406 MHz ELT’s Becoming Mandatory in Canada

[Tom-D]

My stance on this is a wait and see attitude, the FAA has been asked to drop the aircraft mounted units in favor of PLBs.

Nothing has changed for operations in the US, let us not panic and go spend a 1000 bucks on some thing that may never be required.

 

[LearDriver]

We have 406's in our two jets at work. We thought that they were going to be a big waste of money. However, our Director of Maintenance got a call the other day asking about the status of the aircraft because the elt had gone off. The DM had a quick shiver because our one jet was in the caribbean flying from USVI to Brownsville. Then he was told it was the other jet. Which was in a hangar at the avionics shop. The tech's accidently set it off while wringing out the wiring on our new panel.

Long and the short of it was we got the first contact call within 12 minutes of the elt being set off. They knew where the airplane was when it went off. The airplane was inside an old WWII quonset hut metal roofed hangar.

I am going to go with the fact that they are worth the money.

 

[poadeleted20]

But think of all the fun you're spoiling for the CAP cadets to go wandering around the airport with a hand-held DF trying to find the airplane whose ELT has gone off, and then find the owner!

 

[alaskaflyer]

I am going to go with the fact that they are worth the money.

I agree. Who gives a $#& if they are required? Some people spend $1k on lattes.

 

[Tim]

I agree. Who gives a $#& if they are required? Some people spend $1k on lattes.

I do cause it should be up the me not you if I get one. How quickly we forget how we got here. If only Don Jons would have had one!

 

[gismo]

I agree. Who gives a $#& if they are required? Some people spend $1k on lattes.

I want to hold out until an affordable ELT with GPS input becomes available (like the ACK ELT-04). IMO the addition of GPS position actually makes the 406 MHz ELT worth installing, but without it the benefit is more for the searchers than the searchee.

 

[Dan Thomas]

I want to hold out until an affordable ELT with GPS input becomes available (like the ACK ELT-04). IMO the addition of GPS position actually makes the 406 MHz ELT worth installing, but without it the benefit is more for the searchers than the searchee.

I want to hold out until there's a SPOT/ELT cross available. Something that leaves a trail, reporting every few seconds, and has a beacon that triggers in a crash. Current ELTs, including the 406, are subject to damage in a crash and they fail more than half the time. Recent experience in Canada indicates a failure to signal as much as 85% of the time.

The antenna gets torn off or buried in the dirt when the airplane ends up on its back. The airplane burns. The airplane sinks. The airplane gets spread across the mountainside and the ELT either gets trashed or detached from its antenna cable. The airplane crashes into deep snow on a steep slope and gets buried by the avalanche it causes. There are so many things to screw up our nice theory that the ELT will beep reliably when we go down somewhere. The reporting trail makes more sense to me.

Dan

 

[gismo]

I want to hold out until there's a SPOT/ELT cross available. Something that leaves a trail, reporting every few seconds, and has a beacon that triggers in a crash. Current ELTs, including the 406, are subject to damage in a crash and they fail more than half the time. Recent experience in Canada indicates a failure to signal as much as 85% of the time.

The antenna gets torn off or buried in the dirt when the airplane ends up on its back. The airplane burns. The airplane sinks. The airplane gets spread across the mountainside and the ELT either gets trashed or detached from its antenna cable. The airplane crashes into deep snow on a steep slope and gets buried by the avalanche it causes. There are so many things to screw up our nice theory that the ELT will beep reliably when we go down somewhere. The reporting trail makes more sense to me.

Dan

The ACK ELT-04 will leave such a trail if activated manually before "landing". If you wait for the decel switch to activate it it only works if the antenna is still connected and functional.

 

[mikea]

But think of all the fun you're spoiling for the CAP cadets to go wandering around the airport with a hand-held DF trying to find the airplane whose ELT has gone off, and then find the owner!

I did that with just a handheld receiver - no DF other than the whip antenna. Took almost an hour. A lotta strange signal bounces. I had figured out it was buddy's plane just as he drove up and reached in shut it off.

 

[acrodisiac]

Good news everyone !

