Hi all - if you'll allow an ATCO to dip his toes into your thread! As someone who used to run GA safety days (MCASD) where OC D&D Flt would lecture on the roles and capability of their service, their view was that if there was any doubt there was no doubt - give them a call. They would rather an unnecessary call rather than an unnecessary accident/fatality!
Indeed, they used to positively encourage the use of 121.5 for training purposes as it also allows them to train and remain current. This topic has been done to death several times before here:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=323349
And here:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...tice+emergency
And a quote here from an actual D&D controller:
Quote:
I don’t intend to get embroiled in a debate about 121.5 usage by GA pilots in the UK. It is a FACT that the huge majority of tx on 121.5 are by CAT. Some points I would like to make.
1. When a pilot mistakenly calls a ground unit on 121.5 & receives a "you're on guard" , you would not believe the amount of times he hears that response as "go ahead" and then launches into his spiel about wheelchairs etc often lasting 20 seconds or so. Surely if he got no reply the penny would drop after a couple of calls? I know that when I tx whether as a controller or when I am flying, if I don’t get a response the first thing I do is check my frequency selection.
2. As for complaints about PP calls made within the UK, sorry I have limited sympathy whilst I can hear pilots whistling, singing, chatting, asking for football scores during the world cup and us being sworn at over 121.5 by CAT etc etc. Sort that nonsense out and my view point would be far more sympathetic.
3. In the congested airspace of the UK we actively encourage GA to call D&D 121.5 when they are lost. Part of humanising 121.5 is allowing pilots to make PP calls so that they are familiar with D&D & how we can help should the need arise. If they do get lost, many pilots now quickly declare that fact early on 121.5... often they are inside CAS & we take action to exit CAS and deconflict with CAT. If they weren’t confident about calling on 121.5, they would spend more time trying to sort themselves out & CAT would be getting unexpeditious recoveries or even go around.
4. As for the suggestion of naming & shaming, when ac tx on 121.5 we get a DF fix on that ac. The DF display sits approx 6 inches away from our radar displays which have all ORCAM squawks callsign code converted i.e. your callsign is displayed on our radar. It takes seconds to identify who is saying what........ Incidentally OC LATCC(Mil) was sat next to me a few minutes ago & he is leaning towards the idea of "naming & shaming".
In the 15 mins or so that this has taken me to write there has been one training fix on 121.5 and 11 CAT transmissions.... make that 13!
DD
His last line says’s it all really. So to all those above FL100...please button it.
Remember the person responsible for minimising calls on 121.5 is the chap in the broom cupboard at Swanwick..the D&D controller and he'll do this by telling you that SAROPS are on!!
To all the GA - crack on - better to get the words fuddled when the donk is at idle rather than wait till it happens for real!
H&K Fred!
