Posted on 06/22/2010 6:09:03 AM PDT by pabianice
The Federal Communications Commission took the general aviation world by surprise when it said in a recent report it will prohibit the sale or use of 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters, effective in August. The Aircraft Electronics Association said it just learned of the new rule today, and has begun working with the FAA, FCC and others to allow for timely compliance without grounding thousands of general aviation aircraft. The 121.5 ELTs are allowed under FAA rules. The FCC said its rules have been amended to "prohibit further certification, manufacture, importation, sale or use of 121.5 MHz ELTs." The FCC says that if the 121.5 units are no longer available, aircraft owners and operators will "migrate" to the newer 406.0-406.1 MHz ELTs, which are monitored by satellite, while the 121.5 frequency is not. "Were we to permit continued marketing and use of 121.5 MHz ELTs ... it would engender the risk that aircraft owners and operators would mistakenly rely on those ELTs for the relay of distress alerts," the FCC says. AOPA said today it is opposed to the rule change.
"The FCC is making a regulatory change that would impose an extra cost on GA operators, without properly communicating with the industry or understanding the implications of its action," said AOPA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Rob Hackman. "There is no FAA requirement to replace 121.5 MHz units with 406 MHz technology. When two government agencies don't coordinate, GA can suffer." The AEA said dealers should refrain from selling any new 121.5 MHz ELTs "until further understanding of this new prohibition can be understood and a realistic timeline for transition can be established."
No one seems to believe me, but this is another example of why November doesn’t mean much.
I wonder which democrat supporters/contributors profit from this BS.
FUBO
Words continue to fail me.....
We live under a dictatorship.
HF
follow the money....
who makes money as a result of this??????
My business and virtually all entertainers are being forced to replace perfectly good wireless microphone gear just because the FCC is taking away the previously allocated radio spectrum. The life of the existing gear is at least another ten years. All for $$$ that they are getting from cell phone and data companies. Used to be part of the TV spectrum (channels 67-69)
Just another form of stimulus for the wireless manufacturers.
Case in point: I was talking to a TSA type who is in the upper echelon at TSA HQ. I made the comment that because of their inspection regs that when I fly I rent "wet" and fly myself.
He then told me that would change soon as the Government wanted to force anyone trying to fly any aircraft into a TSA inspection prior to their flight. When I asked about how this was going to be paid for he stated they were looking at a "per time" charge for each inspection. That means not only do you get a landing fee you will get a TSA fee to boot (if they get this pushed through).
The chaos of stupid.
406.0-406.1 MHz ELTs, which are monitored by satellite, while the 121.5 frequency is not. "Were we to permit continued marketing and use of 121.5 MHz ELTs
Am I just being paranoid out of ignorance or does it sound like they want to be able to track by satellite where as with the 121.5 ETLs, they can't?
it would engender the risk that aircraft owners and operators would mistakenly rely on those ELTs for the relay of distress alerts,”
I’m confused, just how is this a mistake. ELT’s using 121.5 will continue to do their job. Will VHF radios suddenly stop monitoring 121.5 as an emergency freq?
And what moron, knowing how 121.5 has been used for decades, successfully suddenly believes everything is going to come to a screeching halt just because it isn’t being monitored by satellite?
Or, am I just confused? So many questions.
Accessories Part No. Price Buy ACK E-01 TO E-04 RETRO FIT KIT 11-06396 $545.00
$ 1,127.95 with the accessory retro kit.
They can only track/locate you when the ELT is activated. Activation only occurs during a crash, or maybe a very hard landing.
AOPA didn’t do GA any favors with their pre-election fluff comparison of Obama and McCain. They didn’t ask any worthwhile questions, and basically said that neither candidate was better than the other from a GA perspective. Morons.
Enough of this nonsense....
Not so fast. I’ve been watching the status of this
unit at Aircraft Spruce for months and it’s still
undergoing certification.
“Undergoing certification testing, ACK is not accepting orders for the E-04 until ELT certification process is complete.”
Follow the money. This admin also just enjoys screwing with anyone at random.
Maybe that means that they are waiting for Obamugabe to cash their check.................
Speechless. Nothing wrong with 121.5 ELT by its self and/or with other requirements. Over flying air carriers and GA acft have picked up this VHF ELT many, many times from downed pilots. Senseless action.... but in keeping with BHO main plan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.