ELT's in Gliders
Dirk Elber
Sam Fly wrote:
>
>
> During a recent contest at TSA one of our contestants landed the trees
>
> during an attempt to penetrate a line of rain. The glider did not
> have an ELT but did have a cellular telephone and GPS. We were in
> instant contact via cellular phone and had the exact coordinates.
>
> We dispatched a tow plane with radio and GPS receiver. In 15 minutes
> from the original call we had a tow plane over the site. The tow
> plane was able to orbit the site and direct ground crews in.
>
> I agree and ELT is required for searches, DF equipment is required in
> order to effective make use of the ELT. A cellular telephone and GPS
> receiver are just as valuable.
>
> SAM FLY
> "7F"
If:
a) the glider lands in area that has cell phone service... some
valley areas where we fly still have limited or no coverage;
and
b) the pilot is capable of calling
Dirk Elber
Blue Ridge Soaring Society (http://dirkpc.cns.vt.edu)
Sam Fly
Gary Boggs
A cell phone and GPS are fine if the pilot is conscious but if he is not,
an ELT maybe the only way he will be found.
Marc TEUGELS
I sure hope the glider will always crash-land in an area with cellular
coverage..
Marc
teug...@innet.be
DG400 'NW
Jens Henkner
Im Beitrag <345561...@mail.atl.bellsouth.net>, "Steven B. Wood"
<woo...@mail.atl.bellsouth.net> schrieb:
>What are some good ELT units for gliders?? Your dialogue on this topic
>has triggered a long deferred plan to install an ELT. Could get mighty
>lonely out there!!
>
>Steve Wood - Atlanta
I have bought a Artex 200 Elt, small box, nicely done, use normal batteries
(the manual states these are special, but they don't look so). Not the
cheapest around, but with remote switch AND a control lamp when operating
(good against misuse and reassurance in the case of an accident).
Regards Jens Henkner
F. L. Whiteley
Sam Fly <sam...@gte.net> wrote in article <632vj7$q3h$2...@gte1.gte.net>...
afoot. A simple blending of technologies would combine a GPS engine, a RAM
buffer, and ELT(or some other bandwidth) to send the airframe ID and last
1-2 minutes of flight path GPS positions with an ELT signal, thus reducing
search times by some orders of magnitude. Search fuel cost savings alone
would fund the R&D. Given the current prices of subcomponents, an
integrated unit could be on the market for ~$300. Orbital cellular
telephone technologies(Motorola, Hughes) are just around the corner(point
your search to Iridium Constellation, for example). Hopefully the ICAO and
FAA and other agencies are reserving channels(or cell numbers) for
implementation.
F. Whiteley
Colorado
Ian Johnston
F. L. Whiteley (gre...@greeleynet.com) wrote:
: Just MHO, but I think current ELT's are obsolete and I hope a change is
: afoot. A simple blending of technologies would combine a GPS engine, a RAM
: buffer, and ELT(or some other bandwidth) to send the airframe ID and last
: 1-2 minutes of flight path GPS positions with an ELT signal, thus reducing
: search times by some orders of magnitude.
The new GMDSS system which is coming in to the marine VHF world covers this
sort of thing. GMDSS sets have a big red button marked "help" and pressing it
sends out an all stations call on the digital calling channel (Ch 70) which
includes GPS position. Receiving sets then pick up a message saying
"Vessel X is sending a Mayday from position Y" with no further sending action
required. I believe that MF, HF and satellite systems are integrated in
this, though I cannot speak with any certainty.
Ian
FSD NetSrv
See my article in the Soaring magazine (USA)
January 1997, pp 32-33.
Elmer Mooring (T8)
F. L. Whiteley
Ian Johnston <engs...@sable.ox.ac.uk> wrote in article
<637ism$qn6$1...@news.ox.ac.uk>...
Innovation often goes where the money is. There are a lot of boats out
there. The biggest problem is bureaucracy and entrenched systems, of
course. Still there's nothing wrong with continuing to use 121.5 and 243.0
for aircraft emergencies.
