SARTIME minus 5
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SARTIME minus 5
Airservices Australia has launched a new campaign called 'SARTIME minus 5' to encourage pilots to set their mobile phone or watch alarm for five minutes prior to their SARTIME as a reminder to cancel or extend it with CENSAR. The aim is to reduce the 12,000 expired SARTIMES each year, very few of which are actually missing aircraft.
More information plus a downloadable poster can be found here: Airservices Australia - Pilot & Airside Safety - SARTIME Management
Did they bring this expired Sartime dilemma on themselves when they, firstly, disbanded Flight Service and then made it so hard to cancel Sartime on the radio?
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Hard to cancel on the radio?
I do it almost every flight (with the exeption of night flights)
takes 5 secs of centres time, just do it when it's quiet.
Nomitating is a different story, if you can phone them, do it.
I do it almost every flight (with the exeption of night flights)
takes 5 secs of centres time, just do it when it's quiet.
Nomitating is a different story, if you can phone them, do it.
must be like real estate..position,position,position!!!!....
Have been told on VHF a few times in recent years, and heard others being told, to use the phone as the first option (as per ERSA)
Have been told on VHF a few times in recent years, and heard others being told, to use the phone as the first option (as per ERSA)
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Bounceferret,
Both nominating and cancelling take the same amount of time for controllers. The information has to be passed onto the flight datas so they can then pass it to CENSAR. It is much more efficient to call CENSAR directly via phone.
Both nominating and cancelling take the same amount of time for controllers. The information has to be passed onto the flight datas so they can then pass it to CENSAR. It is much more efficient to call CENSAR directly via phone.
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disturbedone - to transmit the details of a flight/nominate SARtime over radio is much more time consuming, than saying "XXX arrived <airport>, cancel sartime"
I usually set alarms 30, 15, 10 and 5 mins off the SARtime. I was caught out once when I got a call just after shutdown - two minutes after my nominated SARtime. - admittedly my bad planning, however I did try and cancel overhead the aerodrome, to no avail.
Pyro
I usually set alarms 30, 15, 10 and 5 mins off the SARtime. I was caught out once when I got a call just after shutdown - two minutes after my nominated SARtime. - admittedly my bad planning, however I did try and cancel overhead the aerodrome, to no avail.
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What an excellent idea
What an excellent idea. I wish I had thought of it myself.
I have on a few (read several over the past number of years) occasions forgotten to cancel sartime when flying VFR and have "remembered" immediately when the phone rings shortly after sartime has expired.
First thought is "DOH" Second thought is "Oh well, that's another carton"
I have on a few (read several over the past number of years) occasions forgotten to cancel sartime when flying VFR and have "remembered" immediately when the phone rings shortly after sartime has expired.
First thought is "DOH" Second thought is "Oh well, that's another carton"
Might also help the stats if the times you ring in on a Sat phone (to the Brisbane number, not the 1800) actually got passed on. Admittedly a few years ago now, but I had four SARTIMES in two weeks that weren't passed on...
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I too cancel VFR sar mostly on the radio and on two occasions in 3 years been met with a gruff atc informing me that "the preferred method is by phone" most are accommodating and happy to cancel for me however. I prefer to cancel by radio and will continue to do so despite the objection of 1 or 2 atc's as the electricity is free. If I could only get class c and d towers to cancel it to - would be good but hard for them as I understand they have no internal connection to censar and have to ring on the same number we use.
Last edited by Aerodynamisist; 25th Aug 2010 at 23:51.
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A very senior ASA ATS Manager told be a few years back to use VHF as required to cancel SAR with whatever unit I was communicating with. There are still some grumble bums but as a rule they take it without comment and pass it on. From a pilots point of view, that option is often the easiest way to do it and sometimes the ONLY way.
The only way for us to cancel it in a tower is to pick up the phone and ring CENSAR exactly the same way you do it after your flight. It's not an issue when there is a spare body in the cab but if we are all on the console it's a bit more challenging. Not sure how the centres do it, I presume they use their fancy VSCS thingo to call them.
I nominate and cancel it every flight when VFR with Flightwatch on the HF radio. Easy.
I know some aeroplanes don't have/require one to be fitted, but if it is why not use it?
Nav.
I know some aeroplanes don't have/require one to be fitted, but if it is why not use it?
Nav.
Has anyone thought about the poor bottleshop owners? This simple campaign will rob them of around 12,000 cartons a year!!
Thats around $500,000 a year, WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE BOTTLE-Os?!
Thats around $500,000 a year, WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE BOTTLE-Os?!
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The only way for enroute ATC to cancel a SARTIME is to write down the details on a strip as the pilot says them. The ATC then calls the data guy and the data guy writes down the details on his own strip as the ATC reads the details that they copied from the pilot. The data guy then hangs up from the ATC and calls CENSAR on the 1800 number or or sends them a fancy message on the internoodle and gives them the details that they copied from the ATC.
The faffing around is tremendous, hence the occasional grumbles.
The faffing around is tremendous, hence the occasional grumbles.
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I assume that is how an IFR SARWATCH is cancelled, or does the poor ATC guy/girl have to go through the same crazy process?
I am going to do an ATC tour at YBBN on September 5th and hope to gain a much better understanding of what you good folk do!
I am going to do an ATC tour at YBBN on September 5th and hope to gain a much better understanding of what you good folk do!
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I am going to do an ATC tour at YBBN on September 5th and hope to gain a much better understanding of what you good folk do! 