Retrieve Contact - Radio Relay?

On Sep 20, 7:15*pm, Robert Gaines
wrote:
In other words, making an (emergency?) call on common

frequencies to establish contact with a private or commercial flight,
with the request to relay the information to your intended contact by
radio or phone.

Unless things have changed, commercial (Airliners) do not monitor 121.5.
*Bob

Do not? Like no airlines out there listening? Like no airline requires
or recommends this in their SOP? Like crews won't guard 121.5 even if
their company SOP does not require it? I suspect that just is not
correct and is certainly the wrong message to send.

I think the airlines are pretty individual about whether this is a
requirement or recommendation in their SOP or not. Some airline pilots
might want to speak up.

There is an ICAO requirement (in Annex 10, Part 5) for airlines to
guard 121.5. This at least is required on long overwater flights and
more ambiguously "where carriage of an ELT is required". What exactly
the later means is open to some interpretation. I think the net is
many intentional airlines will have guarding 121.5 in their SOP.

The bottom line is it's worth trying there is often people listening
on 121.5. Including lots of airlines whether it is their company SOP
or not.

---

And while on ELTs in the ICAO rule above, new 406MHz ELTs and PLBs
still also transmit a (low power) beacon on 121.5 so airliners and
others guarding that frequency for ELT as well as voice still makes
sense. But now hopefully as people refresh their ELTs with newer units
the false alarm rate will go down. And just a hint if your buddy is
flying with a Personal Locator Beacon (more common that ELTs in
gliders) and you think he may be down/in distress tune to 121.5 and
you should hear the distress "siren" sound, with the addition of a
morse code "P" (for PLB) dit dah dah dit. This only applies to USA
licensed PLBs, in other countries there is no Morse code "P".


Darryl

On Sep 20, 9:08*pm, Darryl Ramm wrote:

The bottom line is it's worth trying there is often people listening
on 121.5. Including lots of airlines whether it is their company SOP
or not.


Darryl

A couple of years ago, wife and I came across a body in the Black Rock
desert of Nevada while flying low in the Husky - - thought he was for
sure dead. After landing and determining he was still alive, we called
on 121.5 for medical assistance. Airliner overhead answered up
immediately. In fact, there were at least a couple of other aircraft
answering at the same time (including another Husky up by the NV / OR
border) - - they were stepping on each other answering up! Airliner
relayed to Reno Approach for us, as we were 100 nm north of there with
no cell coverage and no chance of getting other ground stations on the
radio from our position.

Guy survived, btw, though I don't think he'd have lasted though the
day in that heat if he hadn't been found.

bumper
zz
Minden

On Sep 20, 7:15*pm, Robert Gaines
wrote:

Unless things have changed, commercial (Airliners) do not monitor 121.5.
*Bob

This is incorrect.

Quite the opposite in fact, when after 9/11, we were reminded to
monitor this frequency since the military will be calling us during an
interception.

Airlines DO monitor it! You should hear the number of times Jet Blue
or United try to get a "push back" from the gate on 121.5!!!...:-)

Single engine are also supposed to monitor it. Every month I hear the
Air Force trying to get a heads up to someone who is about to enter a
restricted airspace...

Richard

On Sep 21, 8:02*am, jeplane wrote:
On Sep 20, 7:15*pm, Robert Gaines
wrote:

Unless things have changed, commercial (Airliners) do not monitor 121.5..
*Bob

This is incorrect.

Quite the opposite in fact, when after 9/11, we were reminded to
monitor this frequency since the military will be calling us during an
interception.

Airlines DO monitor it! You should hear the number of times Jet Blue
or United try to get a "push back" from the gate on 121.5!!!...:-)

Single engine are also supposed to monitor it. Every month I hear the
Air Force trying to get a heads up to someone who is about to enter a
restricted airspace...

Richard

I managed to arrange a radio relay on my one and only landout so far.
I ended up getting a hold of one of my gliding buddies on 123.3, and
he had the tow plane come up to the strip where I had landed for an
aero retrieve.

As for 121.5 The AIM does "encourage" you to listen on 121.5 if
possible in flight.

AIM 5-6-2 - http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publi...5/aim0506.html

"All aircraft operating in the U.S. national airspace, if capable,
will maintain a listening watch on VHF guard 121.5 or UHF 243.0."

Peter

Flying out of Marfa Texas, about 5 years ago a couple of us landed out
- and I do mean out. I had to hike a few miles past several jack
rabbits, and many spiders and snakes to the only ranch house on
200,000 acres.
We were having little luck with cell phones so I tried to get an
airliner to relay. I called on 121.5 multiple times. We were just in
such a remote area I got no response.
Luckily we did not have an emergency because we had no luck with the
airliner relay.

I'd try the scan function on my handheld radio next time as that is a
good suggestion.
How else would you know what frequency to try to call on?

I figured that a 5w handheld radio would have a pretty good range to
reach airliners at cruising height.

Chris

I don't know about that. My club uses handhelds for the field crew,
and at 4,000 to 5,000 feet 2 to 3 miles away from the field you cannot
hear the field radios at all (although they can easily hear a glider
radio from that distance and height).

-John

Chris Ruf wrote:
I figured that a 5w handheld radio would have a pretty good range to
reach airliners at cruising height.

On Sep 20, 7:16*pm, Chris Ruf wrote:
Flying out of Marfa Texas, about 5 years ago a couple of us landed out
- and I do mean out. *I had to hike a few miles past several jack
rabbits, and many spiders and snakes to the only ranch house on
200,000 acres.
We were having little luck with cell phones so I tried to get an
airliner to relay. *I called on 121.5 multiple times. *We were just in
such a remote area I got no response.
*Luckily we did not have an emergency because we had no luck with the
airliner relay.

I'd try the scan function on my handheld radio next time as that is a
good suggestion.
How else would you know what frequency to try to call on?

I figured that a 5w handheld radio would have a pretty good range to
reach airliners at cruising height.

Chris

I teach power-plane instruction as well as glider and teach my
students to monitor 121.5 if they can, while remaining on the assigned
frequency. I've also heard a number of airlines contacted by ATC and
asked to monitor 121.5 and they almost always reply that it is their
standard procedure.

The chances of someone listening to 121.5 is pretty good but as noted
above, not guarenteed.

Mike