Ditto EVERYTHING Wayne Paul wrote, 'cept on my 1-26 and I got the unit
from Aircraft Spruce.

Turn it OFF during disassembly (it's on the CHECKLIST), and turn it to
ARM during assembly (CHECKLIST). Also, check the function at annual
time, change the batteries per the schedule (or ahead, at annual time),
and this includes the fancy panel remote with those sexy LED's (part of
the CHECKLIST, too!).

No false activations (despite the "soft" 1-26 gear arrangement).
Hopefully don't need it to activate anytime soon.

Cheap insurance, peace of mind, and airborne SAR will still "hear"
121.5 for years to come (hopefully when 406 units are as inexpensive as
hiking GPS units). I have heard 121.5 ELT's while flying ASEL, relayed
info to ATC (though I never heard if they found the source).

I wonder if I could get an insurance discount to really convince
everybody that it is "cost effective" to have one!

-Pete

Wayne Paul wrote:
I consider myself a "lower-income" pilot. I installed an Ameri-King model
AK-450 ELT in my HP-14 early this summer. I don't have any false ideas that
this device will "save my life." I installed it, not because of future
contest rules, but simply to help SAR in case something happened while
flying in the mountains. (See:
http://www.soaridaho.com/photogallery/index.htm)

My unit is actuated by excessive "G" loading along the longitudinatal axis.
(Ameri-King also makes a model for helicopters that is actuated by both
longitudinal and vertical "G" forces.) The installation instructions are
complete and simple to follow.

I arm the system when I assemble the glider and turn it off during
de-assembly. (These actions are part of my check lists.) There isn't
anything fancy about my trailer. That is unless you consider spring on the
axle "fancy." Even if I didn't turn the unit off before trailering the '14,
I don't think normal or emergency braking would actuate the unit.

My unit was purchased from Tim Mara (http://www.wingsandwheels.com). A
couple hundred "bucks" isn't excessive amount to invest assist in a SAR
effort, even for a HP-14 driver.

Wayne
http://www.soaridaho.com



"M B" wrote in message
...
Eric, first of all, your participation here, as always,
is welcome, and I am glad you have responded. As usual,
I respect your adding your (very well thought out voice)
to this. I'm going to make some points here that are
subtle.

First of all, you are right, I was probably using hyperbole
to make a point. There may not be hundreds of ELT
accidental activations caused by this rule. It may
be less, or even none. I don't know for sure, but
I am going to write about reasons why accidental activations
may be more common than your experience.

Hmmm...making some guesses he

Is your trailer very well padded so the fuselage isn't
damaged during trailering?

Do you have the kind of ELT that required a bit more
sophistication to install, and has a remote activation
button with a small LED light that tells you if it
accidentally activates?

Did you install this ELT voluntarily, and carefully
read the documentation with it about how to install
it correctly and how to dial in 121.5 on the radio
to listen for false activations?

You land real gentle in your nice glider don't you?
Thats why you have so many flights and trailerings,
instead of having it in the repair shop, right?

I'm guessing that for you, and most of your friends,
the answer to all of these will be 'yes.'

For the folks at the 'margin' for whom the added ELT
cost is almost too much to ask to enter a contest,
the answer to these questions may be 'no.' Their trailers
may not be the
$5000-$10,000 cobra with super suspension. The ELT
may be the old non-remote kind bought secondhand with
no documents, and installed themselves non-perfectly.
Their landiing may not be pretty.

These same folks, at the margin, may highly respect
the volunteer efforts of the contest organizers and
want to install the ELT to accomodate their wishes.
But this may not change the economics that they can't
afford a brand new ELT with remote LED professionally
installed, much less a 406MHz GPS unit...

You and I are talking about different things. I don't
think you or most of the other experienced, devoted,
contest pilots with moderate incomes will have that
much of a problem complying with this 'minor change'
to the rules.

But others, including Marc Ramsey, and me, and some
others see this as another brick stacked up in a wall
that creates a slightly larger barrier to entry into
this sport. This barrier affects lower-income, entering
pilots more than those who are already contest fliers.
And at some point too many bricks makes the wall too
high.

There will be some who overcome this, and there will
be some who don't. I think the contest numbers next(?)
year of #s of entrants who have installed ELTs, and
numbers of 'new' entrants compared to prior years,
will speak to this.

I hope I am wrong. I honestly do. In the meantime
I will bang the drum loudly about barriers to entry,
especially for lower-income pilots. And I hope this
will strike a balance opposite those who are willing
to require $$$$s for marginal improvements in the name
of 'safety.'

On the subject of ELTs, I have had one go off accidentally
(the cheapo non-LED kind) when the switch was flicked
by putting in a backpack in the backseat. After engine
shutdown I caught it by the bleedover on the radio
(ASEL).

Three weeks ago a fellow pilot (low timer) had the
police break into his hangar, and subsequently call
him, after a hard landing (ASEL).

Low-timers are more likely to fly lower-quality equipment,
land harder, and have less sophisticated senses about
how to detect accidental activation. And they won't
as commonly have the LED on to warn them of accidental
activations.

Anyway, I enjoy further discussion on this, if you
think it is productive, and appreciate your thoughts
and counterpoints.