Well I have a had 3 requests to do practise pans from Scottish area to use 121.5.
They asked if we would help then told us that our transponder was knackard when we were asked to squawk by the controller.
Went onto 121.5 and played the game. To be honest it was quite good training for us as well. Only had one "your on guard" which was instantly answered by a gruff sounding bloke from D&D thanking him for interupting a controller training exercise.
And although using commercial pilots for there training exercises it still can't give the controller the full experence of trying to deal with an inexperenced pilot who is pooing themselves. And I should imagine that a student on a nav ex with an instructor forcing them to do a practise Pan will simulate the situation quite nicely.
Its up to D&D to decide whats acceptable or unacceptable for the emergency frequency to be used for. The fact that they request aircraft via other agencys to give practise pans seems to suggest that there isn't enough calls to satisfy there training requirements. Its a two way thing D&D proberly get as much out of the practise as the pilot. It also allows them to see any black spots in the coverage. And the moan about we won't be able to hear a intercept call from the mil is quite frankly bollocks. A 5 watt transmitter 2 miles away you won't even know that there is a practise pan is going on. They will know you are being intercepted though.
Anyway if the new ideas come to pass about having a constant cycle of RT testing for everyone, D&D can maybe get there point across through the examiners for CAT to accept that its the way D&D want it.
edited to add
Faire d'income actually you are incorrect to say that first aid courses arn't taught in A&E departments and OR's. The diving medics and also army combat medics all go through a course of ground school followed by a period of on the job training. Which is done live on civ's in A&E deptments around the UK under supervision. A bit like you guessed it A practise pan with an instructor sitting next to them. There are many storys about people kicking off on saturday nights in A&E deptments trying to get drugs etc and suddenly being confronted by some hairy arsed beast who has a secondary qualification in battlefield medic after their primary qualification of being one of auntie Betty's finest SF troopers.
Last edited by mad_jock; 20th May 2006 at 11:16.