Arun wrote:
Why would anyone have hesitation about declaring emergency these situations?
Yes, VFR in IMC is a real emergency but few pilots will ask for assistance, especially those in the very inexperienced or very experienced pilots spectrum, how one gets VFR into IMC without calling for assistance? for the former it is too late to call for anything anything as they are swamped by IMC flying the first time to even tune a frequency while first priority is to find VMC, for the latter they will be on top of it with no assistance until it bites them hard
I think one need to tell ATS beforehand that you think visibility or clouds will be less than 1.5km and you want maximum flexibility (“standby” is my key word now), it will pave things out for the next minutes (e.g. same applies to low fuel, hot oil etc…)
Why would anyone have hesitation about declaring emergency these situations?
Most PPLs are scared of ATC, where “ATC” is any man holding a radio.
One tends to find that the smaller and less qualified the man holding the radio is, the more he bosses people about 
Panshanger, anyone?
Is there some bureaucratic hassle or official review to be endured after declaring emergency?
There might be, which is no doubt another reason why many don’t declare a mayday. Lots of people have lots of reasons for not wanting to attract attention.
Peter wrote:
One tends to find that the smaller and less qualified the man holding the radio is
Reminds me of a cadet operating the radio at an AG airfield with mix of gliders and power (he just got his RT papers) and he did kick badly a PC12 transiting nearby to “stay outside of the controlled zone” (it did make everybody laugh: we did not even have an ATZ for that portion of OCAS )
When I had my bird strike recently (my second in less than twelve years of flying) and precautionary landed at the nearest airfield, I plain forgot to use the magic words Pan Pan Pan. Not fear of anything, just mental load.
I read somewhere it is a standard procedure at a military airport, they can’t take the risk. The mayaday could be a diversion to then ram into a hangar or a parked plane with an aircraft loaded with explosives. This is of course worse case scenario, but they try to keep any unplanned aircraft as far from the buildings as possible, at least until the situation has cleared out.
Interesting, yes. You also get a similar thing back here. If you reported some strange smell in your aircraft, even if you are sure it came from burning Honeywell autopilot servos, then they won’t let you taxi to the pumps
Joe-fbs wrote:
When I had my bird strike recently
To concur with Peter story, just don’t tell them you have have landed as you smell a “fried KFC in the cockpit”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC
I think mayday call due to “slow stuff” (e.g. low endurance, deteriorating weather, hot engine…) are hard to make in a timely manner unless you are pushed by ATC or you feel too constrained…
Most PPLs are scared of ATC, where “ATC” is any man holding a radio.
I don’t think it’s just PPLs. ATPLs can be reluctant to declare an emergency too. I remember reading about an airliner in bad weather that went around and had to join a long queue. The controller was worried about their fuel level and asked if they were ok for fuel. They replied that they should be ok (dispite in cockpit talk about concerns) and both engines stopped from fuel exhaustion 2 minutes later kiling on on board.
I think part of the problem is that most emergencies arise from bad decision making. That could be that the decision to take flight was bad, or the decision not to do something about the developing situation.
So be implication declaring an emergency, you are admitting your failing. Of course ATC don’t care about your failing (self-persieved or not). For them it’s a binary process; if no emergency then they operate within normal rules, and if an emergency is declared then they prioritise you. They don’t really care so long as you don’t ask for priority but refuse to delcare an emergency.
And it should be impressed upon A/G operators that if someone is telling you they are diverting for weather, then PPR must not enter the discussion at any point. Accept the traffic, and after they land deal with it if it turns out they were trying to pull a “fast one”. PROB99 it’s a genuine diversion – especially if you look out the A/G portacabin window and see big black clouds.
The whole point of diverting is to avoid it from becoming a mayday or pan pan situation in the first place. Doing anything to discourage weather diversions is dangerous, and an A/G operator who discourages a diversion, which later gets into trouble, has blood on their hands – even if the pilot should have perhaps forced the issue by saying “OK then, I’m calling a mayday and landing whether you like it or not” (which is what I personally would do – as the saying goes I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6). Even if nothing happens, putting PPR nonsense over and above discussions of a diversion is a sign of a bad A/G operator and if an A/G operator tried to discourage me from a diversion with talk of a PPR, you can be sure I would be writing a report about it (CHIRP, maybe there’s a path to write a MOR on it too).
alioth wrote:
And it should be impressed upon A/G operators that if someone is telling you they are diverting for weather, then PPR must not enter the discussion at any point
Well those discussions should have been very short IMO, he just need to know you are coming (after you switch to 121.5 or freq of nearest ATS or listen mode only), tough for a weather diversion one should aim for big ILS runways with fire trucks but for a bird strike you may not have much choice as you think (e.g. stall speed & fuel consumption change a lot with a broken surface/windshield)
Having landed unplanned with gliders in airports/fields, I know the least you speak the better (for insurance reasons ) but you need to tell someone (preferably professional ATS) that you are going there and unplug RT, even a glider landout can turn badly
