...and you would be wrong.
When I flew to Iceland for example besides all the basic emergency equipment I made sure I had a satellite phone as well. I didn't just launch and hope like hell I don't end up stuck somewhere with no means of communication. If you're stuck somewhere and can't get hold of anyone... then you're an idiot I'm sorry if this has happened to you and this hurts your feelings but that's what it is. Poor planning and risk management.
I'm not sure it matters much whether you're flying to Iceland or flying over any of the bazillions of acres of cell phone dead zones that are far from civilization and that can be found throughout the United States. Any place with no communication and which is greater than walking distance from civilization is, for all practical purposes, as isolated as it gets.
I fly over those sorts of areas all the time. I live on the edge of a six million-acre forest preserve. There are many places within the preserve that probably haven't felt the press of a human foot in generations. Does that mean I should carry a sat phone every time I fly? Maybe. But I personally think that would be excessive. I do, however, carry basic tools, an assortment of spare parts, and the PLB.
And speaking of that, as I said earlier, I'd have no problem activating an ELT, PLB, or EPIRB, depending on the context, if I were stranded and had no other reasonable option. Furthermore, I've paid enough taxes, participated in enough SARs, and given enough hours and dollars to various rescue, disaster, and EMS-related organizations that I'd do so without guilt. Stranded is stranded regardless of the reason. Moreover, I can tell you from personal experience that there were times when I wished victims
had activated their locator devices sooner because I would have rather rescued a living person than pulled a floater out of the water. That's always such a bummer. It ruins your whole day.
But if I were stranded, I'd also assess the situation to see if there were some way I could safely get myself out of it without creating havoc. Changing tires is a no-brainer on most light aircraft, for example. So are many other repairs that tend to get people stranded. It's really more a matter of having the knowledge, the will and the wherewithal than anything else.
So I guess my position falls somewhere between yours and James's. But I also must say that I find your tone and tenor to be infinitely more obnoxious than his. And unlike you, I'm not at all sorry if this hurts your feelings. Disagreements can be expressed using language that's neither pejorative nor condescending, and it doesn't seem to me that you've expended very much effort to try to do so.
Rich
