Pilots choose the best Pilot watch

[onzenuub 309]

A German magazine for pilots had an election amongst pilots for the best pilot watch. Ofcourse Breitling won.

Top Ten:

1. Breitling

2. Fortis

3. Sinn

4. IWC

5. Omega

6. Tutima

7. Lange & Sohne

8. Chronoswiss

9. Porsche Design

10. Hanhart

 

http://www.aerokurier.de/

[alphakazi 0]

and Fortis in 2nd

 

Breitling is the natural choice, while apparently not the 1st flight computer, they have been the most successful

 

and they don't look 1/2 bad either

 

 

history of slide rules : http://sliderulewatches.googlepages.com/history.html

[JoeyB 0]

Did they say which Breitling? It would seem to me that the 'Emergency' with the homing device built in would be a hot choice.

[alphakazi 0]

Did they say which Breitling? It would seem to me that the 'Emergency' with the homing device built in would be a hot choice.

 

I think it's a bit gimmicky for the $ - especially with the new 406 MHz ELTs - the 121.5Mhz frequency will no longer be monitored by satellites

[JoeyB 0]

Did they say which Breitling? It would seem to me that the 'Emergency' with the homing device built in would be a hot choice.

 

I think it's a bit gimmicky for the $ - especially with the new 406 MHz ELTs - the 121.5Mhz frequency will no longer be monitored by satellites

I don't know. I bought the rep, for other reasons, it doesn't have the antenna that the gen does either. It just sounds like a good idea to me, if it works.

[iabounty 8]

Did they say which Breitling? It would seem to me that the 'Emergency' with the homing device built in would be a hot choice.

 

I think it's a bit gimmicky for the $ - especially with the new 406 MHz ELTs - the 121.5Mhz frequency will no longer be monitored by satellites

I don't know. I bought the rep, for other reasons, it doesn't have the antenna that the gen does either. It just sounds like a good idea to me, if it works.

 

 

With the Government pension you earned just buy the gen, you cheapskate...........

[alphakazi 0]

Did they say which Breitling? It would seem to me that the 'Emergency' with the homing device built in would be a hot choice.

 

I think it's a bit gimmicky for the $ - especially with the new 406 MHz ELTs - the 121.5Mhz frequency will no longer be monitored by satellites

I don't know. I bought the rep, for other reasons, it doesn't have the antenna that the gen does either. It just sounds like a good idea to me, if it works.

 

I think it's a nice idea but you have an ELT in the plane anyhow - if for any reason it failed, a 121.5mhz transmitter would be most welcome - suppose to transmit up to 100Nm for 48hr's - better than a kick in the ass

[Demsey 9]

Rolex GMT Master. The pilot watch. For image and redundancy of systems only. Honestly, the digital quartz on the control yoke/instrument panel thank you.

 

 

'Porche Design'. Germans. Please.

[JohnG 41]

Hey now this is not OT.

[trailboss99 996]

I think it's a nice idea but you have an ELT in the plane anyhow - if for any reason it failed, a 121.5mhz transmitter would be most welcome - suppose to transmit up to 100Nm for 48hr's - better than a kick in the ass

 

Pointless here as no one at all monitors 121.5 at all. In fact 121.5 EPIRBs are now outlawed.

 

 

Hey now this is not OT.

 

What is OT about a Briet Emergency?

 

 

 

 

Col.

[JohnG 41]

What is OT about a Briet Emergency?

Nothing. Dems is OT, this is GD.

[alphakazi 0]

I think it's a nice idea but you have an ELT in the plane anyhow - if for any reason it failed, a 121.5mhz transmitter would be most welcome - suppose to transmit up to 100Nm for 48hr's - better than a kick in the ass

 

Pointless here as no one at all monitors 121.5 at all. In fact 121.5 EPIRBs are now outlawed.

 

agreed, pointless to buy one but if you already have it... definitely better than a kick in the ass it could help SAR after responding to the 406 - I believe the 406 will transmit on the 121.5Mhz as well - I'm interested to see what Breitling does now with the new system - 406Mhz digital transmission from a watch? idk..

[alphakazi 0]

a blurb from Canada government web site - things went quicker there I see Col - probably got sick of all the false SAR missions

 

Canada’s aviation community and the Switch to 406

 

While users of maritime and land-based emergency beacons in Canada have already adopted 406 MHz technology, the majority of Canadian airplanes and helicopters that are required to carry a distress beacon (approximately 24,100) are still equipped with ELTs that function on 121.5 MHz only. While Transport Canada is currently engaged in a regulatory initiative to mandate the use of 406 MHz ELTs or an acceptable equivalent, the “Switch to 406†is still voluntary for private, state, and commercial aircraft. Although the United States has not yet indicated that it will require 406 MHz ELTs, several other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have made them mandatory.

 

As of February 28, 2009, only about 10 percent of Canadian aircraft had registered a 406 MHz ELT with the Canadian Beacon Registry. However, registrations are on the rise, and this number is expected to double by April of this year. In fact, many more 406 MHz ELTs are believed to be in service than what appears in the Registry. Since the old 121.5 MHz ELTs did not require registration – they were analog and could not transmit a unique coded signal – it is presumed that some aircraft owners and operators are simply unaware of the requirement to register their 406 MHz ELTs. Registration is a critical step in enabling an effective SAR response, since the Registry collects emergency contact information for the aircraft owner/operator, as well as details such as the colour and configuration of the aircraft. This information is invaluable to the coordination and time sensitivity of a successful search effort.

