Two hikers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were stranded when very bad weather moved in from an unforecasted early winter storm. Packed only for relatively mild conditions they were forced to seek shelter in a tent designed for mild weather. The storm produced over a foot of snow overnight making the trek several miles out of the mountains impossible with the gear they had available. With no other options, they activated their ACR SARLink personal locator beacon. Rescue services were immediately notified and a rescue was in operation shortly. One more save attributed to the personal locator beacon.
Amateur Pilots Should Stay Prepared
Like most amateur pilots, I got started with my hobby after being fascinated with the idea of flight. As a child I dreamed of soaring through the air, bursting through clouds and racing birds. I’ve stuck with flying planes mostly because of the sense of camaraderie among small aircraft pilots. Every so often, wanderlust gets the best of me and I begin charting a course across the country.
My plane is so small that it needs to be refueled every few hours, and landing to gas up at various small airfields gives me a chance to meet new people. Even more so than a commercial jet pilot, I must remain alert at all times and prepared in case anything goes wrong in the mechanical department. I keep a few aircraft survival kits on hand in case of the worst.
Outdoorsman Uses an ACR Microfix PLB for Rescue
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — During the summer in northern Alaska, the sun is visible for 24 hours. Never-ending daylight means the region’s Inupiat Eskimos, who depend on subsistence for survival, are out hunting and gathering food at all hours. The Alaska North Slope Borough Search and Rescue (SAR) division maintains 24-hour readiness to assist those who end up in dangerous situations in an unforgiving environment.
A case in point was a rescue on July 31 when the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center was alerted around midnight to a 406 MHz distress signal from an ACR Microfix 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) 12 miles southeast of Atqasuk, Alaska. With knowledge of the victim’s identity and location, the North Slope Borough SAR Department, based in Barrow, AK, immediately launched a helicopter with a medical team to the remote area.
It was a textbook rescue. With the PLB signal, we went straight to him and rendered medical care,” the pilots said. “Without the beacon, his friends probably would have driven him to the village to get aid. At 2 to 4 miles per hour, it would’ve taken them five hours to get there.”
PLBs are proving to be valuable emergency life-saving devices for outdoor activities of all kinds. Since PLBs were given FCC approval in July 2003 for sale and use in all 50 states, there have been 251 lives saved in the U.S., according to NOAA. Alaska led the states with 161 total rescues. In 2008, 68 people in 35 incidents used PLBs to signal for help in the U.S.
Cedar City, UT - A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) has again played a significant role in the location and rescue of an outdoors enthusiast-this time a novice woman climber near the Brian Head ski-resort in Southern Utah.
The rescued party was a 47-year-old New Jersey woman, who fell and sustained serious head injuries while hiking and climbing with her family on June 3rd. Her brother, an experienced climber and a local physician from St. George, Utah, was carrying a SARLink 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon, which, when activated, put into motion a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation that eventually led to her being evacuated by helicopter.
PLB rescues on land have only become available since a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) waiver ruling went into effect July 2003 approving the sale and use of PLBs for land use in the United States.
Surviving the Aftermath of an Emergency Landing
While commercial planes are subject to rigorous safety inspections and constant structural scrutiny, the same cannot necessarily be said for small, private planes. Amateur pilots and hobbyists aren’t always master mechanics, nor do they always perform the routine maintenance required to fly a plane with absolute confidence. Whether it’s because of unavoidable equipment malfunctions or human negligence, small aircraft can suffer unexpected problems.
In the unlikely and unfortunate event that your plane ever goes down or that you’re forced to crash-land in a remote location, it’s best to be prepared. Since you won’t have your pick of the precise location where the plane lands, there’s no way to guarantee that you’ll have access to the facilities we take for granted every day. By keeping a personal survival kit in the cockpit of the plane, you increase your odds of surviving the aftermath of a crash or emergency landing.
Flying into Mexico now requires a 406MHz emergency locator transmitter to be installed in an aircraft. The Mexican government required the use 406 MHz as of July 2009. There is a lot of very remote and rugged terrain all over Mexico and the use of the new ELTs will ensure that an aircraft will be found if it goes down over Mexico. 406 MHz is far advanced from that of the old 121.5 MHz. The advantages are so many that the Mexican government decided (along with ICAO) to implement the use of 406 MHz over the entire country.
Personal locator beacons used for hunting trips by adventure companies. Many companies that offer hunting and fishing trips to remote locations are using personal locator beacons as an added safety feature for customers. For many people, a hunting or fishing trip into the wilderness can be an excursion enjoyed only once or a few times in a lifetime. If anything were to go wrong, the only way to contact someone is with the use of a very expensive satellite phone or a personal locator beacon (PLB). A PLB can be carried for years without any cost at all. If needed, it can be counted on to work because it floats and is waterproof. The satellite phones are expensive (to buy and operate) and not very durable. This is why many adventure and outdoor companies rely on the personal locator beacon for added safety of their employees and customers.
Expect the Unexpected When You’re off the Beaten Path
Earlier this week, a freak landslide wreaked havoc in the eastern part of the Washington State’s Cascade Mountains. According to estimates from emergency response workers, more than 1,500 people were forced from their homes or trapped in the area overnight. Geologists and seismologists hadn’t anticipated the rock slide is making State Route 410 completely impassable for the next several months.
Events like this just go to show that campers and rural residents can never be too careful. When you’re far away from medical facilities and other bastions of civilization, it’s important to have a lifeline. Personal locator beacons act as a link to the authorities and to those who can help you out of a jam. Even if you never need to use the beacon, it’s better to have peace of mind knowing you’re in constant contact.
Personal locator beacons are saving lives everyday worldwide. The COSPAS/SARSAT system of globally tracking 406MHz signals via satellites is proving to be a real life saving system. The system uses an array of satellites launched and monitored by Canada, the United States, France, and Russia to monitor and distress signal by a personal locator beacon (personal), emergency locator transmitter (aircraft), or an EPIRB (boat). This signal is immediately detected anywhere on the planet and transmitted to the nearest rescue facility. Personal locator beacons are very small and are being used everyday for saving the lives of boaters, pilots, hiker, campers, hunters, etc…
Survival kits are recommended by state and federal emergency services because of their life saving potential. A simple survival kit can be just enough to get a person or family through an unexpected natural disaster or terrorist action. When normal means of getting help are cut off for a few hours or a few days, the contents of a survival kit can be enough to save someone’s life or get them through a tough situation a little easier. Food, shelter, and emergency medical supplies are just the basics of a kit and can absolutely essential in an emergency. Don’t get caught off guard when the unexpected happens. Prepare yourself with a well prepared survival kit.