FCC BANS 121.5 ELTS
The Federal Communications Commission took the general aviation
world by surprise when it said in a recent report it will prohibit the sale or use of 121.5
MHz emergency locator transmitters, effective in August. The Aircraft Electronics Association said it just
learned of the new rule today, and has begun working with the FAA,
FCC and others to allow for timely compliance without grounding
thousands of general aviation aircraft. The 121.5 ELTs are allowed
under FAA rules. The FCC said its rules have been amended to
"prohibit further certification, manufacture, importation, sale or
use of 121.5 MHz ELTs." The FCC says that if the 121.5 units are
no longer available, aircraft owners and operators will "migrate"
to the newer 406.0-406.1 MHz ELTs, which are monitored by
satellite, while the 121.5 frequency is not. "Were we to permit
continued marketing and use of 121.5 MHz ELTs ... it would
engender the risk that aircraft owners and operators would
mistakenly rely on those ELTs for the relay of distress alerts,"
the FCC says. AOPA said today it is opposed to the rule change.
"The FCC is making a regulatory change that would impose an
extra cost on GA operators, without properly communicating with
the industry or understanding the implications of its action,"
said AOPA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Rob Hackman. "There
is no FAA requirement to replace 121.5 MHz units with 406 MHz
technology. When two government agencies don't coordinate, GA can
suffer." The AEA said dealers should refrain from selling any new
121.5 MHz ELTs "until further understanding of this new
prohibition can be understood and a realistic timeline for
transition can be
established."