Incredibly our government has actually listened to us for a change! While the ELT mandate has not be recinded it has NOT BEEN ACCEPTED and will not be put into law for the time being.
THis means that 121.5 is legal to keep and that US visiting aircraft are perfectly legal with 121.5 in Canadian Airspace.

I really hope that your government listens to your voices regarding the DHS rulings . That Eapis thing is some awful piece of work.

o
One happy Canuck who loves flying in the USA.

 

[azure]

Have there been any updates on this issue?

 

[Dan Thomas]

Have there been any updates on this issue?

Latest rumbles have it that the private operator will be allowed to retain and use the 121.5 ELT but Commercial operators will have to upgrade to the 406. Suits me, as long as it's true.

Dan

 

[Tom-D]

Have there been any updates on this issue?

NO there have been no changes in the Canadian rule.

See the Transport Canada rules at section 605.38........

http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/regserv/affairs/cars/part6/605.htm#605_38

 

[Tom-D]

Canadian ELT types
E - Glossary for Pilots and Air Traffic Services Personnel (TP ...
Abbreviation for: emergency locator transmitter

ELT(AD) Abbreviation for: automatically deployable ELT

ELT(AF) Abbreviation for: automatic fixed ELT

ELT(AP) Abbreviation for: automatic portable ELT

ELT(S) Abbreviation for: survival ELT

helps to know the language. for block 3 of the table

 

[azure]

Okay, thanks. I had done a quick web search but all of the results were about the proposed deadlines, first 2009 then 2/2011. It seems that they haven't decided yet whether to make the 406 ELTs mandatory at all.

Hopefully that's true here as well, though with the end of satellite coverage on 121.5/243, I can't imagine they won't eventually require the 406 MHz ELT in all GA aircraft.

The reason I asked is that the airplane I'm looking at was originally supposed to have a 406 installed at its current annual, and the seller had one on order, then yesterday told me he'd decided against it. Not sure if the reason was cost or that the order was taking way too long, but anyway I was concerned about flying back through Canadian airspace with only a 121.5 MHz ELT, not to mention that I overfly Canada fairly often en route to Ohio.

 

[Tom-D]

Okay, thanks. I had done a quick web search but all of the results were about the proposed deadlines, first 2009 then 2/2011. It seems that they haven't decided yet whether to make the 406 ELTs mandatory at all.

The paper work requiring the change to a 406 ELT was sent to the Administrator of transport Canada, there was no alternate method of compliance and he refused to sign it, it went back to committee and what you see today is what the committee came up with the 4 different types of ELTS in the third column, and the different types of aircraft, and areas to operate.

Hopefully that's true here as well, though with the end of satellite coverage on 121.5/243, I can't imagine they won't eventually require the 406 MHz ELT in all GA aircraft.

There was never any sat coverage of 121/243 type ELTs they were all Radio freq and monitored by other pilots and safety groups

The reason I asked is that the airplane I'm looking at was originally supposed to have a 406 installed at its current annual, and the seller had one on order, then yesterday told me he'd decided against it. Not sure if the reason was cost or that the order was taking way too long, but anyway I was concerned about flying back through Canadian airspace with only a 121.5 MHz ELT, not to mention that I overfly Canada fairly often en route to Ohio.

He probably could not get one to install. and the cost is around a thousand bucks.

 

[ScottM]

There was never any sat coverage of 121/243 type ELTs they were all Radio freq and monitored by other pilots and safety groups

Sure there was. There is not any longer.
http://www.survivalaviation.com/elt_information.html

Emergency Locator Transmitters are tracking transmitters which aid in the detection and location of boats, aircraft, and people in distress. Strictly, they are radio beacons that interface with Cospas-Sarsat, the international satellite system for search and rescue (SAR). When activated, such beacons send out a distress signal that, when detected by non-geostationary satellites (the old 121.5 ELT signal), can be located by triangulation.

As of 1 Feb 2009 that satellite coverage was discontinued.

U.S. pilots should beware that satellite monitoring of 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) ends on Feb. 1. However, existing 121.5 MHz ELTs will continue to meet the FAA’s regulatory requirements after that date.

