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The problem with _requiring_ authentication is that it can create a safety issue when communications break down. As a pilot it's not a bad idea to carry a spare
by Patrick_Devine 7y ago
The problem with _requiring_ authentication is that it can create a safety issue when communications break down. As a pilot it's not a bad idea to carry a spare handheld radio, or even use a cel phone, when you lose communications.
I was flying once with a buddy of mine who was Pilot-In-Command and we lost (or thought we had lost) our radio on an IFR flight back into the Bay Area. What had happened was the Push-to-Talk button on the yoke had become stuck and we were transmitting the entire time while attempting to diagnose what was wrong. This happened for about five minutes. Thankfully he had a handheld radio in his flight bag, and when we turned it on we figured out really quickly what was going on.
In that scenario, if we didn't have the handheld radio, it would have caused a worse problem.
- tdhoot 7y agoPilots do train for communication failures. ATC at most airports has a number you can call to be patched through if your radio stops working and I've heard multiple cases of people having to use it. In the worst case, there are non-verbal methods of communication that pilots or ATC can employ (ATC can send light signals, pilots rock their wings to signal communication failures, etc.)
- leetrout 7y agoNow I'm trying to remember if the radios have TX lights that would help show that you are transmitting...
- xxpor 7y agoHere's an example of a AA B757 in essentially that exact situation after taking off at JFK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcq6KipBOro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcq6KipBOro
- danaliv 7y agoSeven six, on the fritz! (Squawk 7600.) There’s an established, cut—and-dry procedure for when an IFR aircraft goes NORDO. Even without that handheld, you would’ve been fine. Every airplane between you and your destination, on the other hand, would find themselves being rerouted.
- Patrick_Devine 7y agoI didn't mean to imply that we thought we were in any kind of imminent danger. There were three pilots (including myself) in the plane, all whom had trained in a highly congested area. My point was that having the handheld radio allowed us to trouble shoot the situation. Without the radio there would have been a lot higher workload and less of a margin for safety.
- FabHK 7y agoPlus you might've inadvertently blocked the frequency longer (for other participants) if you hadn't been able to diagnose it. So it was definitely a good thing you had the handheld aboard: even if there was no imminent danger for you, it would have been an inconvenience for many.
- Waterluvian 7y agoWith all the instrumentation in a cockpit I'm surprised there isn't a simple light indicator that your radio is currently broadcasting.
- iudqnolq 7y agoDumb question: how would a cellphone work given they don't work on passenger aircraft?
- toomanybeersies 7y agoGeneral aviation flies a lot lower and slower than passenger jets.
- sokoloff 7y agoI've found that unless I'm under about 10000' and under about 150 knots, cell phones don't work very well in GA either.
- FabHK 7y agoNice plane you have, if you fly above 10000' or above 150 knots frequently :-)
- iudqnolq 7y agoI've accidentally had phones on during takeoff and they lost signal within seconds. Were they already going too fast? Or was there jamming?