| Everyone has heard the story of the boy who cried | | | | real distress signals. The Division of Aeronautics |
| wolf. In Search and Rescue, we have a very similar | | | | treats every ELT incident as an emergency until it is |
| situation involving ELTs (Emergency Locator | | | | determined to be otherwise and will initiate our |
| Transmitters). | | | | search procedures. A search is always an emergency. |
| The ELT is a wonderful device designed to provide a | | | | Searching for false ELT signals depletes limited private |
| timely response to a critical, potentially | | | | funds, state funds (your Airman Registration fees), |
| life-threatening, situation. However, most ELT | | | | federal funds (Civil Air Patrol) and other resources |
| activations are false alarms, whereas most actual | | | | reserved to search for missing or downed aircraft or |
| emergencies result in no activation of the ELT. As | | | | airmen. |
| backward as this may seem, it is true. Most of the | | | | The FCC has their own rules and regulations: Subpart |
| ELTs the Division of Aeronautics searches for are | | | | G, 47 CFR 80.311 and 80.332 provide for fines ranging |
| false alarms; at least one incident per week | | | | from $10,000 to $25,000 for non-distress activation |
| throughout Idaho. | | | | of an ELT, or knowingly transmitting a false or hoax |
| According to the National Search and Rescue School | | | | distress signal. |
| in York Town, Virginia, "98% of ELT signals received | | | | It does not have to come to that. With your |
| by AFRCC (Air Force Rescue Coordination Center) | | | | assistance, we can make this system work more |
| are non-distress". They are the result of "hard | | | | efficiently by reducing false activations and ensuring |
| landings, mishandling (falling off shelves, being tossed | | | | that our limited resources are available for the real |
| into car trunks), maintenance (battery problems), and | | | | emergencies. Here are a few simple tips that will help |
| vandalism". As search coordinators for the Division, | | | | prevent a false alarm: |
| we have found activated ELTs in the post office, | | | | 1. On every flight, check your ELT as part of your |
| UPS trucks traveling down the highway, freight trains | | | | pre-flight and post-flight duties (listen up on 121.5). |
| traveling across the state, city dumps, snowmobiles | | | | 2. If your ELT is not installed in the aircraft, |
| and aircraft on trailers, as well as in airplanes in | | | | disconnect the battery (we have had ELTs go off in |
| hangars, maintenance shops, and parked on the ramp. | | | | spite of the fact that the switch is in the OFF |
| Occasionally, we will get a non-distress signal in an | | | | position). |
| airborne aircraft. | | | | 3. After changing the battery and reinstalling the ELT |
| There are three ways to automatically activate an | | | | in your aircraft, be sure to check for activation (See |
| aircraft search: by overdue flight plan, by a distressed | | | | step 1 and remember, the FARs require you to |
| family member or friend, and by activation of an ELT. | | | | change the battery again if it transmits for more than |
| Of course we all file and close our flight plans, don't | | | | one hour). |
| we? But, how many of us check our ELT for | | | | 4. If shipping your ELT, disconnect the battery and |
| activation after landing or after we have maintenance | | | | temporarily mark on the outside of the ELT that the |
| performed on our aircraft or ELT? It only requires a | | | | battery has been disconnected. |
| few seconds to tune the aircraft radio to 121.5 and | | | | 5. When disposing of an old ELT, remove the battery. |
| listen, or, in the case of a new ELT installation, check | | | | Remember, a search is always an emergency, and an |
| the panel mounted light (required by the latest TSO). | | | | ELT signal automatically activates the statewide and |
| False alarms are a serious matter. They can mask | | | | national search and rescue systems. |