At a recent BCGA seminar the usual hot topic of 406Mhz ELTs, Spot & Inreach GPS trackers came up in the discussion. We have written here before on How To Help Your GPS Tracker Help You. In that article we give an example of a customs. message that you can and should include in your SOS alert should you need it. 

A little known fact is that the SPOT/GARMIN SOS requests go through a private dispatch centre located in the USA and it can take as long as 45min - 1 hour before your message is received and processed. If you were a hiker or other out door adventurer the local search and rescue would use ground assets to try and locate you. 

If you can verify that you are an Aircraft in distress with a custom SOS message then the JRCC in Victoria will launch air search and rescue immediately. 

After the seminar, BCGA member Jonathan R. Pagtakhan emailed us a sample of the custom message that he uses on his GPS tracker and we thought that it was too good not to share. 

-------
​
“Aircraft distress call. Contact Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre: 250-413-8933 or 800-567-1111 Canadian Private Pilot License: XXXXX Aircraft Registration: Cessna 172M C-XXXX (ELT Equipped VHF 121.5)  / First & last name TELUS Mobile: +1-604-XXX-XXXX DOB: 01-XX-19XX Blood type: X Allergies: X Medication: X Conditions: X Recent hospitalization: X Doctor's name: Dr. X Doctor's phone: +1-604-XXX-XXXX BC Personal Health Number: 90XX-XXX-XXX”

-------

The 2018 BC General Aviation Association annual general meeting was held on October 27th in Kamloops, BC. We could not have asked for a better day for flying as members flew in from the Lower Mainland, Kelowna, Chilcotin and from as far as Prince George. The skies were clear and the winds calm and volunteers from the Kamloops Fly Club marshalled member aircraft to their parking spots on a newly constructed tie down area outside the clubhouse. 

The meeting convened with close to 30 pilots in attendance and another 50 attending remotely via our Facebook Live Stream. The meeting covered general business and included some updates from the Directors on what is happening in GA in the various regions of the province. The current board will remain in place by acclimation and we are an motivated as ever to continue serving our members and the GA community in BC. 

After the business portion of the meeting the group was treated to an update from BC COPA Director and Chairman of COPA Dave McElroy as well as a very inspiring presentation made by Kamloops Airport Manager Heather McCarley. Heather talked about the growth in Kamloops and what she has done to encourage, support and promote general aviation at her airport. 

After the presentations, members were invited to participate in a tour of the Pacific Region Flight Information Centre (Pacific Radio) and Kamloops radio. This tour was hosted by Nav Canada's Dale Maher and it was a great opportunity for some BCGA members to get a behind the scenes look at what goes into weather briefings, flight planning and providing service to a busy rural airport. 

We wish to thank all the members that were able to attend and the volunteers that made this meeting a success. In particular we wish to thank Arthur Loring, BCGA Okanagan Director and Vice President of the Kamloops Flying Club for taking the bull by the horns and hosting a great event. 

​The time and date for next year's meeting will be announced in the summer.