Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking SystemHow much is your life worth?

Consider getting a 406 MHz ELT for your aircraft

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Beacon Segment until 2009Beacon Segment until 2009

• Two types: 121.5/243 MHz and 406 MHz

• Three applications:

- Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRB) for Maritime Uses

- Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) for Aviation Uses

- Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) for Remote Area Recreational users, aviators.

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121.5 MHz Termination Date

• 1 Feb 2009 – Receivers on space craft will be shut off

• 121.5 MHz ELTs will no longer be picked up by the satellite systems

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121.5 MHz Beacons121.5 MHz Beacons• Older technologyOlder technology

• Not designed for satellite processing (no store & forward capability)

• Analog signal only = no identification code

• Does not have global coverage!

• Low power ( < 1 watt)

• Less rigid standards

• Poor location accuracy = Usually no better than 12 miles = 450 SQUARE MILE SEARCH AREA

• USMCC handles 250-400 ‘hits’ per day. 99.9% are false!!

- Only 1 in 8 alerts come from beacons. The rest are ATM machines, pizza ovens, and even stadium scoreboards!

- High false alert rate makes first-alert launch unfeasible…

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406 MHz Beacons406 MHz Beacons• New technologyNew technology

• Designed for satellite processing

• Digital signal w/ unique identification code

• Improved location accuracy

• Global coverage!

• Increased power ( 5 watt)

• Integral 121.5 MHz homing signal (low power)

• 5+ year lithium battery

• Mandatory registration (no cost)

• With registration information, improved location accuracy, and quicker detection times, beacon alerts can be responded to faster by search and rescue units

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121.5 MHz BeaconLocation Accuracy = 12nmSearch Area = 452nm2

406.025 MHz BeaconLocation Accuracy = 2.0 nmSearch Area = 12.5 nm2

406MHz Location Accuracy406MHz Location AccuracySearch Area Reduced By A Factor Of 45 TimesSearch Area Reduced By A Factor Of 45 Times

406 MHz Beacon w/ GPSLocation Accuracy = 0.21 nmSearch Area = 0.15 nm2

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ELTs are designed specifically ELTs are designed specifically for use aboard aircraftfor use aboard aircraft

All ELTs have automatic All ELTs have automatic (G-force/Crush force) and (G-force/Crush force) and manual activation modesmanual activation modes

Emergency Locator TransmitterEmergency Locator Transmitter

Mandated carriage on most General Aviation and Business Jets.

Automatically notify Automatically notify Federal rescue forcesFederal rescue forces

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Personal Locator BeaconsPersonal Locator Beacons• Not a substitute for an ELT

but authorized as additional equipment

• Designed for outdoor Enthusiasts– Aviators, hikers, hunters,

climbers, boaters, …– Manual activation only– Automatically notify Federal

rescue forces

Update on US carriage requirements

• DOI, NTSB, USAF, NOAA, USCG have all asked FAA to disallow 121.5 MHz ELTS as satisfying carriage requirement

• FCC introducing rulemaking to disallow any new 121.5 beacons

• FAA conducting Cost Benefit analysis associated with retrofit in GA aircraft– Results due out end of July 2008

Update on International carriage requirements

• Canada– Mandated carriage of a 406 ELT or equivalent on

all Canadian Aircraft and all aircraft coming into or transiting Canada by 1 Feb 2009 currently in approval process

• Mexico– Mandated carriage of 406 ELTs by 1 July 2008.

• Allowance for 121.5 MHz until 1 July 2009 or until the current battery needs to be replaced, which ever happens 1st

How will we find you after 1 Feb 2009

If you stay with an older 121.5 beacon?

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FL 39000FL 39000

600 Mile Diameter600 Mile Diameter

ELT Report to AFRCCELT Report to AFRCC1. First Heard1. First Heard2. Strongest2. Strongest3. Last Heard3. Last Heard4. Altitude4. Altitude

ARTCC Collects ELT reports &ARTCC Collects ELT reports &forwards reports to the AFRCCforwards reports to the AFRCC

Airborne reports – if anyone is Airborne reports – if anyone is listening?listening?

