Audible ELT Signals

[SJFedor]

Going back again to VATSIM, I've worked a few 7700 situations from both behind the scope and behind the yoke. (Yea, bringing in an Embraer 190 on visual approach at night at KJFK with no instrument display after an alt-tab borked up my screen = NOT FUN!)

*sigh* I've never seen the point to declaring an emergency/squawking 7700 on VATSIM. Nothing done on there is a "real" emergency, it's all simulated. So, just saying I'm simulated engine out, simulated partial panel, etc etc is more true to life then pounding 7700.

Something else most people don't understand is that, when you're with ATC under IFR or VFR flight following, you're only to pound 7700 if directed. If they have you radar identified, and you declare an emergency, you pounding 7700 is only going to set off all the alarms in the TRACON, when they already know who you are, where you are, and since you've declared, that you're in tough troubles.

If you can't tell, VATSIM jaded me. I did center control in ZAB for quite a while before I moved to TN, and every now and then I'd get dingbats screwing around. Had one right at ABQ, he'd start about 60 miles east at 190, and start telling me he's declaring an emergency, and punching 7700, which made my computer make noises. He didn't follow instructions well (at all), and was generally a PITA. I guided him in, and he screwed up the landing on the rollout. So, we started again, and he was so troublesome (and there were no SUPs online), I just vectored him into the Sandias. He got the clue.