Regulation (EU) 2018/395

The pilot-in-command of a balloon operated over water shall determine, before commencing the flight, the risks to survival of the persons carried in the balloon in the event of ditching. In light of those risks, he or she shall determine whether there is need to carry life-saving and signalling equipment.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

In order to determine the risk, the pilot-in-command should take the following operating environment and conditions into account:

1. water state;
2. water and air temperatures;
3. the distance from land suitable for making an emergency landing; and
4. the availability of search and rescue facilities.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

Based on the risk assessment, the pilot-in-command should determine the carriage of:

1. a life jacket or equivalent individual flotation device for each person on board that should:
   1. be worn or stowed in a position that is readily accessible from the station of the person for whose use it is provided; and
   2. be equipped with a means of electric illumination for the purpose of facilitating the location of persons;
2. when carrying up to six persons, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) or a personal locator beacon (PLB), carried by a crew member or a passenger, capable of transmitting simultaneously on 121.5 and 406 MHz;
3. when carrying more than six persons, an ELT capable of transmitting simultaneously on 121.5 and 406 MHz; and
4. signalling equipment for making distress signals.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

When a PLB is carried by a passenger, he or she should be briefed on its characteristics and use by the pilot-in-command before the flight.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

1. Any ELT and PLB carried should be registered with the national agency responsible for initiating search and rescue, or another nominated agency.
2. Any ELT carried should operate in accordance with the relevant provisions of Volume III of ICAO Annex 10 to the Chicago Convention, ‘Aeronautical telecommunications’.

ED Decision 2018/004/R

1. An ELT is a generic term describing equipment that broadcasts distinctive signals on designated frequencies and, depending on application, may be activated by impact or may be manually activated.
2. A PLB is an emergency beacon, other than an ELT, that broadcasts distinctive signals at designated frequencies, is stand-alone, portable, and is manually activated by the survivors.

BOP.BAS.345 Life-saving and signalling equipment – Search and rescue difficulties