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FL 39000FL 39000

FL 10000FL 10000

600 Mile Diameter600 Mile Diameter 150 Mile Diameter150 Mile DiameterXX

Airborne reports – if anyone is Airborne reports – if anyone is listening?listening?

Ground report - 121.5 MHz monitoring gaps

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Time is always a Time is always a factorfactor

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• No communications • 30 minutes after ETA to

a compulsory reporting point.

IFR Flight PlanIFR Flight Plan

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• No communications• 30 minutes after ETA to

destination.

VFR Flight PlanVFR Flight Plan

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NO Flight PlanNO Flight Plan(80% of General Aviation)(80% of General Aviation)

• Reliable source reports aircraft is 1 hour overdue at destination.

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Timeline Review

Distress?Distress?

Flight planFlight planexpiresexpires

INREQINREQPreComPreCom

ALNOTALNOTExComExCom

MISSIONMISSIONActiveActiveSearchSearch

LocationLocation

?

30-60 Min

1 Hour

< 2 Hours

?

Page 3-B-6

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Survival StatisticsSurvival Statistics (from AFRCC records) (from AFRCC records)

100 Crash Victims100 Crash Victims

35 SURVIVE THE CRASH35 SURVIVE THE CRASH

21 Injured21 Injured

- 4 Survivors after - 4 Survivors after 24 hours24 hours

14 Uninjured14 Uninjured

- 7 Survivors after - 7 Survivors after 3 days3 days

- Chances for survival - Chances for survival RAPIDLYRAPIDLY diminish after diminish after 3 DAYS3 DAYS ! !

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TOTAL MISSIONSTOTAL MISSIONS LKP TO NOTIFICATIONLKP TO NOTIFICATIONRCC NOTIFICATIONRCC NOTIFICATIONTO LOCATIONTO LOCATION LKP TO LOCATIONLKP TO LOCATION

NO FLIGHT PLANNO FLIGHT PLAN

VFR FLIGHT PLANVFR FLIGHT PLAN

IFR FLIGHT PLANIFR FLIGHT PLAN

2424 15.55 15.55 47.0247.02 62.5762.57

2222 3.86 3.86 14.2714.27 18.13 18.13

3333 1.07 1.07 10.4710.47 11.54 11.54

AVERAGE NOTIFICATIONAVERAGE NOTIFICATION TIMELINE TIMELINE

*SOURCE: 2003 AFRCC AIRCRAFT MISSIONS*SOURCE: 2003 AFRCC AIRCRAFT MISSIONS

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AVERAGE NOTIFICATIONAVERAGE NOTIFICATION TIMELINE TIMELINE

TOTAL MISSIONSTOTAL MISSIONS LKP TO NOTIFICATIONLKP TO NOTIFICATIONRCC NOTIFICATIONRCC NOTIFICATIONTO LOCATIONTO LOCATION LKP TO LOCATIONLKP TO LOCATION

ELT WORKINGELT WORKING 23 23 3.303.30 10.8710.87 14.17 14.17

ELT NOT WORKING 110 ELT NOT WORKING 110 11.8011.80 54.0854.08 65.8865.88

*SOURCE: 2003 AFRCC AIRCRAFT MISSIONS*SOURCE: 2003 AFRCC AIRCRAFT MISSIONS

It is not that easy!

See if you can spot the wreckage

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27

28

29

Rutland, VT

Green Valley,

CA

Willow Creek, CO

From AOPA Pilot July 1999 by Thomas Home “In flight Emergencies -------”

Questions?

Please visit the NOAA SARSAT website below for more

information or to register your SARSAT beacon

NOAA SARSAT: www.sarsat.noaa.gov

Beacon Registration: www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov