Although we do not know exactly where Mike and James are all indications that we have reassure us that things are progressing well. People have asked how they would indicate an emergency; in theory they have 3 options available to them.
First they would dial an emergency code, called a squawk code, on an instrument called a transponder. Any radar that is monitoring them will immediately create an alarm and rescue operations will activate; Oceanic Air Traffic Control (ATC) should have them on radar in any case.
Secondly, they can also broadcast on the international distress frequency of 121.500 Mhz. Their radio is not an HF radio, which means that it will only be able to send and receive on a line of sight basis (so not over the horizon), however, there are many trans Atlantic flights by airliners, and the crew in these aircraft monitor that frequency. They will have line of sight with the Sling and can relay messages to ATC.
Finally, the GPS tracker also has an emergency mode which, if activated, will send out their position every 10 seconds and will also activate an alarm- this option is obviously not going to work very well right now as we do not know what their position is…
Right now, and throughout the flight, Mike and James will have been monitoring their airspeed, groundspeed and fuel flow very carefully. The airspeed that they fly will be chosen for the least amount of fuel burn and they will be ensuring that the aircraft is perfectly in trim to minimize any drag. The air is almost unbelievably layered; all moving in slightly different directions and sometimes very different directions. Thus a change of altitude as little as 500 feet can make a big difference to your groundspeed; when you fly in an open cockpit and a light aircraft, such as a weight-shift microlight, you feel turbulence as you pass between different air layers. You can also feel a change in temperature and often even smell a new layer of air, and of course your groundspeed changes, sometimes quite dramatically! Mike’s extensive microlighting experience and knowledge of this will pay off as they climb or descend to find the most favourable winds by comparing their airspeed to their on board GPS groundspeed.
The rude fact is of course, that no matter how well they fly, if their fuel runs out they’re going to be swimming; from what we have seen weather-wise they have had tailwinds, so here’s hoping and holding thumbs that those tanks don’t run dry…
