View Full Version : Paging lost pilots on guard
safelife
24th Sep 2014, 19:00
Just curious, do you controllers have access to the data in field 18 of the filed flight plan of a flight?
If yes, why is SELCAL no option to page those not responding to voice calls? Very most medium and heavy airliners and many bizjets are SELCAL equipped, and most dispatch solutions file it's code in field 18, like SEL/AB-CB.
And before you say your station isn't SELCAL equipped, such encoders are nowadays available even on your smart phone.
Voice calls can be overheard, but the SELCAL going off will alert anyone.
Over mainland no a/c will be using HF and that is where the Selcall will normally operate. Although Selcall is a function that is available on VHF I am not aware of many a/c or airlines that use it and 99% of crews would not know what was going 'ding'!!:)
I believe there have been a few airlines that use VHF Selcall but to have it as a 'system' as you suggest would require enforcement.
west atc
25th Sep 2014, 15:51
And before you say your station isn't SELCAL equipped, such encoders are nowadays available even on your smart phone.
Except in most units you can't brng your smartphone into the ope room as it can be a distraction. Guard is usually a lot quicker and easier way to reach pilots who have maybe turned ATC down because it is too busy for their conversations.
confused atco
25th Sep 2014, 21:36
Mobile phones are banned from the ops room.
SELCAL functionality is not part of our kit.
As a last resort we would contact the oceanic HF radio station to do a SELCAL if needed.
121.5 is usually faster and its available on each suite.
Piltdown Man
25th Sep 2014, 23:10
How about calling Ops. of the company concerned and requesting them to send an ACARS message?
PM
Rule3
25th Sep 2014, 23:12
Used many times EVERY shift in this neck of the woods. Even with NOTAMs advising to call 5 minutes before the boundary, aircraft still don't call if they haven't been transferred by the previous unit.
Whatever happened to SITUATIONAL AWARENESS?
send an ACARS message - a good idea, but not everyone has it!
Plazbot
26th Sep 2014, 20:00
Goodness me. I can just imagine the stunned silence I would receive by calling whatever contact number for various airlines I could find and asking them to send an ACARS message to a specific plane. I imagine the response would range from 'OK' and them doing nothing to being transferred to their limo service.
I think I will just continue with pressing the button to activate 121.5 and sorting it out myself.
victor tango
28th Sep 2014, 17:20
Go easy on me:confused:
Ive been retired from flt ops for a decade or two but I do remember at the end of the ATC fpln entering REG and SEL.
If we needed to contact an a/c we would phone stokholm radio or portishead radio and im sure i gave the selcal and approx position so when contacted they would be patched through via landline.
So we didnt bother ATC with this communication