Max talks with Cyriel Kronenberg, Vice President of Airports and Air Traffic Management at uAvionix and a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol’s National Radar Analysis Team (NRAT), about one of aviation’s most overlooked safety questions: if you survive a crash, how quickly will you be found?How Long Searches Take
Cyriel explains that while ADS-B has shortened search times, the reality is sobering. Without a flight plan, overdue aircraft may not even be reported missing for hours. Average search times have historically stretched from 18 hours with a VFR flight plan to more than 60 hours with no plan at all. Even today, two to three hours is considered fast for locating a downed aircraft.
ELTs: The Critical Difference
Cyriel stresses the enormous difference between old 121.5 MHz ELTs and modern 406 MHz beacons. The older units provide only a vague signal and are prone to false alarms, often ignored. A properly registered 406 beacon, by contrast, transmits GPS coordinates via satellite, dramatically reducing search times. But here’s the catch: as many as half are mis-registered, with outdated or missing phone numbers. That makes even the best ELT nearly useless until rescuers conduct a blind search.
Flight Plans, Contacts, and ADS-B
Filing a flight plan helps, but only if searchers can reach someone who knows your intended route. Cyriel urges pilots to list an emergency contact not on the aircraft in the remarks section—ideally a spouse, friend, or FBO. While apps like ForeFlight allow pilots to enter contact details, those aren’t passed to the FAA. ADS-B provides an even bigger safety net: an aircraft with ADS-B out can usually be pinpointed within yards, while non-equipped aircraft may take days to locate.
Survival Lessons
Cyriel shares personal changes he’s made after years of analyzing accidents. He always keeps his cell phone in his pocket so it won’t be lost in a violent crash, carries a handheld transceiver tuned to 121.5 MHz, and wears or packs high-visibility gear. He emphasizes staying with the aircraft, since wreckage is easier to spot than a single person. Route planning also matters—flying near highways or populated areas at night increases survivability compared to wilderness routes.
Behind the Scenes of NRAT
Max and Cyriel dive into how NRAT works with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC). Using radar, ADS-B, and even cell-phone forensics, the team helps determine whether an incident is a false alarm, an accident with no survivors, or a mission where lives can be saved. They coordinate directly with controllers and search crews, sometimes correcting errors in coordinate formats that would otherwise send helicopters to the wrong location.
Success Stories and Scale
In 2024, AFRCC handled nearly 500 aviation missions, with over 200 lives saved. Civil Air Patrol was involved in more than 300 of those missions, while NRAT contributed to 71 cases—directly responsible for dozens of finds and 10 documented saves. Cyriel recalls a dramatic case in Montana where local ADS-B receivers installed by uAvionix employees helped locate a couple who survived a crash into icy water; thanks to quick coordination, a helicopter pulled them out within 20 minutes.
Key Takeaways for Pilots
Cyriel closes with a checklist:
Make sure your ELT is registered correctly.
Consider adding a personal locator beacon.
Use ADS-B out whenever possible.
File a flight plan and put a reachable emergency contact in remarks.
Carry your cell phone and handheld radio on your person.
Stay with the aircraft if you go down.
Max underscores the theme: nobody takes off expecting to crash, but hundreds of missions each year prove it happens. With preparation, you can improve your odds not just of surviving the impact, but of being found in time.
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News Stories
245 What You Need to Know about TIS, TAS, and ADS-B Traffic Systems + GA News
Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus.
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Summary 245 Max talks about Traffic Systems. Plus, GAMI’s G100UL gains FAA approval for all piston engines! Traffic Information Service or TIS, Traffic Advisory Systems or TAS, and ADS-B systems call all be found in glass cockpit aircraft. Pilots need to learn the limitations of each system and their different traffic symbols to know the type of traffic system installed in each aircraft they fly.
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Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Want to Fly or Buy a Cirrus.
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Summary 115 Max talks with Mike Whitaker, former FAA Deputy Administrator and Chief NextGen officer about NextGen and General Aviation. Mike talks about factors that led to the decline of GA after the 1970s, and his optimism for further growth due to demand for more pilots, the Part 23 rewrite, and new technologies like electric aircraft. He also talks about NextGen, ADS-B, and his prop strike.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Posts section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
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[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/9906911/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]109 Avoiding Midair and Near Midair Collisions + GA News
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Summary 109 Max talks about Avoiding Midair and Near Midair Collisions. He recently had two near midair collisions (NMAC). While midair collisions are rare, NMACs are common, and pilots who have one should report it to the FAA. Collisions are more likely with aircraft with no radios and with agricultural aircraft. To avoid midairs, pilots should use flight following and good scanning techniques.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Posts section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars
Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification
Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android.
