ELT or Tracking device www aviationsafety co nz

ELT or Tracking device www. aviationsafety. co. nz

ELT or Tracking device • Over the past year, we have seen a campaign to criticise ELT’s. • Spidertracks has led this as they saw their product as a suitable alternative to an ELT. • We did sell Spidertracks however I was told that it didn’t fit their strategy when we started getting fleet enquiries 3 years ago. • As a result we stopped selling them, we would still be happy to sell them again ! www. aviationsafety. co. nz

ELT or Tracking device (FTD) • The 406 MHz ELT is an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff unless the Remote Control is activated in flight. • A flight tracking device, whether Spider or Trac. Plus is still an ambulance. • It is debatable if a FTD is at the top or bottom of the same cliff. • However, both products work well together www. aviationsafety. co. nz

ELT or Tracking Device • If there is no 406 MHz ELT on board an aircraft but there is a FTD, there is NO guarantee of locating the downed aircraft in areas like Fiordland or similar prevalent bush covered areas. • WHY, as unlike a functional ELT, there is currently no homing signal being transmitted by a tracking device and we know that bush, however small, can hide an aircraft. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

A hidden EC 120 • Erceg ZK-HTF a FTD would be hard pressed to locate www. aviationsafety. co. nz

ELT or Tracking device OPTIONS • The way forward is to develop a tracking device within the 406 MHz ELT. By having the ELT battery powered and also powered by the aircraft when in tracking mode via a GPS/ Iridium device within the ELT • Or get the SASD (Secondary Antennas Switching Device) onto aircraft as back up antenna within the aircraft. Proven in testing, but needs to pass environmental tests, an antenna inside most aircraft will work www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Cost Benefit Comparison • A tracking Device (only when discounted) is the same price as a 406 MHz ELT • An ELT does have a more expensive install cost. • An ELT has no major ongoing operating cost • A Tracking device has an ongoing cost as soon as it is turned on. Further Info • http: //www. caa. govt. nz/aircraft/Locating_Missing_Aircraft. pdf • A FTD is not crash resistant nor has it been tested to any international environmental standards www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Crash Resistance of ELT’s • There is no doubt that the Achilles heel of an ELT installation is the Antenna • However, if the ELT is activated prior to the “off airfield” landing, the ELT gives a location within 50 seconds and then every 50 seconds thereafter. • Therefore an ELT is, in effect, a tracking device and provides a homing signal that is tested to international standards. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

The Achilles Heel of ELT’s Rod Antenna US$500 Blade Antenna US$1300 Whip Antenna US$160. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Installations that worked ZK FLA- walked away-a Rod Antenna ZK MAD- (fatality)A Whip Antenna www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Installations that worked 406 MHz ELT worked-but a fatality www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Installations that worked The Kannad 406 MHz ELT transmitted 323 bursts- 4. 5 hours on 121. 5 MHz ZK- EHY, location homed in on 121. 5 MHz. There were 406 MHz satellite delays due to position of crash obscuring coverage www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Clarification re current 406 MHz delays • Currently, we have two of the LEO satellites passing over NZ together causing a window of approx. 2 hours that we have no coverage. Our terrain, as in ZK-EHY, prevented the GEO satellite picking up the signal within minutes. • In 2014, we will have a vastly improved Cospassarsat system with the MEOSAR Satellites. More info on Cospas-sarsat website • http: //www. cospassarsat. org/images/stories/System. Docs/Current/R 12 OCT 29_09_Complete. Doc. pdf www. aviationsafety. co. nz

MEOSAR Wider footprint than LEO, ( as shown) nearly the same as a GEO providing continuous & global coverage Multiple & instant coverage on global navigation satellites (GNSS) such as USA GPS, Europe’s Galileo & Russia’s Glonass systems. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Installations that did not work as designed Nothing works in this instance ZK-KID www. aviationsafety. co. nz

A 406 MHz that did not work due to wiring fracture after making contact with a wire ! www. aviationsafety. co. nz

ELT signal not rec’d. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Erceg ZK HTF - The tree was the problem. It caused the antenna to break The broken antenna Arrow points to antenna • • www. aviationsafety. co. nz Baggage Area is intact

Developments as a result ZK HTF Spidertracks- Can currently be installed without completing environmental testing ! SASD- Tested BUT cannot be installed without environmental testing being completed. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Coroners court re ZK-HTF Spidertracks- Were called as a witness & had previously taken the Coroner for a ride in the company director’s Helicopter to show a FTD would have allegedly found the aircraft- It would have confined the search area and that would have been positive SASD- The CAA accident inspector stated to the Coroner that if a SASD had been installed, the aircraft would have been found within the hour. Previous slide showed area intact. (The Media has totally ignored this statement) www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Spidertracks Campaign • Spidertracks current campaign is that their product should be used in lieu of an ELT. • For this to be considered seriously, the product would need to be tested to meet the same environmental standards as an ELT (or my proposed SASD) which would mean an outlay of $100, 000 plus ongoing compliance costs. • It would also need to have a 121. 5 MHz homing signal so it would need a back up lithium battery • Maybe it should also have a G Switch • It is a good product, stop the negativity www. aviationsafety. co. nz

G switch and 121. 5 MHz crystal www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Spidertracks Campaign • Spidertracks anti ELT campaign is currently based upon old ELT crash data that was product to the old TSO-91 rules and not TSO 126 which are the current ELT rules. • CAA have reviewed the FTD and found that although FTD’s have improved over the past four years, the products are not a suitable as an alternative to an ELT but a compliment • http: //www. caa. govt. nz/aircraft/Locating_Missing_Aircraft. pdf www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Alternatives- My Suggestion • The alternative way forward; • Tracking Device companies should work with ELT manufacturers to avoid being lost • Develop their own FTD / ELT combination • Invest in meeting RTCA International Standards (DO-160) • Focus on the positives of their product as a tracking device that has other ongoing management benefits. Trac. Plus does www. aviationsafety. co. nz

The way Forward • CAA need to amend the rule to start using the words SHOULD instead of MUST when it comes to the location of the 406 MHz antenna. • A Vertically polarised antenna does have a major advantage if one can activate the ELT via the RC while still in flight. • Crash resistant antenna location or fitting is difficult to overcome. www. aviationsafety. co. nz

A Spot 2 can be used as a simple Flight Tracking Device RRP NZ$399 incl. GST ONLY US$160. 00 per annum fee for tracking and all OK, Help & 911 features www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Rotary Wing Antenna installations www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Alternate Rotary Wing Antenna installations www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Rotary Wing Antenna installations, post crash www. aviationsafety. co. nz

A VERY New Development. This idea stolen from our SASD ELT M/U’s will no doubt integrate a FTD so it is important that liaisons made between ELT & FTD m/u’s www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Any Questions ? ? ? www. aviationsafety. co. nz

Questions • ? ? ? ? www. aviationsafety. co. nz