Feb. 2008

Where Are The Aeronautical Mobiles?

I monitor 146.520 MHz all the time, but it's been awhile since I've heard an aeronautical mobile. Is this just a coincidental dry spell, or are there other forces at work? Could it be the higher gas prices that are keeping the Falcons of Frequency grounded?

Could it be that there are fewer Amateur Radio aviators out there? I know I fit into that category having voluntarily grounded myself since 1990. Maybe I should take a flight physical, get that Biennial Flight Review (do they still call it that?) and take to the air with my 2-meter rig.

I remember casually planning to operate "parachute mobile" back in my skydiving days. I was going to ride up to about 12,500 feet, and do a hop and pop, opening above 12,000 feet. This would have been a terrible sacrifice for me because the fun of a skydive was in the freefall, not the canopy ride. For me, once the parachute was open, the fun was over. There's nothing like being in freefall. At 100+ MPH the buffeting is like getting a full-body massage. But even at such speeds it's like floating, not falling. After the first 5 seconds or so after leaving the airplane you're no longer accelerating so there's no sensation of falling. Now that first 5 seconds is a roller coaster ride, but a fun one once you get used to it.

But I was willing to give up the joy of freefall just once for the sake of Amateur Radio. Well, I just never got around to it. If you know a skydiver, maybe you can talk him or her into it.

Alternatively, you and I could just rent a plane and pilot and sit back and make contacts. Get a few ham friends to go with you and split the costs. You could have a 2-hour blast and lots of contacts for relatively little money. I say 2 hours because if you load up most small 4-seat planes with people, you can't fill up the fuel tanks. It's one or the other. Bet you didn't know that.

It doesn't have to be a fixed wing aircraft. How about a hot air balloon? With the burners off you'll be able to hear birds chirp from a mile away. You couldn't ask for better operating conditions. They're not as common as airplanes, so if you're in a small city, you may have to do a little traveling in order to find a balloon and pilot to rent. Since it's probably an event that you'll take part in only once, I think the expense can be justified. If you agree, give it a try!

73,

WF5TX