[Fr. Frank]

Originally Posted by CaptLloyd

And make sure you register it, they don't search for unregistered units.
Lloyd

Actually, yes we do. But it makes the search harder.

EPIRB, ELT, and PLB searches are all coordinated by the AFRCC, (Air Force Rescue Coordination Center), and ALL such signals in the CONUS and within 25 nautical miles of the coast are investigated, with more than 90% searched by the Civil Air Patrol. Beyond 25 nautical miles, primary search is the USCG, augmented by the USAF.

The reason for the Civil Air Patrol to be first responder to an emergency transmitter is cost and speed. The hourly flight operations cost for a CAP C172 is under $150, for a CAP 182 about $180 per hour. We can also fly at under 100 kts, making searches more thorough than from a C130 or jet.

Contrast that with an hourly operating cost for a HH-65 Dolphin of around $3250; for a HH-60 Skyhawk it's around $4,500, for a C130 it's about $7100, and for a HU-25 Falcon about $7200.

Be we are not permitted to operate more than 25 miles offshore except under extraordinary circumstances, such as tracking oil during the Deepwater Horizon mission.

But we WILL search for you. And every one of us is a volunteer.

Captain Frank D. Gough II, Chaplain & Pilot,
United States Air Force Auxilliary, Civil Air Patrol