While not an official ELT I really like the SPOT device for peace of
mind of family and friends, and the track feature on the new one is a
useful tool. And you can hit the panic button on the way in so there
is no concern as to whether the thing activates or not.
(and no I don;t have an interest in the company).
Perry
N94896 - 1949 415-G
On Aug 18, 2010, at 1:29 PM, Ed Burkhead wrote:
On 2010-08-18 11:12 AM, JThomas Terry wrote:
Makes for interesting reading; seems the great 406 ELT’s may not
be any better than our 121’s
I'm not inclined to credit this failure with any significance at
this time.
The first main fault of the old ELTs was the chronic failure (90%?)
of the automatic triggering mechanism to trigger the ELT. I think
this was being remediated toward the end since, I think, many or
most of the newly sold old-style ELTs came with a switch to mount
on the panel to trigger the ELT. [Statistic made up on the spot,
per standard procedure but based on many things I've read.]
I would assert my WAG that there's a 80% chance this new-style ELT
failed because its automatic trigger failed to turn it on.
The next levels of fault fault are
Installation. If the ELT is installed in a poor location
where the ELT brakes free from the antenna cable or if the antenna
gets sheered off, then it fails.
Bad luck: Sometimes the plane comes to rest in a way that the
antenna is under the fuselage or is otherwise blocked.
I suppose it occasionally happens that the battery could be
dead or the internal electronics could fail.
At least with the new 406 ELTs, if it gets switched on you have WAY
much better chance of quick rescue than with the old-style ELTs.
I figure I'll want a nice big panic button on my panel that I could
slap in a half-second if an emergency occurs. I'll be happy to
call in and apologize and thank them for their service if I make a
successful landing. If my landing fails or worse, having slapped
that button could give some broadcast time to the ELT before the
fuselage gets to the ground.
JMHO
Ed
