Light aircraft missing

[HEON]

When you register your PLB you list contacts.If it is activated they contact these people first to get information...like "do you know where ....is?" and/or "is the aircraft in use" thus important your contacts know if you or aircraft flying. Saves money and effort if your contacts can say "He is in bed as he drank a bottle of red as his aircrafts engine broke yesterday"

 

If no contacts answer, or no definite information, action will happen.

 

 

[sleemanj]

The interesting thing about the new generation of PLB which we didn't have on the old ones, is that we can manually switch them off, if things turn out ok.

Yeah, but don't go switching it off until you've let the appropriate people know no assistance is required :-)

 

 

[rick-p]

Glad to hear they are OK.I wonder if they were carrying a PLB? Triggering one could have made locating them quick and easy, and perhaps minimised the worry by the family, as it may allow them to be located before the family raised the alarm. Apparently no radio call to Centre either.

 

It would be interesting to hear more about those aspects.

Yes good point, did anyone find out if they were in fact carrying a PLB as I would have thought that the fact that they were in a remote area some 50 k's from civilization would have warranted the use of it.

 

Also did they make a Pan Pan call as to their plight, very interesting!

 

It's good new's that they are safe and unhurt but it could have all to easily been different.

 

Maybe there should be some sort of endorsement for flying in remote areas, food for thought?

 

Rick-p

 

 

[dazza 38]

Hi Rick, IMO I dont think there should be a endorsment of such.I think people just have to switch on, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

 

 

[rick-p]

Hi Rick, IMO I dont think there should be a endorsment of such.I think people just have to switch on, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I'm not not specifically refering to the operation of the PLB I'm speaking in terms of having an overall situational awareness and dealing with it in a fixed manner the same as we deal with daily pre flight checks etc.

 

Survival is commonsense but you are not born with it you acquire it through global learning and have a set understood procedure to follow that gives the best end result, is important and essential.

 

It's no different than learning CPR or first aid it gives one an edge on survival.

 

Knowing how much water you need to carry to survive in certain situations is a plus to that of guessing.

 

We learn to fly why not learn to survive it could save a life, maybe your own.

 

Really it's no different to us undertaking the Human Factors course.

 

If you are going into a remote area in a vehicle most people don't go blindly forward they acquire an understanding of what is needed in the event of an emergency whereas a lot of us pilots fly, because it is so easy to do, to or over remote areas really a little unprepared and unwise as what to do if the worst happens because we are insulated from all that which is down there on the ground.

 

Where I fly for the best part the lay of the land is good but on a hot day is still too far from anywhere, I always carry enough water and other supplies in the event of having to make a forced landing somewhere.

 

When flying over Kroombit Tops probably some of the roughest country in Austarlia it's good to know that I have certain aspects of the flight covered.

 

There are places you can come down in ok but getting out of there without having some understanding of survival matters is just not on.

 

My point, why not learn a skill that could save your life one day. It is no different to that of learning to swim.

 

I have experienced this first hand after an engine failure in another country where we were stuck for 6hrs (before being rescued) in hot steamy muddy water, unable to walk out because to attempt do so would have been extremely unwise.

 

Fortunately, common sense prevailed and I had taken sufficient water and food for such an event even though the flight one way was only just over an hour.

 

My companion had said to me, "why are you taking that?" and I replied that it was my procedure and that I was sticking to it. He was to say the least very appreciative of it when we were stuck in 40 plus degree heat with extreme humidity and knee deep in undrinkable water, for 6hrs.

 

Rick-p

 

 

[PapaFox]

These aspects should already be covered in the Nav endorsement. As we all know, there is more to cross country flying than just being able to arrive at the right destination on time.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Hi Rick, when I said "Switch On", I mean people have the "Realy Think and plan for the worst case scenario " not switch on a PLB, sorry I should have been more specific.Its a Military saying.You bring up a great point.Luckly I did a survival course in the RAAF( not the Aircrew one, a condensed version with the Airfield Defence Guards) I think a civilian survival Course would be beneficial.Or they can watch Bear Grylls He has some good points in his TV show, or they can use some common sense.