An orbital cellular based system could respond to a series of duress
devices from personal to auto to marine to aircraft. Menu selected
messages could also be included. Motorola had some of these features in
their Saber and Astra radios, and some other really neat features.
Of course, the more diverse systems we have, the higher the consumer's
ultimate cost.
Frank Whiteley
FSD NetSrv
ELT stands for Emergency Locator Transmitter.
The current (old style) units are self-contained
and have a g-switch to activate the unit when
sufficient acceleration is imposed on the unit
(such as in a crash).
They transmit on 121.5 and 243 MHz emergency
frequencies. They can be detected and somewhat
located by satellite systems and then a search
can narrow the search by using directional antennas
to try and locate the unit.
They were mandated for many aircraft in the United States
shortly after Senator Boggs was lost in an aircraft accident
in Alaska many years ago.
They are not required in gliders, although many glider
pilots in the United States do install them.
There will be new ones coming soon that offer an
aircraft identification code in the transmission
and are in a higher frequency band to provide better
direction finding capability.
Elmer Mooring (T8)
Fred Steadman
Toulson017 wrote:
>
> In article <636p1l$bqb$1...@sparcserver.lrz-muenchen.de>, "Jens Henkner"
> <J.He...@flm.mw.tu-muenchen.de> writes:
>
> >I have bought a Artex 200 Elt, small box, nicely done, use normal batteries
> >(the manual states these are special, but they don't look so). Not the
> >cheapest around, but with remote switch AND a control lamp when operating
> >(good against misuse and reassurance in the case of an accident).
> >Regards Jens Henkner
> >
>
> ELT's are, as far as I know, unheard of in gliders in the U.K. Could
> someone give me a list of suppliers and /or specifications. When referring
> to ELT's in USA are these Mode C? i.e. can they give height, or just
> position. Incidentally what EXACTLY does ELt stand for?
>
> I have flown in New Zealand where I think transponders (not mode C) are
> compulsory and at the club where I flew (Tauranga) there appears to be a
> requirement to call height and position when transiting certain flight
> levels. Can someone enlighten me on the requirements there? Are they
> compulsory elsewhere?
>
> In the increasingly intensive airspace in the U.K. where gliders are being
> excluded more and more it seems to me that transponders may be a counter
> argument to our exclusion from so much of the country. Any views?
>
> Barney
ELT = Emergency Locator Transmitter. They are used on lightplanes in
the USA, I don't know about elsewhere, to guide searchers to a downed
aircraft. They are actuated by the G forces of the crash, so no need
for the pilot or passenger(s) to be concious and/or co-operating, it
says here.
Here they are required for powered aircraft operating not in the
vicinity of home airport. They are battery operated, so aircraft with
no electrical systems are not exempt.
I understand that more ELT's are triggered by hard landings than
crashes, and most searches end at airport tiedown/hanger areas.
Jonathan P Smith
Toulson017 (touls...@aol.com) wrote:
: In article <636p1l$bqb$1...@sparcserver.lrz-muenchen.de>, "Jens Henkner"
: <J.He...@flm.mw.tu-muenchen.de> writes:
:
: >I have bought a Artex 200 Elt, small box, nicely done, use normal batteries
: >(the manual states these are special, but they don't look so). Not the
: >cheapest around, but with remote switch AND a control lamp when operating
: >(good against misuse and reassurance in the case of an accident).
: >Regards Jens Henkner
:
:
: ELT's are, as far as I know, unheard of in gliders in the U.K. Could
: someone give me a list of suppliers and /or specifications. When referring
: to ELT's in USA are these Mode C? i.e. can they give height, or just
: position. Incidentally what EXACTLY does ELt stand for?
An ELT is an Emergency Location Transmitter- basically a radio that goes
off when certain conditions are met (usually a crash). The force
of the impact activates the radio. They don't have Mode C- they
generally aren't on. :> There are 2 versions (in the US anyway)-
the "standard" version transmit on 121.5, the emergeny freq. I
The newer versions also transmit on a freq. picked up by satellites-
this way they have better range & accuracy than the "standard" units.
: I have flown in New Zealand where I think transponders (not mode C) are