A Very Odd Question, I'm Guessing

readers won't wonder why he cant take this flyable airplane and get outta Dodge? Maybe go visit these remaining humans he is talking to? Perhaps there is only enough gas for a short flight?
 
And when considering cover art, all us pilots look like this guy:

fad72d5718f063badc11c1fc4f18ba16.jpg
 
Sounds like The Dog Star.

Big pandemic, most people dead, remainder marauding bands, pilot holes up at an air park in Colorado, has a straight-tail 182 he uses to patrol for said marauders, occasionally keys-up radio for old time's sake, gets a reply from GJT tower...

...great book, read it.
 
I so appreciate all the good humor on this site. You guys must have a lot of fun.

Pilots is good people.
 
SCCutler said:
Sounds like The Dog Star.

Big pandemic, most people dead, remainder marauding bands, pilot holes up at an air park in Colorado, has a straight-tail 182 he uses to patrol for said marauders, occasionally keys-up radio for old time's sake, gets a reply from GJT tower...

...great book, read it.
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The Beast. Cessna six triple alpha five, if I recall.
 
SkyDog58 said:
So, is his airplane flyable? If so, why doesn't he just take a flight and look for signs of life and make radio calls from altitude? If not flyable, why not? Does the engine run? If not, how is he charging his aircraft battery? If he is using a battery charger, who is operating/maintaining the power grid that allows him to have AC power to power his charger?
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Lots and lots of solar where he's at. An entire subdivision of homes to harvest. He's flown at altitude. No one has ever answered.
 
Tom.F said:
Pilots is good people.
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Remember that the next time your commercial flight is delayed. The occupants of the front row seats want to fly just as badly as you do - maybe for different reasons.
 
Jokes aside, one fact I would assure you is that the one common frequency the pilot would try on a normal aviation radio is 121.5. It's known as "guard" and is supposed to be monitored by all pilots at all times.

May not lead to any contact but it's a small fact that will lend significant realism to a pilot trying desperately to reach anyone who may also be flying or controlling.
 
SkyHog said:
Jokes aside, one fact I would assure you is that the one common frequency the pilot would try on a normal aviation radio is 121.5. It's known as "guard" and is supposed to be monitored by all pilots at all times.

May not lead to any contact but it's a small fact that will lend significant realism to a pilot trying desperately to reach anyone who may also be flying or controlling.
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And if you want to have another realistic tie-in, when he broadcasts on that to no avail he longs back to the days when accidentally broadcasting on it got him 3 or 4 angry replies of "On Guard!!"
 
GlennAB1 said:
If he gets a little 12v to 24v converter he can really boost that radio transmission. 14v to 28v, whatever...
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Love to see what the voltage regulation is on that $5 chicom trash over input voltage and output current. And what happens to the noise floor on my DC-1Gig spectrum analyzer.
 
SkyHog said:
Jokes aside, one fact I would assure you is that the one common frequency the pilot would try on a normal aviation radio is 121.5. It's known as "guard" and is supposed to be monitored by all pilots at all times.
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Can you point out where in the regs it states that 121.5 is supposed to be monitored by all pilots at all times?

What if you are NORDO?
What if you have just one radio?
What if you do have two radios and one is on ATC and you are grabbing ATIS on the other?
 
SkyDog58 said:
Can you point out where in the regs it states that 121.5 is supposed to be monitored by all pilots at all times?

What if you are NORDO?
What if you have just one radio?
What if you do have two radios and one is on ATC and you are grabbing ATIS on the other?
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There has been an FDC NOTAM in effect since around 2004 that requires it. The 2004 NOTAM superceded an older NOTAM that was in effect since shortly after 9/11. Just went and got a briefing for a short flight, the NOTAM is still valid. Remember, FDC NOTAMs are regulatory.

FDC 4/4386 SPECIAL NOTICE

NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM INTERCEPT PROCEDURES.
AVIATORS SHALL REVIEW THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AERONAUTICAL
INFORMATION MANUAL (AIM) FOR INTERCEPTION PROCEDURES, CHAPTER 5, SECTION 6,
PARAGRAPH 5-6-2.

ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN UNITED STATES NATIONAL AIRSPACE, IF CAPABLE, SHALL
MAINTAIN A LISTENING WATCH ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF 243.0.

IF AN AIRCRAFT IS INTERCEPTED BY U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND FLARES ARE
DISPENSED, THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES ARE TO BE FOLLOWED: FOLLOW THE INTERCEPT'S
VISUAL SIGNALS, CONTACT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL IMMEDIATELY ON THE LOCAL FREQUENCY
OR ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF GUARD 243.0, AND COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS
GIVEN BY THE INTERCEPTING AIRCRAFT INCLUDING VISUAL SIGNALS IF UNABLE RADIO
CONTACT. BE ADVISED THAT NONCOMPLIANCE MAY RESULT IN THE USE OF FORCE.

