You call Kansas City Center and there’s no reply. Now what? Either your radio has died; or, you have flown out of radio range; or, you have set your communication switches incorrectly. If the radio is working, and you cannot speak to the person on the ground that you were talking to earlier, you are in something I call Situational Lost Comm.
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In this audio lesson, we’ll look at Situational Lost Comm. Specifically we’ll look at:
- How do you know when you are in Situational Lost Comm.
- What are your immediate actions when you first realize you’ve lost communication.
- Some examples of how to handle Situational Lost Comm.
- Through it all, I’ll remind you again and again to maintain aircraft control and continue to navigate.
- No airplane ever crashed due to simple lost comm. You, the pilot have to neglect your primary flying duties to turn simple lost comm into a life-threatening situation, so don’t be neglectful.
- Your priorities are always 1. Aviate. 2. Navigate. 3. Communicate.
I know a pilot who routinely lost radio comm because his aircraft radio was hard-wired to a low capacity battery. Got any stories or questions about lost comm? I’d love to hear them. Write or call me.