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."
