The abuse of 121.50 in he UK as a general training frequency needs to stop.
Do people have to make an actual call just to see that the system works?
No.
Just like people don't have to actually get lost during training before completing the lost procedure.
Most instructors I have come across who insist on students making a training call have no idea exactly what D+D can do or how they do it!.....They simply follow tradition!!
What percentage of pilots who after getting lost and using 121.50 had done a practice previously?
What percentage of pilots requesting a "training fix" or "practice" pan are actually lost?
Stop practice calls. Visit D+D insted. Then students can be briefed by a person who knows exactly what the service can and can't do as well as seeing the system in operation...........not a flight instructor who only knows what their instructor told them.
Regards,
DFC