Don't make this Mistake; Emergency Frequency

Great story, Buster1.

I don’t think it is normal to monitor 121.50 in light GA, though airliners reportedly do it.

If I thought (or knew) I was being intercepted, or lost radio contact, I would set it then.

Great site Buster1

I don’t think it is normal to monitor 121.50 in light GA, though airliners reportedly do it.

I believe we are all supposed to do so when workload permits.

I do monitor guard when in cruise ever since a pilot passenger reminded me a while back. A surprising amount of crap there too…

I monitor 121.5 when there’s no-one else worth listening to. It has been useful a few times…I’ve identified locator beacons in distress, I’ve been able to relay low level emergency calls and so on.

It’s generally quiet with the occasional airline pilot transmitting on it by mistake, followed by someone else imitating the three musketeers and saying “on Guard”, and a steady stream of students getting practice fixes. (Does anybody use this service for real any more?)

I have 121.5 active on the #2 radio on all longer xcountry flights, if I don’t need it for an ATIS or so. Every now and then you hear interesting stuff, like the German AF intercepting an Airliner that’s not responding.

I monitor over the North Atlantic. Not within Europe.

I have it active. It once saved me from busting an airway: I was no longer in radio contact as likely inadvertently switched frequency while dumped OCAS in Scotlan between 2 airways. Got a call on 121.5 asking if I could hear them and gave me a new frequency to talk to.

Peter wrote:

If I thought (or knew) I was being intercepted, or lost radio contact, I would set it then.

Same with me. Anyway, the original thread refers to a military operation. They have their own (UHF) emergency frequency which is only used by disciplined professional staff. (Those who get caught using it for idle chat will be shot on the spot I guess…)

Prompted by this thread I tried once again yesterday to monitor 121.5 whilst flying to Birmingham and back, as I should do by our SOP. SOP my ar**… 121.5 really gets abused by one group of people who think it is some kind of air-to-air frequency for private chats and another one consisting of failed policemen who keep replying “you are transmitting on guard”. I switched it off after 10 minutes and will not monitor it ever again for the remainder of my flying career.

If you are with Zurich Approach, it is mandatory to monitor 121.5 per AIP in order to avoid you flying into the side of a mountain if you are on radar vectors and lose contact.