Monitoring of an RAA aircraft flight through a designated remote area.

[Captain]

If you were flying alone in an RAA aircraft, say on a direct flight between Mt Isa and Alice Springs, what would you do to initiate a safety watch over that flight?

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Other than carrying a GPS beacon and monitoring the appropriat Brisbane freq, I usually have a person watching my sar time at departure and arrival points. I then txt each on safe arrival.

 

Should things go sour enroute, I'll jump onto the Bris freq and give them details and a locality.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Other than carrying a GPS beacon and monitoring the appropriat Brisbane freq, I usually have a person watching my sar time at departure and arrival points. I then txt each on safe arrival.Should things go sour enroute, I'll jump onto the Bris freq and give them details and a locality.

Yep - thats exactly what I do also

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Yenn]

Would you be in range of a VHF frequency in remote areas, especially at less than 5000'?

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Should not be a problem if you have changed frequencies at the right time. I'm generally not much below five grand, and sometimes higher if I'm over xxit country.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

there are certain requierments for remote areas. Did a few trips some time ago isa to katherine and needed a HF plus certain amounts of survival struff. .

 

I'd rent a sat phone for the trip

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Spent a few days working on a station once with the usual no coverage on the old CDMA mobile, as usual. Took a Storch for a test flight and wouldn't have got higher than 400' during the flight. Out of habit took my phone with me, had 17 new messages on landing !!.

 

It's not that there's no coverage, it's just that it's a couple a hundred feet above you in many places.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

there are certain requierments for remote areas. Did a few trips some time ago isa to katherine and needed a HF plus certain amounts of survival struff. .I'd rent a sat phone for the trip

Ozzie

Was this a plane trip or by 4WD Ozzie ?

 

Are there any HF units which are small enough, light enough and sufficiently power efficient to install in an ultralight ?

 

I believe you need a different radio licence also ?

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Matt]

Another option if you're transponder equipped, make use of the "flight following" service provided by Airservices.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Those trips were in the twin otter. last one was '94. needed the HF to talk to Darwin and Bris at least twice for position report. lighter aircraft tend to travel further north an stay out of the remoe areas. We would track direct either to Manbaloo sth of Tidall or toTenant Creek if the winds/fuel were iffy. No GPS No Nav aids. No cell phones.

 

ozzie