Post by PeterPost by Surfer!Post by PeterThey will be making ELTs mandatory for gliders soon :)
I had been wondering what the aviation equivalent of an EPIRB was.
As far as I can tell, the difference is just a name. I carry a
portable Kannad one. One registers it with some place in Falmouth, UK.
The sailing ones are often designed to fit in a housing on deck & float
free if the boat capsizes - not the case for one in an aircraft!
BTW heard about an EPIRB accidentally stolen in a hold-all from a boat
somewhere in NE Scotland. It went off, and the signal was clearly
ashore. The police went along and bingo - the thief was caught!
Post by PeterPost by Surfer!£700 for one on the new frequency with GPS, but the rescue would have
been straight to the right place if he had had one.
Yes, especially if he had GPS in it. Mine doesn't have that, but a
406MHz (which also emits on 121.50 anyway) should give them a
satellite fix to within a few miles very quickly (under an hour)
And I gather the 406 ones are much less inclined to give false alerts,
so a rescue will launch when the signal arrives.
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/406vs121.pdf
Post by PeterPost by Surfer!Post by PeterHaving said that, if I was flying up in such remote places I would
carry one, as I always do.
If it had been winter the outcome might have been very different after a
night in the open, despite his lack of injuries. Do you carry a
survival blanket as well?
Believe it or not, I do carry a sleeping bag. It is a cheap
lightweight one from Millets, packed tightly in a small bag, rated to
"-20 degC" (yeah, right...) and never leaves the plane.
A survival blanket would be a good addition for you - the sleeping bag
will saturate rapidly in rain. Also keeping a sleeping bag 'tightly
packed' isn't advised. They are best kept unpacked, hanging up in a
dark airy place - similar to a parachute room....
Not sure there is room for a sleeping bag in the average glider!
--
Surfer!
Email to: ramwater at uk2 dot net