W Collins asks questions about 121.5 and the right to transmitt and/or be the Controlling Authority.
I am led to believe that the UK is the only state world-wide that has a control position (namely 'D&D' in the case of both our FIRs), soley dedicated to the task of monitoring 121.5 & 243.0 and retaining executive control over all distress situations whithin their area of responsability. Therefore, what follows applies to UK airspace only. Furthermore, I can only comment as someone outside D&D, but the way I have been taught is that D&D retain executive control of all emergency situations within their FIR. Any other controller finding himself working distress traffic (on any frequency) should inform D&D as soon as practicable. I have never come across any responce other than that the unit working the emergency traffic at that time is ceded operational control by D&D, but they will be doing a lot of admin behind the scenes on your behalf.
As for transmitting on 'guard', the situation is thus: Any call on 'guard' should be answered by D&D. If it is obvious that neither they or anyone else is responding and you are in a position to offer assistance (either directly or by message relay) then you should. This applies equally wether you be a ground station or an aircraft.
Additionally, any unit can request through D&D the use of 'guard' to contact an aircraft they have lost communications with.
On the subject of practice calls from aircraft to D&D, certainly a good idea and TD&H makes some extremely valid points: Listen out first in case a real emergency is on-going, inform the unit you are working (if any) what you are doing and think up a good scenario before-hand. Mad-Jock points out that a foggy day might not be the best time to do this, but equally neither is a cast-iron VFR bank-holiday week-end (imagine how tiresome the forty-eighth practise pan for that hour can be!) Go for a boring, grey, mid-week afternoon when we could all use a bit of artificial excitment to see us through to the end of the watch!
A very interesting thread with av8boy proffering more good advice & common sense than any one person should be rightfully entitled to!
Last edited by Hippy; 24th Dec 2003 at 09:40.