Sat Phones

[Buster Burns]

That sounds even better! What a novel idea; keeping your aircrew happy will pay off in the end.

[Skidmark]

Sat phones are great. They are invaluable in remote areas. I believe companies like Great Slave have them in all their aircraft. But don't feel cut off if you don't have one. The skies over the arctic are a very busy place in the summer, you should be able to talk to someone on 126.7. Maybe not Yellowknife, Edmonton or North Bay, but you should get someone who can pass a message on.

 

Safe season to all.

 

Skidmark

[Skidmark]

Oh ya, If your company is not willing to buy a sat phone, there are several companies out there that will rent them out for a season.

[Sexual Chocolate]

As someone who has worked in the Arctic for the better part of 13 years, Its nice to know the little orange Pelican case in the back has emergency coms in it. If I could strap that thing to my *** I would. But to look at the other side of the coin for a moment, 20 years ago there was not Sat Phones, GPS, and Hi-speed internet in the Arctic. What were the boys doing then? They were getting along just fine. it was a different mentality. We are a little spoilt now-a-days (which I'm all for).

I get a bit of a kick out of people these days. Most figure they need all this Hi-tech gear just to go on a two hour hike in Banff. If they loan someone their Gore-tex jacket, Well, they just can't go. Lets not for get that Sir Edmund Hillery reached the summit of Everest may 29th 1953 without Gore-tex, GPS, Polypro ropes, light weight gear or Oakleys. None of our modern inventions have made anything better, only easier and more "Convienent". Is our world safer because of all these gizmos? People still die on Everest every year just as they did in '53 and earlier. Helicopters are still having various "mishaps" just as they always have. Individuals need to be resoposible for their own actions. If I slip and break my leg on someone's front walk becasue they didn't shovel it... I'm an Idiot for not looking where I was going. Its my fault. No need to sue.

 

But thats just my opinion. But back to the Sat-Phones. I love having one close by when anywhere but I don't feel they should be mandatory.

 

Just one man's opinion.

[Firehawk]

The Company I'm with gives us Sat phones for the private heli-ski aircraft because we can end up in some pretty remote out of radio range areas not to mention that we are shutting down a dozen times a day and its nice to have that sat phone to call in incase the old girl decides not to start. It has saved my rear a few times.

[Phil Croucher]

They can do flight following as well - talk to cartenav in Halifax

 

Phil

[Buster Burns]

Thanks for your responses. I agree with chocolates statement about technology. I've used those map things once or twice before I bought a GPS. Yes people got by for years without sat phones, cell phones and, ****, even helicopters. Fact is we have them now. I am fully aware of Arctic radio 1267 and other frequencies that can contact overflying jets but in half mile there probably won't be much VFR traffic and any IFR may be out of range. To those of you who are going to say, "what are you doing in half mile or under?", weather can move extremely fast in some situations and even the best planning can have its gliches. Anyway, point is, everyone has had to set down and camp out for one reason or another and these are the situations I'm talking about.

[General]

Sat phone are definitely good things to have. The company i worked for last year provided them for the a/c in remote locations. When I headed north with the first company sat phone, there was not a policy in place. It could be used "unlimited" for work related matters (flight following, contacting head office...) which, to me, makes a lot of sense. That's why it's there! As far as personal calls, we were informed that they would our nickel. Never did a bill though as it was not abused. I personally think that there should be a certain amount allocated per week for example. Just my 2 cents.

[Blackmac]

From a retired "Old Fart" I beleive Sat Phones would be referred to as progress, I'm all for them.

 

Probably paid for at least a dozen of them when talkinjg to a Herc after running short of fuel on the border of MB and NWT.

 

When the camp closed up I headed south and the Twin Otter and everybody else headed to Yellowknife.

 

Radio contact on HF was out ( Sept. sun spots) so I was relying on the camp mgr to notify Lynn Lake that I was on my way, never did.

 

Ran into one helluva snow and ice storm and put down to overnite.

 

Next day low clouds and all around ****** weather, couldn't find fuel cache, so put down again before air got in the fuel lines and set off the beacon and maydayed on the radio.

 

Got in touch with Wardair heading over the pond and had them relay message to Lynn Lake (they had also relayed a message when I had a RPM loss and went into the tree's south of Carwright, Labraddor), we ended up on a first name basis.

 

Low clouds the next day when the Herc showed up and circled overhead and relayed the base in Lynn Lake.

 

Two helicopters showed up the next day with fuel and I was in Lynn Lake that nite.

 

In actual fact if it was today, I would have found the cache using my trusty GPS and when the weather went I could have called and stated were I was, using the Sat Phone.

 

If you go back a step, I could have gotten a weather report by Sat Phone and not created all those headaches.

 

Cheers, Don

[heliho]

Hey Buster, doesn't your company supply you with SAT phones for your aircraft? What kind of a cheap company are you working for anyway?