ELT Education

As part of the annual inspection, I need to test the ELT. I replacd both the unit batteries and the remote batteries. I noticed that when I tried to set off the ELT from the remote, it wouldn't come on. It worked fine when I did it from the unit itself. I got to talking with our local IA and mentioned it. Turns out, that I did not have the main unit in "Arm" mode. The AK unit has 3 positions: Up = Test, Middle = Off and Down = ARM. I had it in the middle position... and I think it has always been that way. That was good to discover! I also found out you are supposed to check the g-force sensor each year at annual as well. You remove the unit, arm it and then smack it against your hand (hard) and it should go off. After doing this, you put the switch in the OFF position and preset the reset button, then back to ARM once it is back in the plane. Good education! Go check your ELT switch to make sure it's armed!!