! That sounds just like last Sunday. I wasn't lost, but I couldn't see where I was going in the fog and I didn't have enough gas to waste much time poking around. After I went back to clearer weather, landed, and my wife handed me a beer, I called my daughter so she wouldn't worry.

SB

 

[HATIN11R]

SB........here in Texas we just use a cutting horse to get them "steers" going in the right d'rection.Well.....come to think of it,we sometimes use aeroplanes and 4 wheelers.......Herman.

 

[mvivion]

SB,

I doubt there's anyplace in the country that DF steers are still available except Alaska, and it's hard to find a current FSS person to do one for you.

People still get lost with some frequency. I personally have never been lost, though on occasion, I've been temporarily flying in an area unintentionally.

MTV