From: utzoo!decvax!cca!hplabs!hao!menlo70!sytek!zehntel!teklabs!tekchips!jackg@sri-unix
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Title: lost IFR communications
Article-I.D.: tekchips.164
Posted: Mon Dec 13 15:24:24 1982
Received: Wed Dec 29 06:17:08 1982

I think that the probability of losing all communications due
to some global electrical problem is high enough to be of real
concern.  I was about to embark on an IFR flight once and was still
on the ground when a lot of smoke and electrical insulation smells
started coming from under the panel.  It was serious enough that
there was no alternative but to open the master switch immediately.
This situation posed no danger because I just taxied back to the
ramp.  It could as easily have happened in full IMC.  I naturally
thought about this situation quite a bit and decided that if it had
happened when in solid, about the best bet would be to continue on
my current altitude and heading for a while, letting them track
me as a primary radar target (it's complete radar environment where
I do all of my flying.) and I would probably (?) break out of the 
clouds after a while.  If I did then I would begin flying the
triangular lost communications pattern for a while if I couldn't see
the ground. Naturally if I could see the ground, I would descend
and find some nice place to land.  Flying the lost communications
pattern would tell ATC all they needed to know--namely that I couldn't
talk or navigate and I couldn't get down.  I believe their
procedure is to send up a 'follow-me' plane in such a case.
If I didn't break out then I guess I would fly the pattern for
a while and CAREFULLY examine the area of a sectional where
I thought I was and begin a cautious descent, hoping that
the ceiling didn't extend to the ground, giving myself a pretty good
margin for error for terrain avoidance.  If I didn't see ground
then I would start inventing more desperate schemes because
I can't think of much rational to do at this point.  However,
I think the above procedures would handle most cases if the weather
I have flown in has been anywhere near typical.

Scary thought, isn't it.

  Jack Gjovaag  Computer Research Labs, Tektronix