Shoutout To A Helpful Guy at 10,000'

Cpt_Kirk

Cpt_Kirk

En-Route
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
Messages
3,296
Location
Georgia
Display Name
Display name:
Ted Striker
Had an alternator failure while IFR in VMC. Was in a notoriously poor comm area for Atlanta Center. Had a guy near me relay my intentions to cancel IFR and proceed VFR with a destination change. It helped the controller and myself out from clogging up the freq with garbled banter.

I've done quite a bit of relaying for guys and appreciate when it's done for me, so, thanks! Don't hesitate to help someone out if you can. It goes a long way.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
I've done quite a bit of relaying for guys and appreciate when it's done for me, so, thanks! Don't hesitate to help someone out if you can. It goes a long way.
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Yup. I even had a Delta pilot relay a message to ABQ Center from my lowly Dakota. I'd do the same for Delta sometime. ;)
 
British Airways got a message through to Khartoum on their sat-phone for us while we were scudding along over the desert in the middle of Sudan in a C182 with alternator failure. First time I'd had to call blindly on 121.5 for "Anyone around who can hear us?" !
 
Katamarino said:
British Airways got a message through to Khartoum on their sat-phone for us while we were scudding along over the desert in the middle of Sudan in a C182 with alternator failure. First time I'd had to call blindly on 121.5 for "Anyone around who can hear us?" !
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That must have been quite the experience.
 
I've had an airliner (too many years ago, don't remember which airline) relay to SEA Center that I was on the ground at KPUW when I couldn't reach them (heck, I've had a Horizon pilot confirm that they can't contact SEA Center from the ground at KPUW, either). I appreciated the help and will always be happy to relay for someone.
 
Had some help once flying into KBOI about 10 miles out. Radio was receiving, but they couldn't hear my transmissions. Another pilot helped out until contact was made closer in. Pretty cool stuff. That was on my first long XC outside of my base area after getting my ticket. Live and learn they say.
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
That must have been quite the experience.
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It was interesting, that's for sure. The airplane was the SMA Diesel conversion and the alternator connections kept fatiguing and snapping from the vibration. Luckily the engine has a mechanical back-up mode that'll keep it running when the FADEC goes down, unlike most of the aerodiesels that die when you lose power.

In the event, we shed all the electrical load we could and the battery was still going when we reached Khartoum three hours later. They had taken things a bit seriously and rolled all the emergency vehicles for us.
 
Katamarino said:
British Airways got a message through to Khartoum on their sat-phone for us while we were scudding along over the desert in the middle of Sudan in a C182 with alternator failure. First time I'd had to call blindly on 121.5 for "Anyone around who can hear us?" !
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Surprised someone didn't admonish you for "being on guard" ;)
 
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