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[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/9412892/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]105 8 Lessons Pilots can Learn from the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes and the MCAS + GA News
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Summary 105 Max talks about the recent Boeing 737 MAX crashes, and the lessons that all pilots can learn from these accidents. Here’s a summary of his 8 Lessons Pilots can Learn from the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes:
#1 Know your aircraft systems intimately
#2 The documentation isn’t always complete. Join a type club.
#3 If you touch something and things get worse, undo what you did.
#4 If the autopilot is on and it’s doing weird things, turn it off. And vice versa.
#5 Understand what can cause runaway trim.
#6 Know how to disable the electric trim system in your aircraft.
#7 Make sure you can overpower the autopilot
#8 Know the critical single points of failure in your aircraft.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Posts section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/9273584/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]104 Learning Advanced Avionics and Upgrading Your Cockpit + GA News
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Summary 104 Max talks about how learning how to operate advanced avionics over the years has changed, and how to go about planning a major avionics upgrade for an airplane. He also talks about the new Garmin GPS 175 and GNX 375 GPS navigators, the Garmin G3X Touch displays, which can now be used in many certificated aircraft, Dynon’s SkyView products, which which can now be used in many certificated aircraft, the AeroCruze 100 digital autopilot and the low-cost xCruze 100 autopilot, and the Garmin GTX 335D and GTX 345D diversity transponders.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Posts section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/9054488/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]102 CO Detectors Save Two General Aviation Pilots, Boeing Buys ForeFlight, Light Sport Aircraft + GA News
Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance.
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Summary 102 Max talks with two pilots who encountered carbon monoxide in the cockpit just days apart from each other. They’ll tell us how they discovered the CO, what they did about it, and what caused it. One pilot, flying in a Cessna 182RG, purchased a Sensorcon portable CO detector a few months ago and in cruise, measured 40 to 80 ppm of CO, depending upon where he held the sensor. A mechanic found that the C-clamp holding the EGT probe was loose, allowing exhaust gases to leak through the hole the probe is mounted in.
The other pilot, who was flying a C180 Skywagon, had readings of 72 ppm in cruise. That pilot had a backfire at startup, and backfires can damage the exhaust system to the point where they cause a carbon monoxide leak, so you probably want to have your exhaust system checked out if you have a backfire when starting an aircraft. At the destination, a mechanic found that the #1 Exhaust riser had broken at its collar where it bolts to the cylinder, creating an exhaust leak.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Posts section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
88 Four things you should know about Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Carbon Monoxide Monitors + GA News
Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance.
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Four Things to Know about Carbon Monoxide Poisoning 88 Max talks in detail about Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and CO Monitors.
1. Know the symptoms, which include headache, dizziness, upset stomach, vomiting, weakness, confusion, and chest pain. Skin is pink or pale and the lips bright red.
2. Most CO in planes is from a faulty heating system. So shut off the cabin heat, open windows, and land as soon as possible.
3. 43 percent of poisoned patients still have cognitive problems a year after their encounter.
4. Get an electronic CO Detector. This is a perfect Christmas gift for any pilot, so treat yourself to this potentially lifesaving device. We have two recommendations including: Pocket CO KWJ Carbon Monoxide Detector $163 Sentry ADS-B Receiver with Carbon Monoxide Detector $499
A listener asked how he can get free ADS-B weather in flight without having to pay for an app. The FltPlan Go app for iOS, Android, and Windows is free. It’s compatible with the Garmin GDL 50 Portable ADS-B Receiver. Get these two items, and you should have free ADS-B weather and traffic for the foreseeable future.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Posts section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
Max Trescott is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6869622/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/09aef7/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]73 In-Cockpit Weather and WeatherSpork app for Private and Instrument Pilots – Scott Dennstaedt Live Interview
Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance.
Max interviews Scott Dennstaedt, a former National Weather Service research meteorologist talks about how to become a meteorologist, and about the new weather products available in cockpit from SiriusXM and ADS-B In weather services. He also talks about SkewT and the WeatherSpork app for training and trip planning.
Question of the Month
Send us your audio recordings by July 31, 2018 answering this question: What did you learn after you got your private pilot certificate that you wished you learned while working on your private certificate? Click here to record your answer.
If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page to see fun videos, breaking news, and other posts in the Blog section. And if you decide to make a small donation each month, you can get some goodies!
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6648497/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/09aef7/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]62 Garmin GDL 52 Portable SiriusXM and ADS-B Traffic and Weather Receiver – Interview with Joey Ferreyra
Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you’re thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance.
Max interviews Garmin Marketing Manager Joey Ferreyra about the Garmin GDL 52, a top of the line, no compromises, ADS-B Receiver that includes a SiriusXM Weather Receiver, a GPS, and an AHRS into a single portable unit. Typically, ADS-B weather can only be received in the air, but SiriusXM weather can be received on the ground, since it’s a satellite based system. The system can also receive SiriusXM radio.
Order the Garmin GDL 52 from Amazon now.
Max Trescott is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
