pants, socks, walking shoes, space blanket, and gloves or mittens. Layered clothing provides flexibility to meet the demands of the environment. Desert areas may be very hot in the day and very cold at night. Prolonged exposure to either condition can be debilitating. Layered clothing traps air between layers, increasing heat retention. The parachute canopy can be used as an effective layered garment when wrapped around the body to conserve body heat or to provide relief from excessive sunlight. Eye protection, such as sunglasses, is more than welcome if conditions during the day are bright, as they often are on good soaring days. 

## Communication 

Communication can be electronic, visual, or audible. Radios, telephones, and cell phones are electronic methods. Signal mirrors, flashlight or light beacons at night, signal fire flames at night, signal smoke during daylight hours, signal flares, and prominent parachute canopy displays are visual methods. Shouting and other noisemaking activities are audible methods but usually have very limited range. A whistle provides a good method for making sound. 

Coin, cash, or credit cards are often necessary to operate pay phones. Charged batteries are required to operate cell phones, two-way radios, and emergency locator transmitters. Batteries are also necessary to operate flashlights or position lights on the glider for signal purposes. A list of useful telephone numbers aids rapid communication. The aviation transceiver can be tuned to broadcast and receive on the emergency frequency 121.5 MHz or any other useable frequency that elicits a response. The ELT can be used to provide a continuous signal on 121.5 MHz and/or the newer 406 MHz SAR system. A 406 MHz beacon on a downed aircraft activates either automatically or manually. The ELT transmits a digital identification code to the first satellite that comes into range. The satellites receive the signal and relay it to a ground station. If there is no ground station in view, the satellite records the digital signal in its onboard memory and downloads it to the next ground station. The ground station processor measures the Doppler shift of the signal and calculates its position; this calculation is usually accurate to within 1.5 nautical miles on the first satellite pass and is refined further with each pass. If the beacon has an integrated GPS or is connected into the onboard NAVCOM, the position is imbedded into the initial digital data stream. 

After the ground station has completed processing, it transmits the identification and position to the United States Mission Control Center (USMCC). The USMCC attaches the information contained in the 406 MHz beacon registration database for that particular ELT and generates an alert message. If the location lies within the continental U.S., the alert is sent to the Air Force Rescue Coordination 

Center (AFRCC) at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The AFRCC then takes the registration data and attempts to ascertain the aircraft’s disposition. By calling the emergency contact numbers, or by calling flight service stations with the N-number, they can quickly determine whether or not the aircraft is safe on the ground. 

Since most activations are false alarms, the ability to resolve them over the phone saves the AFRCC (i.e., U.S. taxpayers) millions of dollars. More importantly, it saves SAR assets for actual emergencies. If the AFRCC in unable to verify the aircraft is safe on the ground, they launch a Search and Rescue mission. This normally involves assigning the search to the USAF Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol and may include requesting assistance from the local SAR responders or law enforcement personnel. 

The unique digital code of each 406 MHz beacon allows it to be associated with a particular aircraft. The registration contains information, such as tail number, home airport, type and color of aircraft, and several emergency points of contact. This provides rapid access to flight plans and other vital information. This can speed the search effort and can be the difference between life and death. 

The parachute canopy and case can be employed to lay out a prominent marker to aid recognition from the air by other aircraft. Matches and a combustible material can provide flame for visibility by night and provide smoke that may be seen during daylight hours. 

## Navigation Equipment 

Aviation charts help to navigate during flight and help pinpoint the location when an off-airport landing is made. Sectional charts have the most useful scale for cross-country soaring flights. Local road maps (with labeled roads) should be carried in the glider during all cross-country flights. Local road maps make it much easier to give directions to the ground crew, allowing them to arrive as promptly as possible. GPS coordinates also help the ground crew if they are equipped with a GPS receiver and appropriate charts and maps. Detailed GPS maps are commercially available and make GPS navigation by land easier for the ground crew. 

## Medical Equipment 

Compact, commercially made medical or first aid kits are widely available. These kits routinely include bandages, medical tape, disinfectants, a tourniquet, matches, a knife or scissors, bug and snake repellent, and other useful items. Ensure that the kit contains medical items suitable to the environment in which the glider is operating. Stow the kit so it is secure from inflight turbulence but would be accessible to injured occupant(s)after an emergency landing, even if injured. 

