Lost Pilot on 121.50 Today in Ohio

chris

chris

Well-Known Member
Hey folks,

I was flying to PIT today morning. Enroute, there was this cherokee pilot on 121.50 who was lost and was looking for assistance. Lots of pilots, including us, tried to help him and relay messages back and forth to center. Last I heard was he was talking to Akron. Just wondering if anyone has an update? Im hoping he made it to his destination safely.
 
In England we used to go on 121.5 and do practice pans - I remember thinking how awesome it was for everyone involved.
 
2BEER said:
Whatever happened to calling FSS and getting a DF steer? Do they still do that?
Click to expand...

Good luck getting a hold of them, especially if your lost. I know where I am and can only reach them maybe 1/4 of the time. and sometimes, when I do, I get two FSS talking to me.
 
Something I learned as a flight instructor is that it's never a bad idea to teach students to get flight following and having them use the service regularly. It took one of my students getting lost and wondering into an area where he should not have been to make me see the light. I usually taught all of my students to use it regularly, but I let the fact that he was afraid to talk to controllers sway me. So I learned the lesson the hard way.:o
 
For the orginal poster, I was at 240 just south of PIT heading for OSU and also heard that. Youngstown gave him a squak code and Akron APP found him. Akron told him to fly a 350 heading and that would take him home. Apperently he drifted pretty far south of where he thought he was. They picked him up 50 south of Akron. I didnt get to hear the ending to the story though hope it turned out ok.
 
MikeD said:
Only if the pilot has paid his user fees.
Click to expand...


I almost forgot about those user fees...thanks Mike :pirate:.... but in all seriousness, I hope the pilot made it back alright. There's nothing worse than being lost :drool:, and hopefully if it was because of lack of proper flightplanning the pilot will have learned his lesson after today :)

-Pop-
 
2BEER said:
Whatever happened to calling FSS and getting a DF steer? Do they still do that?
Click to expand...

Some can, but only as a last resort. If you call lost, they'll call ATC and get you a squawk, have you press ident and then call up ATC facilities and find out which controller can see you, then hand you off to him. At least that's what San Angelo told me years ago.
 
Seems rather inefficient to have others relay you. Wouldn't it be better for every ARTCC facility to have someone monitoring the freq?
 
mojo6911 said:
Seems rather inefficient to have others relay you. Wouldn't it be better for every ARTCC facility to have someone monitoring the freq?
Click to expand...

He would have probably been at too low an altitude to hear all the different ATC guys trying to contact him. So other pilots, who were in touch with ATC, were trying to relay frequencies to him given.
 
I'm glad everything worked out for him.

I'm guessing he didn't have a VOR? Even with one, you can approximate your position pretty well....
 
I_Money said:
In England we used to go on 121.5 and do practice pans - I remember thinking how awesome it was for everyone involved.
Click to expand...


That reminded me of a story from several years ago. Our unit was on temperorary assignment to RAF Sculthorpe, we had a complete mobile ATC radar facility, well it was Chiristmas Eve 1988 and we had the facility in "caretaker" status. Operational but not being manned, anyway, we had an equipment malfuntion and 121.5 keyed up for several hours in the evening and around midnight here comes search and resuce swarming this desolate airfield with everything. They weren't a happy bunch after that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top