it's not unusual for the weather to be
fine seas relatively calm and the
skipper and experienced sailor when the
voyage begins or maybe the winds are
still and the plane is running great
when the pilot who's been flying for
years heads down the rough material
still what seems like a routine trip can
become a nightmare whether it's a small
plane down in a remote area or a mishap
at sea time can be the survivors
greatest enemy the quicker they're found
the greater their chances for survival
until recently search-and-rescue teams
often had little to go on in trying to
find these people most likely just a
report that a boat or plane never
reached its intended destination but
today's search and rescue forces are
getting the information they need from a
new source outer space
thanks to a unique international
cooperative effort originally
spearheaded by NASA involving the United
States and Canada France and the Soviet
Union as prime partners there are now
satellites orbiting the Earth with
search and rescue equipment aboard them
the program is called cospas-sarsat the
name is complicated but the goal simple
save lives a key link in this rescue
chain is the emergency radio beacons
carried aboard ships and planes the
maritime device is called an emergency
position indicating radio beacon its
counterpart on aircraft has a slightly
different name but performs the same
function it's called an emergency
locator transmitter when activated these
beacons transmit a continuous
distinctive signal that can be picked up
by a search-and-rescue satellite passing
overhead the satellite in turn realized
this signal to a local user terminal
like this one at Scott Air Force Base in
Illinois and it looks like there could
be the start of a signal right here at
this point okay we gotta go to the
closer to work good day by analyzing
these signals the site of an accident
can usually be pinpointed within a ten
to fifteen mile radius this information
is then sent via a computer to computer
linked up to a Mission Control Center
and then on to a rescue control center
near where the accident occurred inland
aircraft incidents are handled by the
Air Force here trained personnel
correlate any information they received
from other sources with emergency
transmitter reports
they then alert the necessary search and
rescue teams Boston Aeronautics this is
Scott RCC we've got all night on a
Cessna 172 and the northern Cascades and
a sauce that hit in the same area
requested a search mission be opened
with the Washington Civil Air Patrol
and coordinates 47
or 120 42 west
if someone's in trouble i shore for
Coast Guard air and sea teams go to work
Roger will get the helicopter and the
c-130 in the air immediately
we got 34 feet length stable possible
cache size about 120,000 miles ok let's
go
the Coast Guard Cutter point arena and
their commanding officer lieutenant JG
Steven Flynn are
literally proud of a rescue that
occurred last spring Jack boy a
stockbroker and Vietnam veteran
volunteered to sail is ultra light
racing boat wings from Miami to New York
to dramatize a fundraising effort by the
New York Vietnam veterans commissioner I
hope to make it five days and fall goes
well well you never can tell winds and
go into the Thais boys words were
perfect five days into the trip 120
miles from show he was caught in a
severe storm after battling tremendous
breaking seas for nearly three days boy
finally activated his emergency radio
beacon didn't know if anyone was hearing
it i hope to the satellite and i hope
that summer was listening to it I was
really virtually powerless to rig the
boat or do anything because the waves
were still crashing across it a Soviet
satellite picked up mr. voice signal and
the point arena
podium safely to shore
and how does Jack Boyd feel now about
having an emergency beacon on board it's
like the American Express head don't
leave shore without