WIE UNTIL UFN
 
slacktide said:
ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN UNITED STATES NATIONAL AIRSPACE, IF CAPABLE, SHALL
MAINTAIN A LISTENING WATCH ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF 243.0.
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Well there you go. If capable. And if you don't? Expect a missile up your APU exhaust.
 
Although others are correct in the premise of the HF radio...

If I were in that situation, one of the first radios I would try to have available would be the good ole CB radio. While reliable only at short distances, it has an incredible, although only occasional, skip characteristic of being able to travel hundreds of miles under the right atmospheric conditions.

This is a simple radio that is easily accessible, most people have at least some familiarization with, and is extremely simple to use.

PJ
 
too much chit chat on 121.5 - I am always filed so if they need me they know how to get in touch with me. Now fingers on the other hand :)
 
Google "portable HF" and you will get an idea of what an HF radio that can transmit farther distances. Icom and Yaesu makes some lesser expensive amateur radios that are used for these purposes. The trick with HF is the length the antenna has to be. Traditionally, aircraft use a long wire that stretches over the fuselage. However, for your story, this would be more of a ground installation. There again, Google "HF antenna installation" and you will some of the ground or building installations for HF antennas and how long the long wire is.
 
JoeBradSEA said:
Google "portable HF" and you will get an idea of what an HF radio that can transmit farther distances. Icom and Yaesu makes some lesser expensive amateur radios that are used for these purposes. The trick with HF is the length the antenna has to be. Traditionally, aircraft use a long wire that stretches over the fuselage. However, for your story, this would be more of a ground installation. There again, Google "HF antenna installation" and you will some of the ground or building installations for HF antennas and how long the long wire is.
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The classic temporary aircraft installation of an HF wire involves small diameter copperclad wire (#22 or so) wound on a fishing reel and fed out the belly through a hefty grommet. A dixiecup drogue keeps it strung out straight behind the airplane. The only caveat is to cut it and let it fall to the ground when you are done with it rather than trying to reel it in ... it tends to get caught in the mechanisms.

As for CB, you might set the story at the peak of the sunspot cycle (11 year cycle with 33 year super peaks) so that the CB has a chance to get a bit of skip going.

JIm
 
Joshuajayg said:
Well there you go. If capable. And if you don't? Expect a missile up your APU exhaust.
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Exactly... if capable.

If NORDO, you are not capable.

If you only have one radio, you most likely have better use for that one radio than monitoring 121.5. I'd rather have center on flight following, talk to tower, listen for traffic & communicate on CTAF, etc. than listen to 121.5.

About the only time that I monitor 121.5 is when I have two radios and am on a cross country with ATC on Com1 and am not needing Com2 for ATIS, setting up for my destination airport or another more essential task than monitoring guard.

As far as intercepts, when I see them pull up on me, then I will of course switch over to 121.5 for instructions.

That is what is expected and that is the meaning of "if capable".
 
It's interesting that AIM and the NOTAM use slightly different wording:

AIM says "higly encouraged"

NOTAM says "shall"
 
Velocity173 said:
HF. Think ours could easily reach out 800 miles or more on a good day.
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When I was getting some inherited radio gear ready to sell, I heard a station in New Zealand on the 20 meter ham band, using about a twenty foot length of wire in my San Francisco area back yard.
 
Tom.F said:
WE HAVE A WINNER!

Tropospheric ducting is exactly what I'm looking for. It combines so many things I need, and it can be random, and it would rely on the luck of both parties being on the correct frequency at the same time, something that would only happen if our pilot made the random calls so often that luck would enter into it. I really love this idea. I believe it will make the fiction plausible, and so fleeting and temporary.

Thanks so much. Thanks to all who replied.
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Has this protagonist been alone for a long time? If so, who has been maintaining his plane in operable condition, and where has he been getting fuel, oil, and replacement parts?
 
SkyDog58 said:
So, is his airplane flyable? If so, why doesn't he just take a flight and look for signs of life and make radio calls from altitude? If not flyable, why not? Does the engine run? If not, how is he charging his aircraft battery? If he is using a battery charger, who is operating/maintaining the power grid that allows him to have AC power to power his charger?
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Maybe it's a Cub.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Can you point out where in the regs it states that 121.5 is supposed to be monitored by all pilots at all times?

What if you are NORDO?
What if you have just one radio?
What if you do have two radios and one is on ATC and you are grabbing ATIS on the other?
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What a pill...

Read the FDC NOTAMS, you'll find one that is not new in any way (I.e, you should know this and not have to ask) that says you shall monitor if capable. That means that:

What if you are NORDO? You are not capable
What if you have just one radio? You are not capable
What if you do have two radios and one is on ATC and you are grabbing ATIS on the other? You are not capable.

It's not like reading is hard. I learned to do it in preschool

Also, in the premise of the OP, you're not going to be grabbing an ATIS because you're the only pilot around and no one would have receded a recent one
 
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