Lost Radio Communication Procedure

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Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
Thanks

[Paul Lynch]

An examiner should never ask this question as it has nothing to do with the
Practical Test Standards, the AIM, or regulations.

Lost comm procedures are in the AIM, but do apply to this case.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
> Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
> country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
> Thanks
>

[Slick]

If you have a transponder, you get to turn it to 7700, I believe.
> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
> Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
> country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
> Thanks
>



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[Vaughn]

"Slick" > wrote in message ...
> If you have a transponder, you get to turn it to 7700, I believe.

Close!

7700 is the "emergency" code and in the case of a forced landing in
dangerous terrain you may want to consider using it, particularly if you are not
talking to anyone on the ground.

7600 is the "lost communications" code.

If your single-seat glider should ever be hijacked, the be sure to remember
the 7500 "hijack" code.

Vaughn

[BTIZ]

Actually the best answer MIGHT be, what you pre-arranged with your ground
crew. Your ground crew should know which airports or landing sites to look
for you at if contact is lost, and don't land anywhere else.

i.e.: If we loose contact, check these airports as you head towards my
destination, I will be at one of them or at the destination. If you are
doing an out and return, and you out run your crew, then you should be able
to get back in contact with them on your return. If you have a radio failure
on either air or ground, then I would expect them to check every
predetermined landing site to the turn around point, recheck them on the way
back, and hopefully locate you back at the starting airport.

If they had gone all the way to the turn around and back, and did not find
you at any location, then there should be either a phone call waiting for
them when they return to the starting airport (out and return flight),
telling them where you are, or they should be directed to start going back
to check each pre determined landing area.

If you are any where else, shame on you.

I disagree with the statement from another poster that it is not part of the
PTS. Cross country planning is part of the PTS and ground crew communication
is part of cross country planning.

BT

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
> Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
> country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
> Thanks
>

[Eric Greenwell]

BTIZ wrote:

> I disagree with the statement from another poster that it is not part of the
> PTS. Cross country planning is part of the PTS and ground crew communication
> is part of cross country planning.

Sure it is, so the answer could be "I don't have a crew - no problem",
to "I'll call them on my other mobile phone", to "I'll check at the
hospitals to see where they were taken". In other words, any answer is
the right one. It seems like a pointless question for an examiner
attempting to evaluate the pilot's ability to fly. There is no crew
communication requirement for that, and the examiner should spend the
time on pertinent, _flight_ related questions, not how you get in touch
with your friends/spouse/whatever.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

[Eric Greenwell]

wrote:

> Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
> Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
> country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
> Thanks

I didn't know there was a "textbook procedure"! I routinely lose radio
communication with my crew. We expect that. What you do depends on your
preferences, not a text book, as there is no FAA requirement to even
have a crew or radio, or to communicate if you do have them. Has an
examiner actually asked that question, and what kind of answer was he
hoping for?

If you are interested in what pilots actually do, that would be an
interesting thread. Personally, I usually don't do anything about it.


--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

[Bill Daniels]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
> Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
> country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
> Thanks
>

I suppose it COULD be asked in the oral but I've never hear of it. However,
it's still a good question.
You do need a plan for lost communications.

It's a good idea to have someone man a phone at the launch site until they
know you and your crew have re-established contact and a retrieve is
underway. This is SOP for contests.

Just a voice mail box is good alternative. Tell your crew that you'll call
their voice mail and leave a message after you land. They can call your
voice mail and leave a message too. I didn't say use your cell phone in
flight but.... You may very well be able to call your crew directly by cell
phone but don't count on it.

The most likely reason for lost radio communication is that you are out of
range. Try calling another glider who is in the general direction of where
you think your crew is and ask for a relay. That's worked for me several
times.

If you know you've lost comm and a cell phone or handheld isn't an option
then make every effort to land where you know there will be people and
phones even if it means abandoning your flight plan.

You've landed in the middle of nowhere and your cell phone doesn't work but
the radio is still OK? This IS an emergency so I'll probably try to contact
an airliner overhead on 121.5 or the enroute sector frequency and ask for a
radio relay to the crew on 123.3. If the relay doesn't work, I'll ask them
to phone the contest site or the crew's voicemail and leave my Lat/Long
landing location. I'll tell the airline crew that I'll be OK for 24 hours
on my own but after that, if I haven't contacted the local constabulary to
say I'm OK, call out the rescue teams. These days, you probably just flip
the switch on your PLB and sit back and wait...

There's an old 'phone trick used by crews since the beginning of glider XC -
at least you used to be able to do this. I haven't checked lately. This
how we did it before cell phones and radios.

Have your crew call you at the takeoff site person-to-person collect from a
pay phone. Of course you won't be there but, if the person answering the
phone is cool, they'll say, "he isn't here right now, he's out glider
flying, try later". Which means they haven't heard from you. Your crew can
do this every 15 minutes and there's no charge for the try. If they have
heard from you they'll say, "he isn't here but, if this is his crew calling,
he left a message for them." At which point your crew pays the tariff for
one call and writes down your landing location. A pocket full of coins was
standard issue for crews.

I still carry a signal mirror.

Bill Daniels

[Bob Johnson]

Are we "officially" restricted from using cell phones glider to ground?

Bob Johnson
> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Does anybody know the text book answer to the "Procedure for Lost Radio
> Communication" between the glider and ground crew during a cross
> country flight? What answer would you give if asked during a checkride?
> Thanks
>

[5Z]

When I flew long triangles in the CA/NV desert, I'd call in to flight
service every hour to provide a position report and ask them to log it.
My wife would call in and get the report.

On my 1000km triangle flight, I was speaking to one controller and the
other guy in the office was speaking to my wife during one of my
checkins. Perfect timing!

We use the voice mail answering machine for ground to ground comms if a
direct cel phone call doesn't work.

-Tom