Risks

The calls in this exercise

1. Prompt 1 of 5

   You are 5 miles south of Norwich, altitude 2000 feet, heading 320 degrees, flying Cessna 152 as G-ABCD. PPL holder, just you on board. You have a rough running engine. Make the appropriate call to Norwich Radar.

   The point to get right: A rough running engine is urgency, not distress — use PAN-PAN (x3), not MAYDAY. Include, in CAP 413 §8.13 order: aircraft type, nature of urgency, intentions, position, altitude, heading, then pilot qualifications near the end with the other useful information such as POB.

2. Prompt 2 of 5

   Following on from the previous call, your engine is now operating normally. Make the appropriate call to Norwich Radar.

   The point to get right: Cancel the urgency: 'PAN-PAN cancelled' or 'G-ABCD, cancel PAN-PAN, engine now operating normally'. Important to formally cancel so ATC can release any priority handling.

3. Prompt 3 of 5

   Same position and details as before. You now have a complete engine failure. Make the appropriate call to Norwich Radar.

   The point to get right: Engine failure is distress — use MAYDAY (x3). Full distress format: MAYDAY x3, station addressed, callsign, aircraft type, nature of emergency, intentions, position, altitude, heading, then pilot qualifications near the end with the other useful information such as POB (CAP 413 §8.13).

4. Prompt 4 of 5

   You are G-ABCD on Norwich Radar's frequency, 5 miles south of Norwich at 2000 feet, returning there to join overhead. You have checked volume, frequency, headset and radio selection and you still can no longer hear any transmissions, so you have set squawk 7600. Transmit blind to Norwich Radar.

   The point to get right: A known receiver failure has its own prefix (CAP 413 §2.88(9)), so anyone hearing knows no reply can be heard: 'TRANSMITTING BLIND DUE TO RECEIVER FAILURE, Norwich Radar, G-ABCD, 5 miles south of Norwich, 2000 feet, returning to Norwich to join overhead, G-ABCD', and send each report twice. (Plain 'transmitting blind' is for when you cannot tell what has failed, §2.88(7).) The cockpit checks — volume, correct frequency, headset and PTT, the right radio box selected — and squawk 7600 come before the call, not on the air. Keep listening out, and expect no reply: you could not hear one.

5. Prompt 5 of 5

   You are G-ABCD and hear another aircraft transmit a MAYDAY, but the ground station does not appear to acknowledge it. Relay the distress to Norwich Radar.

   The point to get right: Use a MAYDAY RELAY: 'MAYDAY RELAY (x3), Norwich Radar, this is G-ABCD' then pass the distressed aircraft's details as heard (callsign, nature, position, intentions). You relay only when the original call was not acknowledged — do not transmit your own MAYDAY.

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