A while ago I headed out on a Sunday morning jaunt. No body new where I was going or what I was doing, including me. I decided to land on a mountain strip I knew well, unfortunately the snow was deeper and crustier than I thought and I ended up on my back. With in 5 mins my father got a call from SAR to say they had a 406 go off registered to our plane, did he know where it was? No he didn't, but he went straight to his computer and looked up "spider tracks". He told them it was on a strip I often visit and if they would like to hold off SAR he would get up there in a neighbours plane and check things out. He duly arrived to find me standing outside the plane waving. Within an hour I was in a helicopter heading home and by the end of the day the plane was back in the hangar after a sling ride under a squirrel. It all worked brilliantly, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT INSTALLED. For us the 406 is mandatory and "spider tracks" is the best thing since sliced bread as far as I am concerned. Loosing a child is a parents worst nightmare, my heart goes out to you Mark. I think you all ready have the answers as to where best to direct your energy. Flight planning is at the bottom of the list. Best wishes. Jamie G

Today I flew from boulder, co to Mack, co across the most rugged of Rockies mountains. I filed a flight plan and intended to stick with it - until I got in the air and experienced the actual wind and turbulence. A pass I thought would be too windy was benign and the one I was flying for seemed like the wrong choice due to direction of wind and orientation of the terrain at 12k to 13k ft. My antique cub has no electrical system but I fly w spot tracking, a 121.5 elt, and a portable 406 plb.

I can't speak for other brands, but the ACR ResQLinks that I have transmit on both 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz, the latter specifically for tracking.

Just thinking about my usual route from the Front Range into the mountains, and how many times I've had to deviate from "my usual route" due to a squall right over where I'd like to go--and how that would totally screw up any SAR trying to find me if they relied on the route I intended to fly (even if FSS would accept all of the twists and turns in a filed flight plan).

No doubt, the best of all worlds is a pilot who knows what he/she is doing, and if the stuff hits the fan anyway, a GPS equipped 406 ELT, a modicum of luck and skill in putting the airplane down in a survivable way, and a 406 PLB and survival gear for the aftermath.

Mark, I really hope that all of these comments in this thread have been helpful to you. Efforts such as yours have created such things as Amber alerts, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and other organizations devoted to the welfare of kids. I commend you on your efforts, and I especially hope that you'll receive God's comfort in your quest for justice for your daughter.

Cary

Edited

MTV

The comments (well most of them) have been helpful and I understand a little bit better. I think I am switch the path that I am considering following. Changes do need to be implemented but I am confident that with the new information that I have gotten from the pilots on this page that I can find away to approach this. That is why I came here, because I have always thought that in order to make informed choices that all sources of data should be considered. I value the opinion of folks who live the life and know the intricacies of things that I do not understand. I appreciate all of the input that I have gotten from you guys. I was utterly lost and confused by this whole thing because it is all so foreign to me, but I am starting to understand better now. It will take me many years to develop a working knowledge of these things but it is time I will invest. Based on the feedback I have received I will not hesitate to ask more questions as I think of them. Thank you again everyone for putting up with my stupid questions, but I am just trying to learn. Mark

Mark, Can't imagine your pain!!
My dad always told me the only stupid question is the one I did not ask!
So please ask away if you need!
As with anything, if you don't know, ask question, take all the answers with a grain of salt and pick what works for you!!
We all seem to know it all, up until we can't come up with an answer??
I will keep my thoughts on the CAP to myself now as I have posted those prior.
Mark, I have always been under the impression that if some one is lost, you have to think outside the box! If they were in the box they would not be lost!

Here's hoping some time in the future you will have a bit of calm with this.
Namaste
GT

ShysDad wrote:Thank you again everyone for putting up with my stupid questions, but I am just trying to learn. Mark

They aren't stupid. You are just learning a new domain. I think it would be awesome if you did take some lessons. Nothing like the actual experience to make the knowledge concrete. I think I speak for everyone in inviting you to come back as often as you like with more questions or ideas.

Mark, thank you again for coming to this discussion with an open mind, and a desire to understand the facts first. That shows a lot of class, especially with the emotional pressure on you.

Mark, it takes a lot of guts to come on a discussion board such as this and bring very controversial ideas. The way you've handled that controversy and have kept an open mind, and the class you've displayed in responding to a few less then appropriate posts is inspiring.

I'm terribly sorry for you're loss, I believe your daughter would be very proud of her father.

Marty

Shysdad,

I said I would say no more. But, I can't help myself. I'll say this and then no more. Your questions were not stupid and does get all of us to at least think about them. I am glad to see that you have indeed had an open mind. I hope you find a way to take some flight lessons and learn even more. Wyoming is an awesome area to fly, when done carefully. I apologize if any parts of my prior comments were insensitive.

Mike, no worries all is well my friend. This is a powerful topic and i completely understand having a love for sometching and defending it..I am not offemded because when i arrived here no one knew exactly what my intentions were all everyone knew was that i was a grieving father and this is a force to be reckoned with. I hope now that everyone understands that i am not the enemy, i am just a man trying to honor the memory of his daughter by making a difference and trying to prevent others from suffering a similar fate..i have the utmost respect for all of u..god bless all

So i was contacted by FAAST (federal aviation administration safety team) they wanna talk to me bout starting an awareness program and other safety things....i like the awareness ideas and speaking at functions....we will see i guess

Just be careful. Those first 3 letters are here to help. About like the IR$ is.

That much I do understand my friend. I don't trust them at all, that's for sure.

It was a very well written article and correctly portrayed what I am trying to accomplish and what I have learned. I hope now that all concerns about what I am doing are dispelled. I respect the need for freedoms, but I do think awareness is a valuable and powerful tool. Thank you again for all the answers I received from everyone here. I look forward to continued dialogue with you guys as I continue to learn the intricacies of the rules and passion of flying. Thanks again...Shy's Dad Mark....

Lenz said he was initially seeking a government mandate to require advanced locator technology, but conversations with aviators have helped him understand the importance of freedom to fly, and how government mandates—even well-intentioned mandates—can limit that freedom without necessarily achieving the goal of improving safety.

“I don’t think legislation is the answer. I think if we could get the knowledge out there, that would be enough,” Lenz said, adding that pilots are in the best position to protect the safety and lives of their passengers, with decisions that are made in advance of departure: equipment selection, flight plan filing, flight following, and effective passenger briefing.

“If we can make changes that would bring someone else’s little girl home,” Lenz said, “it would save another family what I’m going through right now. With this crash, the hopes and dreams of so many people have been affected, and forever changed and lost.”

-----

Well done Shys Dad. You've been more rational and open than I think is fair to expect.

Trista loved to fly, she told me that numerous times, after researching I now understand why. I am trying to make a difference without turning something she loved into a shadow of what it used to be. I have lost so much, I do not want my loss to become losses for so many who are passionate about flying. Trista would not want that, Shyann would not want it and I do not want that. You all have my respect for allowing me to ask questions and taking the time to explain reasons why and I appreciate that.

Yes. Well done ShysDad. I just received my new SPOT in the mail yesterday. Got it all set up for the Johnson Creek trip Friday morning. Thanks for helping us to discuss your tragedy. That discussion was the deciding factor for me getting a flight tracking device.

SkySteve,

That is fantastic news, hopefully you will never have to use it, but it is great to know that it is there if you need it. May God bless you in all your flights.