FCC BANS 121.5 ELTS

[CD]

FCC BANS 121.5 ELTS

AVweb Breaking News Alert
June 21, 2010

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."

Article here...

[CD]

AOPA opposes FCC rule that would outlaw 121.5 MHz ELTs

By Sarah Brown
June 21, 2010

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) June 15 released the notice of a rule prohibiting the “certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or continued use of 121.5 MHz ELTs.” The rule would suddenly make aircraft that are in full compliance with the federal aviation regulations in violation of federal communications law.

14 CFR Part 91.207 currently requires aircraft to carry a fixed ELT, but does not specify either 121.5 or 406 MHz. The FCC’s change to 47 CFR Part 87, scheduled to go into effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, would outlaw the use of the former--effectively forcing general aviation aircraft owners to buy the 406 MHz ELT. AOPA is pursuing all options to have the FCC and FAA delay and re-evaluate the rule, highlighting the economic and operational impact to the more than 220,000 aircraft in the GA fleet, most of whom still carry the 121.5 MHz ELTs.

“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.”

Both the 121.5 MHz and 406 MHz ELTs meet the FAA’s regulatory requirements if manufactured to the proper technical standard order. While satellites no longer monitor the 121.5 MHz frequency as of Feb. 1, 2009, the frequency is monitored by ATC, the military, and other pilots. AOPA is exploring all avenues of action to address this rule before it goes into effect.

It would be impossible to outfit all aircraft in the timeframe of the FCC rule and cost prohibitive for GA aircraft owners. The rule highlights the fact that threats to GA can come from many different areas, Hackman said. Government agencies outside of the FAA don’t necessarily understand the effects of their actions on aviation, and poor communication can compound the problem. In addition to the unnecessary cost, this ruling also raises the question of the legality of the 406 MHz ELTs because they also transmit a low-power signal on 121.5 MHz to allow the search-and-rescue community to home as part of the rescue process.

Full article here...

[Heliian]

Good.

Get with the times.

It's a small price to pay for safety, the technology is proven and you cannot refute it. AOPA is just that, an ASSociation not a regulatory body, i'm sure their stance will change shortly but they have to be political, yuck.

That is all.

[impress]

if you had any insight into the history of elt regulations, and their uncertainty, you would understand the operators resistance and reluctance to change until the regs absolutely required it!

[slam525i]

Why does FCC enact this rule when the FAA, the body that is in charge of the safe operation of aircraft, does not require the change? What is the FCC's interest in forcing the change? What about us Canadians who fly down with a 121.5?

I'm all for safety, but I'm also a big fan of the self-regulation most pilots adhere to. If governments had it their way, the only things flying would be jets and turboprop twins. The best way to ensure zero accidents is to ensure no one flies!

[cgzro]

Hmmm .. I wonder if perhaps somebody isn't lobbying for that bit of spectrum?
People can pay huge bucks for usable spectrum.

[ragbagflyer]

Hmmm .. I wonder if perhaps somebody isn't lobbying for that bit of spectrum?
People can pay huge bucks for usable spectrum.

????? It's still a frequency on the comm. Also, even the 406 mhz elts transmit on 121.5 for homing purposes. 121.5 remains an emergency channel.

[mag check]

Good.

Get with the times.

It's a small price to pay for safety, the technology is proven and you cannot refute it. AOPA is just that, an ASSociation not a regulatory body, i'm sure their stance will change shortly but they have to be political, yuck.

That is all.

Do you have any idea how long it would take to swap all 250,000 US general aviation plaes over to 406?
They figure it will take 3 years to swap Canada's 25,000, so that should give you some idea.