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2009/090122elt.html

 

[wsuffa]

Scott is correct.

The satellite monitoring of 121.5/243 was less effective (in other words, it provided lower quality fixes and no data on what aircraft/ship the ELT/EPIRB was associated with) but it did work. I was involved in a number of searches tied to 121.5 satellite fixes. It was monitored/coordinated at Scott AFB (no relation to our Scott )

 

[dmccormack]

Is there a reason why the base price of a single channel, battery powered transmitter should cost over $1500?

IOW, why does it need to be "installed"? After all, the SPOT types are not installed and people aren't sending up all sorts of false alarms (which happened frequently with the 121.5 ELTs, BTW).

 

[alaskaflyer]

Okay, thanks. I had done a quick web search but all of the results were about the proposed deadlines, first 2009 then 2/2011. It seems that they haven't decided yet whether to make the 406 ELTs mandatory at all.

Hopefully that's true here as well, though with the end of satellite coverage on 121.5/243, I can't imagine they won't eventually require the 406 MHz ELT in all GA aircraft.

The reason I asked is that the airplane I'm looking at was originally supposed to have a 406 installed at its current annual, and the seller had one on order, then yesterday told me he'd decided against it. Not sure if the reason was cost or that the order was taking way too long, but anyway I was concerned about flying back through Canadian airspace with only a 121.5 MHz ELT, not to mention that I overfly Canada fairly often en route to Ohio.

Many of us are waiting for the ACK E-04 406mhz model, which is the drop-in replacement for the old ACK E-01 ELT, which was a very popular model currently in many, many GA planes. They have received FAA TSO but are going through the final round of approval from the COSPAS/SARSAT folks. They have experienced several frustrating delays, and many people who preordered them through vendors have given up or gone with other more expensive models that require installation headaches.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the issue.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Is there a reason why the base price of a single channel, battery powered transmitter should cost over $1500?

[rhetorical]Is there a reason most aircraft parts and modifications such as STC's are priced way beyond their "real" value?[/rhetorical]

They have to receive a TSO, beyond the COSPAS/SARSAT testing process. It is frustrating especially considering that PLB's have the added functionality of an integrated GPS.

The MSRP on the ACK E-04, if they ever get the **** thing approved, is $599 inclusive of the retrofit installation kit. Which is why so many people are waiting instead of paying >$900 for the Airtex or even more for other models.

 

[dmccormack]

[rhetorical]Is there a reason most aircraft parts and modifications such as STC's are priced way beyond their real market value?[/rhetorical]

They have to receive a TSO, beyond the COSPAS/SARSAT testing process. It is frustrating especially considering that PLB's have the added functionality of an integrated GPS.

That's my question -- why the TSO regulatory requirement, when a handheld consumer product will meet the intent of the requirement?

 

[Dan Thomas]

Here's what the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association had to say back in September:

COPA received the following statement from Transport Canada regarding the status of the ELT regulation:
“Transport Canada will recommend that the emergency locator transmitter regulations be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, pending a Treasury Board Secretariat meeting, which will take place sometime in the Fall 2009.Once published, the regulations will require all aircraft used for commercial, private, or government-run operations to be equipped with either a 406 MHz ELT or an alternate means of emergency location approved by Transport Canada.
The regulations will provide for a transition period of two years to allow sufficient time for stakeholders to adhere to the new requirements.
Aircraft engaged in non-commercial recreational aviation operations that are currently required to be equipped with an ELT, will be required to maintain their ELT.
However, any aircraft not equipped with an ELT capable of broadcasting on the 406 MHz frequency will be required to retain their current ELT and also have on-board a placard that is visible to all passengers. The placard will inform passengers that the aircraft is not equipped with an ELT as recommended by international standards, which may contribute to delays in search and rescue operations. The regulations will provide for a transition period of 90 days to ensure compliance with the additional requirements.”


All of that is political-speak for "Private owners can keep their 121.5 ELTs." Don't know why it has to be so convoluted and lengthy.


This is a proposal. It might get modified to something a lot more expensive.


Dan