Imaginary scenario, following from other thread:
I am flying, with my OCAS-only microlight, when the passenger suddenly seems to go very ill. I must get down at once and have an ambulance ready to meet me at landing. So I decide to land at the nearest more or less developed aerodrome. The field of choice happens to be controlled, i.e. has an operative Tower frequency. After deciding where to land, the next thing I have to is to declare an emergency. But on what frequency to do this?
The question is double:
which one would work best, in most circumstances?
what does airlaw have to say on the matter?
If within range, the tower frequency would probably be the best choice. Or any tower frequency en route. Next best choice will be 121.5 if you can get your message through all the idle chatting going on there…
I would also go for the nearest tower or approach that you could find, calling on 121.5 will meet a flurry of American voices telling you that you are “on Guard”
If the frequency you monitor serves any purpose – which it always should – do not change the frequency. Make your distress call on that frequency, starting your call with the appropriate distress word.
Only if that does not work (e.g. if the ground station you are on is unmanned or a Unicom) – go to plan B. Plan B is the PIC judgement – as in emergencies in general, it would be up to PIC to decide what to do, whome to contact. Whether FIS or TWR/APP/CTR should be called would depend on things like distance/coverage and whether you can get a word in.
121,5 could be a plan B, too, but should never your first choice, if you are tuned to someone you have recently communicated usefully with. For me 121,5 would more likely be plan C.
If you get through on a frequency that is rather busy, then ATC/FIS could say “stop transmitting – mayday” or something similar, and then – depending on options and urgency – perhaps have you go to another frequency, maybe 121,5.
Some radios autotune to 121,5 in case of display failure or internal battery failure – the G1000 does that, for instance – and that is another story.
My order of preference would be:
Station you are currently in contact with;
Nearest suitable airport approach/tower;
121.5
You should be able to nip a word in at least on a busy frequency before getting stepped on and as soon as anyone hears “pan” or “mayday” it’s likely to get quieter all of a sudden. Especially if not really within the range of the nearest tower for comms (assuming you might be lowish level in a microlight OCAS and also that most microlights I have encountered don’t have great radios, yours might) I would want to get the ball rolling with the current station. If this means waiting to the end of someone tx and then just saying “pan pan” repeatedly even if it goes over the top of another tx then so be it, you will get attention.
First of all, I wouldn’t bother with Pan. While it is an ICAO call, it doesn’t seem widely understood (outside the UK at least). If it’s an emergency, call Mayday, this will get you the attention you need and shut everyone else up PDQ.
I would make the call to the unit I’m talking to, whoever that may be. They can and will coordinate with the tower and may give you a discreet frequency for further comms.
I would only use 121.5 if I wasn’t talking to anyone, pretty rare.
I would use 121.5 if the unit I was talking to was A/G or AFIS and neither had the facilities I would want to have close to hand depending on the emergency (which to me is either a fire engine or an ambulance or other medical staff). If I was talking to any other APP or TWR and they had reasonable facilities then I’d stick with them. The only time I wouldn’t leave an A/G unit to switch to 121.5 would be if I literally had a minute or so before needing to make a landing, and hope the A/G are there, and phone the emergency services.
You should be able to nip a word in at least on a busy frequency before getting stepped on and as soon as anyone hears “pan” or “mayday” it’s likely to get quieter all of a sudden.
Remember also to squawk 7700. That way, even if the radio is very busy, assuming you are working a frequency, the controller will call you.
A good reminder, Jonzarno, thanks. Now if I could only get that transponder to work again…
I´ve used PAN once in my life on ZRH information and was immediately and expertly helped. We were in a position north of ZRH airport (below the approach sector) with a medical emergency and they immediately cleared us for a straight in approach to runway 14 and we were met after landing on the taxiway by the ambulance. Time between the Pan call and landing was about 6 minutes. about 20 years ago in my Cessna 150 at the time.
Pan can be used, it works as a way to make it understood that something is amiss which needs quick help but is not a full blown emergency regarding the airplane or crew. I heard some in my time and they never failed to get undivided attention neither in Switzerland nor Germany. I understand that in certain countries not even Mayday does what it´s supposed to in some cases.
