ELT

[Gerry]

I read 91.207 and it sounds like an EAB aircraft would requie an ELT? For those you building glass airplane what kind of antenna do you use for a 406 elt. Sounds like the hidden ones dont work for the 406?

[FlyingRon]

Why wouldn't they? In fact the tape style that's typically used for embedding in the glass is pretty broadbanded compared to the crappo whip you usually get.

[Marc Zeitlin]

I read 91.207 and it sounds like an EAB aircraft would requie an ELT? For those you building glass airplane what kind of antenna do you use for a 406 elt. Sounds like the hidden ones dont work for the 406?Yes, E/AB aircraft require ELT's just like certificated aircraft, with exactly the same exceptions as shown in 91.207.

406 ELT's, however, require approved antennae to be legal, unlike 121.5 ELT's, which didn't have that requirement. Each MFG has a list of which antenna are acceptable to them. Standard copper foil antennae, as used for COM/NAV/etc. are NOT approved, and while they MIGHT work fine if tuned correctly, they're not legal. Whatever one might think about Ameri-King ELT's and products, their 406 ELT is the only one that I've found that comes with a whip antenna (I believe they call it an "external" antenna, or somesuch) which is approved for use in composite aircraft. I've installed a few of their ELT's in composite aircraft for that reason - it negates the requirement for a ground plane, which can be difficult to install (hard to find a place for it) in some of the smaller composite aircraft such as Varieze's and Long-EZ's.

For larger composite aircraft (Velocity, COZY, Glasair, etc.) it would probably be possible to install a reasonable ground plane (and the ELT instructions usually describe what's acceptable to them) and use one of the other MFG's antennae.

[Gerry]

>I've installed a few of their ELT's in composite aircraft for that reason

Thanks Marc,
Did you install the antenna externally or bury it somewhere inside the aircraft?

[1600vw]

If its a single seat no elt is needed nor is it a requirement in a single seat.

[Marc Zeitlin]

>I've installed a few of their ELT's in composite aircraft for that reason

Did you install the antenna externally or bury it somewhere inside the aircraft?We installed the antennae inside the aircraft, generally along the seatback bulkhead (in VE/LE aircraft) either in a corner where it couldn't get damaged by incidental contact or under the seatback cushion. Unless the aircraft is made of carbon (in other words, if it's fiberglass) all the antennae can be internal.