Archive for April, 2009
Personal flotation devices can be a lifesaver in the event of a water ditching. Most small aircraft and even many midsize airplanes do not have flotation equipment on board. The ability to tread water or even swim is very difficult when wearing clothing especially if one has winter weather clothing on. Actually, it can be difficult to stay afloat if one is wearing a swimsuit and has to be in the water for any extended period of time. A personal flotation device or life vest is essential in any situation where someone can find themselves in the water for a long time.
Life vests should be a part of every survival kit or equipment on an airplane. Many life vests are good for years of service without being inspected. These devices use compressed gas (CO2) and are also very light weight which makes them perfect for use in any airplane.
Personal Locator Beacons are becoming a popular item with pilots of general aviation airplanes. The FAA has not required the use of 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters yet so pilots can keep the cost down and continue to use their 121.5 MHz ELTs in their airplanes. However, many realize that these old 121.5 MHz ELTs are very unreliable and are no longer monitored by satellites. As an added measure of safety, many pilots are purchasing a much less expensive personal locator beacon (as compared to a new 406 MHz ELT).
Although the personal locator beacon will not activate automatically in event of a crash, it is very easy to activate manually in the event it is needed. The small and portable PLB can be taken anywhere and provide the added safety of satellite location using the strong, digital 406 MHz signal. Therefore, the personal locator beacon can be used for flying and any other activity one might be involved in.
Equip your airplane with proper survival gear for safety and peace of mind. Everyone uses their airplane for different purposes. For this reason, everyone needs different equipment in their airplane.
A flight school airplane may only need a simple survival kit or first aid kit since it only used the airplane for local training/instruction. Where as, a small personal airplane flying over mountainous terrain may need a kit with shelter, food, water, signaling supplies, etc… Every situation and aircraft operation are different and will dictate which survival gear will be needed. As needs change, one can always add survival supplies to a kit to equip it for the appropriate condition.
Most survival gear and supplies can be purchased relatively cheaply and all at once. Once purchased, one only needs to pack the kit in a secure accessible area of the airplane and forget about it. These kits can also be used to take in a personal vehicle as an added measure of safety.
Pointer aircraft will come out with the new style 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter this spring. Pointer has been working on getting FAA approval for the new transmitter for some time now. They have had it operational but are just waiting for the approval to send it to market. Once they do there will only be one other major manufacturer (ACK) of ELTs that has yet to sell the new 406 MHz ELT. They will soon be in the market as well.
The 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter is so reliable and accurate that there is no comparison to the old 121.5 MHz ELT. If you are considering building you own airplane or getting a new battery for your old ELT, now is the time to upgrade. As NOAA says in it’s website, “Get the Fix, Switch to 406″. The benefits can not be overstated enough. If you are put in a situation where you crash or are forced to land anywhere in the wild, you need the new 406 MHz ELT!
Emergency beacons (emergency locator transmitters and personal locator beacons) are used to transmit distress signals on either the 121.5, 243 or 406 MHz frequencies to a constellation of Cospas-Sarsat satellites. Ground stations track these satellites and process the distress signals to obtain a location of the distress. The processed information is then forwarded to a Mission Control Center where it is combined with other location and registration information and passed to the appropriate search and rescue authorities. Alternatively, some beacons operating at the 406 MHz frequency can use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to obtain a very accurate position. This position can then be transmitted as part of the distress signal.
The Cospas-Sarsat program is operated in the United States by NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force and NASA. Since the inception of the system in 1982, over 18,000 lives have been rescued worldwide and nearly 5,000 lives have been rescued in the United States.
Get you Personal Locator Beacon today so you don’t become a statistic.
It’s essential to have a survival kit as part of the equipment that should be required aboard every airplane, especially if the aircraft flys over remote territory. If the worst were to happen, and you had to make a forced landing in the wilderness, you want to be prepared to survive until help arrives. Even a small cut can turn into a big problem if you don’t have a proper way to dress it. You also want to have food and shelter. Sometimes, although rescue crews know where you are, it takes them overnight or several hours to reach you under certain circumstances. Exposure to the elements can be just as dangerous as as bad wound.
The worst situation to be in is one where you and/or you passengers are injured and exposed to the harsh elements at the same time. Having a survival kit with the basic essentials in it (food, shelter, water, first aid kit, etc..) can really provide a lot of peace of mind. Don’t be caught off guard. Equip yourself and you aircraft with an economical survival kit.
Personal Locator Beacons are small and light weight devices used to locate anyone anywhere on the planet. Mainly used by sports/outdoor enthusiasts and hunters, these PLBs are fast becoming very popular with the elderly. Pilots, boaters, hunters, hikers, campers, etc…, have used these devices for the protection they provide if one gets injured or lost. However, elderly people are realizing the benefits of these personal locator beacons as well.
The majority of rescues with personal locator beacons involve the elderly. Anyone can benefit from the use of these incredible devices but the they have helped our older generation more than anyone else. The most common reason recently for the activation of a PLB is for the rescue of an elderly person who got lost or injured while hiking outdoors. Many of these hikes were simply in the local area but were in such a place that it may have been sometime before anyone happened to pass by or notice the individual in distress.
By simply pushing the button to alert rescue services, the person needing assistance just has to wait until rescue crews arrive. This happens very quickly when it is in an area not far from home or a metropolitan area. A personal locator beacon, purchased one time with no recurring costs, can be a very cheap lifesaver.
The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), by way of pressure from aviation organizations, has not mandated the use of the 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters. The only requirement is to have an ELT installed in an airplane and have it inspected annually. The 121.5 MHz ELTs will still meet regulatory requirements but they are also very outdated. The chances of being rescued after a crash by relying in the 121.5 MHz ELT is very slim at best. They simply are not very powerful, have a high rate of not functioning in the event of a crash, can only be heard/recognized by line of sight, and most of all – are not monitored by satellites anymore.
The new 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters are light years ahead of the old 121.5 MHz models. They give almost instantaneous position reports to satellites when activated, are 50 times more powerful than the old 121.5 MHZ models, are very reliable for activating during a crash, and most of all ARE monitored by satellites.
The best chances of being found and rescued are with the use of a new 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter. Again, not required by the FAA (yet), they probably will soon be required in the next few years. This is no reason, however, to fly unprepared and not fully equipped for an emergency.
The SPOT personal locator beacon has all the benefits of a regular PLB but also allows the use of text messaging and GPS tracking in real time. The SPOT can be tracked by anyone with the individual PLB code using any computer. A signal built into the SPOT allows geostationary satellites to track the unit in real time. Someone hiking or hunting for instance, can be tracked by family members at home to check on their progress. The SPOT PLB also allows real time text messaging back and forth. Now someone can go anywhere on the planet, even the most remote areas, and still be in touch with family members at home. In case of an emergency, the unit can be used as a signaling device to alert rescue services of immediate assistance.
Personal Locator Beaconsare gaining wider use by the elderly population as well as sports and outdoor enthusiasts. Many of the rescues using PLBs involve elderly people who were hiking or outdoors and had a medical emergency but were far from any available help. The individual personal locator beacon, with all the personal information of the owner registered with NOAA, allowed rescue services to contact family members to ascertain the medical condition of the individual and to verify the location.
People from all walks of life are realizing the benefits of the new 406 MHz personal locator beacons. These small and lightweight devices are very portable and can be taken anywhere on the planet and still work. With the push of a button emergency services are notified almost instantly of your location.