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From: wool@oracle.UUCP (Chris Wooldridge)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Declaring an emergency... the ramifications?
Message-ID: <144@oracle.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 17-Nov-85 01:02:15 EST
Article-I.D.: oracle.144
Posted: Sun Nov 17 01:02:15 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Nov-85 05:15:56 EST
References: <3164@hplabsb.UUCP> <4554@alice.UUCP>
Organization: ORACLE Corporation, 2710 Sand Hill Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025
Lines: 22
Summary: Do it.

In article <4554@alice.UUCP>, ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) writes:
> If you declare an emergency, you should assume that you will eventually
> lose your license as a result.  That way, you can consider yourself
> doubly lucky if you survive the emergency and don't lose your ticket.

I don't agree.  Declaring an emergency is nothing more than laying the
legal groundwork to invoke FAR 91.3 - which is your right and obligation as
PIC in a tight spot.  I know plenty of pilots who have done it.  I personally
know of none who have had "certificate action" for doing so, even the 
usual "caught in IFR conditions" ones.   I know of only two (personally)
who have had to explain it later (under 91.3(c)).  And in both cases it
ended there.

I don't want to encourage anyone to yell emergency because, say, their
DME quits in flight.  Emergency authority is nothing to use rashly.
But when you need it, use it.
-- 
Chris Wooldridge
Oracle Corporation
1100 206th Avenue, N.E.
Redmond, Wa.   98053
(206) 868-1985                {ihnp4!muuxl,hplabs}!oracle!wool