Originally Posted by
Chronic Snoozer
Whilst pedants get busy debating the correctness of the distress call (only in Australia
), the incident pilots were busy collecting their thoughts having likely just witnessed their friends perish, and focussing on getting back on the ground
safely. It seemed like ATC knew what was going on so I guess that's the important thing.
Ummmm, no. It is not pedantic to review how we should use radio distress calls (and this is not just an Australian issue
). The distinctions are important. Once upon a time most pilots would have considered dipping into the fixed reserve fuel as a minor incident, probably not even worth any radio call at all. However, the international flying community reviewed it after many incidents and now it has become a Mayday call. We're seeing a gradual change in culture, believe it or not, towards taking safety more seriously. This is what a safety culture looks like.