Practice PAN?

[Scando]

Does this phrase translate to "I'm lost, but I pretend not to be?" Why do they use 121.5 for this? For some reason 121.5 seems to be used a lot in UK (and chinese) airspace. Interesting at times, but more often than not, I just turn the volume down completely. One less ear on guard. What do you guys think?

[Iain]

I practice PAN is just that. A practice pan call. If you are really lost you leave the practice out, as you are not practicing any more, you are lost. The problem used to be that pilots would get lost and keep going hoping to either find an airport, or another landmar, and figure out where they are. However what normally happend was they kept going an ran out of fuel and had a real emergency on there hand. So the authority (both in the US and the UK) said to prevent such thing happening if you are lost you can go on 121.5 and ask for help!
I would not go straight on there and say 'Uh I think I am lost' I would try and use VOR's and look for landmarks, however if it was not going well, I would ask for help.
I take it you saw my post on Jetcareers :)
Iain

[Scando]

Hi Iain,

To me it seems like a very odd thing to do. If you're lost, by all means, use 121.5. If not, leave it alone.
What is Jetcareers? http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif

[Wrong Stuff]

I remember when I was first doing my PPL the instructor made me do a practice pan. Presumably so I knew how to do one and wasn't too intimidated to use the service if I needed to. It really was just a practice as well - we really did know where we were. Honest!!!

He also told me if I really was lost not to pretend it was a practice. If they're busy they won't play and then you're stuffed.

[Iain]

>>Presumably so I knew how to do one and wasn't too intimidated to use the service if I needed to<<

Very nicely put, I think you hit the nail on the head!

Iain

[Stan Evil]

In the UK you can use 121.5 for non-emergency calls in 2 ways:

'Training Fix' - invented by the military for student pilots who were lost but didn't want to admit it and now available to civilians for the same purpose. In the RAF there was no comeback if a student callsign used a Training Fix but, if it was an operational callsign, then you had to file an incident report stating why you'd called for one!

'Practice Pan' - again military and now available to all. This is for practising emergencies like low oil pressure, engine fail, generator failure etc where you want ATC help to get to a suitable airfield and land. If a military aircraft called Practice Pan on guard (243.0) then the nearest suitable airfield was obliged to accept him for a practice diversion. It was not unknown for pilots who had not been able to book a practice div somewhere to use a Practice Pan to get the div anyway but ATC used to get grumpy if they found out what was going on!

The UK VHF fixer service is a fantastic aid for general aviation and, unless there's a real emergency in progress, they welcome Training Fixes and Practice Pans.

As others have said, though, if you're really in trouble shout 'Pan' or 'Mayday' and get the help you need before it's too late!

Scando, if you think 121.5 is busy, try 243.0 when our transatlantic cousins are about - they do just about everything bar ordering the sandwiches on it!

[Scando]

Thanks Stan,

Good explanation. Still think they should allocate a different freq for this though.

Scando

[rolling circle]

Scando - They can't allocate a different frequency, the autotriangulation system works only on 121.5 and 243.0. There's no problem with using the emergency frequencies for practices so long as there isn't an emergency in progress. if there is, the practice is terminated by the D & D Cell.

[Lucifer]

Civvys have 121.5 for real and practice, but mil have 245.1 for practice and 243.0 for real emergencies. Listen on 243 prior to using 245.1. The practice is often wanted by D&D. If they are busy, they will tell you to get off, but otherwise it is OK. (Autotrig only works for English airspace and Southern Scottish due to mountains.)

[This message has been edited by Lucifer (edited 16 March 2001).]