CFC Search & Rescue Coordination 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A communicator receives a report that survivors were spotted but the rescue aircraft cannot land. The BEST immediate action is to:
- Dispatch a second search aircraft to confirm the sighting
- Coordinate dispatch of a helicopter or surface vessel capable of extraction (Correct answer)
- Advise survivors via radio to move to a more accessible location
- Document the location and resume the search for additional survivors
Correct answer: Coordinate dispatch of a helicopter or surface vessel capable of extraction
When survivors are located but cannot be immediately extracted, the communicator must coordinate assets capable of performing the actual rescue such as a helicopter or surface vessel.
Question 2: What is the significance of 'Cumulative POD' in a multi-sortie SAR operation?
- It tracks the total fuel consumed across all search sorties
- It combines the POD of all completed search efforts to indicate overall search effectiveness (Correct answer)
- It calculates the average POD per search aircraft
- It determines when to add additional search aircraft to the operation
Correct answer: It combines the POD of all completed search efforts to indicate overall search effectiveness
Cumulative POD combines the probability of detection from all completed search efforts to provide an overall measure of how thoroughly the search area has been covered.
Question 3: In a SAR operation, the term 'Corrected Area' refers to:
- The search area adjusted for weather and terrain obstacles
- The area that has been searched and cleared of the missing object
- The area recalculated after new position information is received (Correct answer)
- The maximum area that can be searched given available resources
Correct answer: The area recalculated after new position information is received
Corrected Area is the search area recalculated after new information such as updated position reports, eyewitness accounts, or ELT bearings is received.
Question 4: A flight communicator is coordinating a SAR mission when the search aircraft reports losing communication. The communicator should FIRST:
- Declare an emergency for the search aircraft and initiate a second SAR operation
- Attempt contact on all available frequencies including guard frequencies (Correct answer)
- Notify the RCC that the SAR mission has been suspended
- Dispatch a second aircraft to locate the missing search aircraft
Correct answer: Attempt contact on all available frequencies including guard frequencies
When communication is lost with a search aircraft, the communicator must first attempt contact on all available frequencies, including guard (121.5 MHz), before escalating to emergency procedures.
Question 5: Under what circumstances should a flight communicator request NOTAM issuance during a SAR operation?
- Only when the missing aircraft was carrying hazardous materials
- When airspace restriction is needed to protect the search area or rescue operations (Correct answer)
- Whenever a SAR mission exceeds 4 hours duration
- Only if the President declares a federal emergency
Correct answer: When airspace restriction is needed to protect the search area or rescue operations
NOTAMs may be requested to establish Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) that protect SAR operations from interference by non-participating aircraft.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a SAR mission's 'search action plan'?
- To document costs for post-mission reimbursement
- To define search areas, assign resources, specify patterns, and set communication procedures for the operation (Correct answer)
- To list the names and qualifications of all participating SAR personnel
- To establish the legal authority for SAR coordinators to direct rescue assets
Correct answer: To define search areas, assign resources, specify patterns, and set communication procedures for the operation
A search action plan defines the assigned search areas, allocates resources, specifies search patterns, establishes communications procedures, and sets objectives for the SAR operation.
Question 7: When a SAR coordinator uses 'leeway' in drift calculations for a downed aircraft over water, leeway accounts for:
- The fuel remaining in the aircraft at time of ditching
- The movement of the object due to wind acting on its above-water portion (Correct answer)
- The navigational error of the last reported position
- Current-driven movement of wreckage underwater
Correct answer: The movement of the object due to wind acting on its above-water portion
Leeway is the movement of a search object caused by wind acting on its exposed above-water surfaces, distinct from water current (set and drift).
CFC Search & Rescue Coordination 5
A communicator receives a report that survivors were spotted but the rescue aircraft cannot land.
The BEST immediate action is to: