What is the difference between fixed and non-fixed (or survival ELTs)?
A fixed ELT is mounted on the aircraft, usually in the tail section, and is designed to be automatically activated on impact. A survival ELT is designed to be carried on board and activated manually. The cost of a manually activated ELT is lower (since there is no requirement to include a complex G-switch), and there are no installation costs (due to the required wiring and instrumentation in the cockpit), which means a lower cost to the owner/operator. Although not directly related to the issue of terminating 121.5 MHz satellite alerting, this issue has been linked to the phase-out by many people. This is primarily due to the reduced costs. Proponents of survival ELTs also believe that having a manually activated ELT in the cockpit will increase the survivability, and the operation of an ELT in a crash. In order to meet the current regulations (Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91.207), an aircraft owner/operator must have an automatic fixed (AF), automatic portable (AP), or automatic
