406 ELT Caviat Emptor

[billsheila]

I believe it can be personal. When you file a flight plan with Canadian flight service they ask you if your ELT is fixed or portable, so this is what I base that answer on...I haven't got any knowledge of an actual regulation or anything.

[skymstr02]

Transport Canada has not ammended the stance as of the first week of January: (from AOPA web site)

"Canada has said that it will require all aircraft flying in Canadian airspace to carry an installed ELT that can transmit on both 121.5 MHz and 406 MHz beginning Feb. 1, 2009."

[BrentH]

Last I heard, Mexico was allowing portable 406 MHz ELTs but Canada was not. Canada was still requiring fixed units but AOPA was working on them...

[Paul462]

According to Jose yesterday at ACK Technologies, the ACK 406 Mhz ELT should pass certification testing during March, and may be available in limited quantities during April. Price is still $599, which includes the GPS interface required for the ELT to communicate with a GPS so as to be able to transmit lat/long.

[hharney]

As quoted on AvWeb today:

"As for Canada and Mexico: Canada has not yet required that aircraft flying in its airspace be equipped with 406 MHz ELTs. The country is planning a two-year conversion period and has yet to set rules for the transition, according to AOPA. Flying to the Bahamas will not require 406 MHz equipment, but that may change after January of 2011. Mexico will allow U.S. aircraft using 121.5 MHz ELTs to fly within the country until the end of June 2009, unless they reach a mandatory ELT battery replacement date first. The Cospas-Sarsat System has been and will continue monitoring signals transmitted on 406 MHz."

[hharney]

http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/article...WT.mc_sect=gan