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AIR SAFETY AUSTRALIA
admin@airsafety.com.au
Fax: 08 8276 4666 Phone: 08 8276 4600
PO Box 172 Unley South Australia 5061
CAN IT EVER BE APPROPRIATE TO MONITOR
121.5 EN ROUTE?
Not everyone thinks so. But AIR SAFETY AUSTRALIA
does, ICAO does, QANTAS does,
Virgin does, the Australian Maritime
Safety Authority does, and the FAA does.
121.5 is the International Distress Frequency. A recent survey by AIR SAFETY
AUSTRALIA has revealed that few Australian light-aircraft pilots monitor
121.5, apart from those who work or have worked for an airline, and those
with significant overseas experience. I got a big surprise from this,
because I always monitor 121.5 en route without even stopping to think why.
It’s just something I do, like getting dressed before I leave the house in
the morning.
Remember that “monitor” in this context means “listen without talking”. The
survey also showed that the term “monitor” is quite widely misunderstood.
For the most part we Australian pilots are not trained to do monitor 121.5
when flying en route, but there are powerful reasons why we should.
1. We are instantly available to another pilot who experiences an emergency
in the air, or crashes but still has a working radio and calls on the
International Distress Frequency. This is not merely good airmanship, it is
responsible citizenship.
2. We can pick up ELT signals, so if another pilot crashes we can bring help
to him. ELT signals are also picked up by satellites but hours can elapse
before one of those satellites passes over the accident site, and if the
ELT’s antenna was damaged in the crash the high-flying satellite may not be
able to pick up the signal at all. Airmanship/citizenship again.
3. We can be contacted at any time. For example “Aircraft at position X, you
are entering restricted area R123 and will be intercepted unless you make a
180 turn and leave the area forthwith.”
4. All airlines monitor 121.5 en route.
5. ICAO requires that all aircraft monitor 121.5 at all times in areas where
ELTs must be carried (which includes the whole of Australia). See Annex 12,
Vol 2, para 5.2.2.1.1.1,
6. ICAO recommends that all aircraft monitor 121.5 at all times to the
extent possible – see para 5.2.2.1.1.3.
7. If you crash and survive but are
injured, 121.5 is, overall, the best frequency to use to summon
assistance. A call on 121.5 is almost always answered anywhere in the
world except in the polar regions. That’s because of the large number
of good airmen and good citizens who monitor 121.5 when flying en
route. 121.5 covers a much bigger area than any individual
Australian "area frequency". When you are on the ground you
probably won’t be able to talk direct to ATC – you will have to rely on
an overflying aircraft to relay for you. When you transmit on 121.5,
you can be heard at a range of 220nm by aircraft at 35,000’ and 150
miles at 17,500’. That means that an aircraft which had crashed near
Bransby, half-way between Bourke and Birdsville, could be heard by
aircraft monitoring 121.5 up to 220 miles away – which covers 9
different area frequencies according to the Frequency Planning Chart.
So your chances of being heard by an overflying aircraft are often much
better on 121.5 than on any single Area Frequency.
8. An intercepting aircraft is required by ICAO Annex 2 to call us on 121.5
before shooting us down.
Until 27th November last year, the Australian recommendation (it was never a
requirement) was that we should monitor the “Area Frequency” whilst en route
VFR. The Australian recommendation now is that we monitor an appropriate
frequency.
One practical benefit of monitoring 121.5 as opposed to the old “Area
Frequency” is that 121.5 is almost silent. The only
transmissions ever heard on 121.5 are those relating to distress or an
aircraft which ATC has “lost” or transmissions made unintentionally (when
the pilot intended to transmit on a different frequency). There is not the
noise and distraction that occurs on an area frequency, leaving the pilot
better able to fly the aircraft and maintain a good lookout.
AIR SAFETY AUSTRALIA urges all members to become familiar with monitoring
121.5 when flying en route, and then to always consider 121.5 when choosing
which frequency to monitor when flying en route.
When you monitor 121.5 for the first time, remember that it is a silent
frequency. Don’t make any transmissions on it unless you experience an
emergency or you are responding to another aircraft which is experiencing an
emergency and has transmitted on 121.5 If you put talkmanship ahead of
airmanship, 121.5 is not for you because you hardly ever talk on 121.5
But if airmanship and citizenship are more important to you than
talkmanship, you may find that it is sometimes appropriate to monitor 121.5
en route.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call our office or e-mail us.
And please send us an e-mail after you have first monitored 121.5 en route.
We also invite you to join AIR SAFETY AUSTRALIA. If you wish to do so, click
here or call us on 08 8276 4600.
Boyd Munro, 19th March 2004 |
