ELB's

[Guernsey]

Hi Guys

 

I am aware that an ELB for aircraft use cannot be used for marine use but does the reverse apply ie

 

can a marine ELB be legally used in our aircraft.

 

Thanks Alan.

 

 

[Guest magcheck]

Yes, as long as it meets the australian standards set out in the reg. But they will be very awkward in cockpit as they are larger due to the requirement to have ballast to keep them floating upright and requiring a minimum of 48 hour battery life.

 

Any beacon can be used in any environment, they all send out the same signal, just contain their own unique code so it can be registered.

 

The legal requirement for boats , if going outside 2 nm is to have an epirb as they float upright, have a lanyard and 48. Hour life. You can still carry a PLB as well (as do most yacht racers)

 

the most common and practical ones for aircraft are PLBs, ie the small portable ones. They are also used by bikers, 4wd and other activities.

 

But as I said at the start, an epirb in the cockpit can be dam awkward and it's best to have your PLB on you so it's easy to reach and switch on in time of trouble. For example not long ago a plane went down and they were stuck upside down over in WA. They could not reach their PLB as it was in the back of the aircraft and they were stuck upside in their seats. So they could talk on their sat phone and call for help, but it took a long time to pinpoint their position.

 

A good descriptionis at http://beacons.amsa.gov.au/distress-beacons.html

 

 

[robinsm]

Geurnsey,

 

Spoke to the guys from the AMSA (marine search and rescue) at Temora re this. You can use the PLB for marine, land or air as long as you go onto the registration site and specify the use for that purpose (you are not locked in to that purpose only, you can change it.) Takes 2 minutes to list marine , or change it to aviation etc. The guy that sends the rescue people out said that he would really like to know what he is looking for, a plane, a biat, hiker etc, so he can allocate resources and search parameters to suit. Read the site specified by Magcheck and read your owners manual from your plb.

 

Cheers

 

Maynard

 

 

[Guest magcheck]

Just a small one - because it sometimes causes confusion :big_grin:

 

Although AMSA is the maritime authority, they manage both Aviation and Maritime search and all beacon responses

 

 

[crashley]

i have a GME ELB beacon MT400 it is registered for our boat and our aeroplane it doesnt weigh much or take up much room We just move it from plane to boat as needed

 

 

[Guernsey]

Thanks everyone, appreciate your help we've now sorted our problem. Alan.