 

Challenges for air SAR

 

SAR operations for missing and downed aircraft continue to be managed as usual by the Canadian Forces. However, the current lack of satellite detection and position information for incidents involving 121.5 MHz-equipped aircraft is a potential concern with respect to the safety and efficiency of SAR missions. Without the aid of satellite-derived alerting and location data, missions may be prolonged and rely more heavily on visual search techniques. These effects are also anticipated by the volunteers of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, who assist the Canadian Forces in carrying out its aeronautical SAR mandate. Since 121.5 MHz is also the international voice distress frequency for aviation, it continues to be monitored by NAV CANADA’s air traffic control towers and flight service stations during their hours of operation. Many overflying aircraft, particularly airliners, also monitor 121.5 MHz as a courtesy to their fellow aviators. Any ELT signals overheard on this frequency (outside of the first five minutes of every hour, which are set aside for ELT testing) are reported to the appropriate Joint Rescue Coordination Centre as a possible distress alert.

 

This practice provides an important safety net in the absence of satellite monitoring, and all pilots are encouraged to maintain a listening watch on 121.5 MHz. Unfortunately, these pilot reports are typically far less precise than the coordinates formerly generated by COSPAS-SARSAT’s 121.5 system. The maximum theoretical range of a 121.5 MHz beacon heard by an airliner flying at 37,000 feet could be 200 nautical miles or more, putting the ELT somewhere within a 430,000 square kilometre search area. Additionally, unlike a digital 406 MHz ELT, an anonymous 121.5 MHz signal provides no useful information to SAR authorities as to who might be in distress. On March 14, 2009, various high-flying aircraft reported an ELT signal somewhere within 100 nautical miles of Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was only when a local flight plan expired a half-hour later that the signal was confirmed to be an actual distress transmission, and the probable identity of the aircraft known. Notwithstanding, the 121.5 MHz ELT was instrumental in leading a Hercules aircraft and a Cormorant helicopter from 413 Squadron to the denselyforested crash site, located approximately 25 nautical miles north of Fredericton. The three occupants of the aircraft were treated by SAR technicians, and transported to medical aid. This case also underlines the added value of filing a flight plan.

 

Finally, the SAR system also expects to be challenged by the impending decommissioning and disposal of thousands of 121.5 MHz ELTs, as they are replaced by 406 MHz units. Failure to remove batteries and disable electronics may generate unnecessary searches when these old ELTs are discovered by curious children (or adults with a child-like sense of curiosity), left to corrode on workshop benches, or rattled around in the back of a garbage truck.

 

Overall, it seems clear that the pilots and passengers served by air SAR in Canada will benefit from a more rapid uptake of 406 MHz technology by the aviation community.

[RolexAddict 1]

 

Air France deciders decided to change all Thales Pitot for Goodrich on all the A330 aircrafts, hahahaha !

They know but they will never tell you what happened on the AF 447

I don't care, I am retired, just get my money monthly and use it to play golf, go to the range with my "cleaners" for plinking and kill some beer cans, fly light helicopters and spend time with buddies on Parisian cafés to look youg girls, and modd watches of course

 

What kind of watches for pilots ? Right now pilots wear what they want, nothing mandatory or recommended,

It has no influence on the way of managing a flight, enough clocks on board,

[alphakazi 0]

more or less a fashion statement... my instructor wears a Citizen skyhawk

 

 

I'm not much for using an E6B, less for one on a watch - I think they are just outdated and only good for backup but alas, I must know it like the back of my hand if I plan on passing my practical - then back to my electronic flight computer

[Demsey 9]

I am retired

 

No shit RA? Congrats. You made it!

 

I don't care, , just get my money monthly and use it to play golf, go to the range with my "cleaners" for plinking and kill some beer cans, fly light helicopters and spend time with buddies on Parisian cafés to look youg girls, and modd watches of course

 

Need a roomate?

 

Citizen skyhawk................I'm not much for using an E6B, less for one on a watch - I think they are just outdated and only good for backup

 

Took the words right out of my mouth. You'd have to have the eyes of a 'hawk' to use those bezel E6B's. What's my back-up plan if my AVSTAR punks out? I own three AVSTARS.

 

So, hey, when are you taking that practical check-ride anyway?

[RolexAddict 1]

Need a roomate?

 

If you come in Paris, send me a pm, we can spend good time here (beer, guns, fly and chicken legs)

[trailboss99 996]

Wow, they are a bit behind over there. 121.5 finished completly and for good as of Jan1 this year here. All marine and aviation craft must now have 406 beacons installed/carried and 121s are to be disposed of imediatly in the proscribed mannor.

 

 

Hey mate, everyone needs an E6B now and again:

" One moment captain . . ."

 

 

 

Col.

[alphakazi 0]

love that pic - highly illogical but I like it

 

@dems - at my rate, I'm guessing this spring - still on precautionary landings and emergency procedures - a buddy started at the same time and has already completed his commercial and currently working on his floatplane rating -he'll be doing some island hopping in the Caribbean. I'm taking it in turtle time purely for enjoyment - working towards an aerobatic rating.