6.4 Silence Imposition & Distress Cancellation

Silence so rescuers can hear; cancellation so the world can talk again

The last two distress subsections of RIC-21—§6.17 Imposition of Silence and §6.18 Cancellation of Distress—close the emergency loop. If silence is never imposed, chatter can kill the rescue frequency. If distress is never cancelled, the entire aeronautical mobile service on that channel stays frozen. Examiners test the exact spoken expressions: SEELONCE MAYDAY, SEELONCE DISTRESS, and SEELONCE FEENEE.

6.17 Imposition of silence

Who may impose silence

The station in distress or the station in control may impose silence on all stations in the area or on any station that interferes with distress traffic. Instructions are addressed to “ALL STATIONS” or to one station only, as appropriate.

Pronunciation and meaning

SEELONCE is the radiotelephony pronunciation of the French silence. It is not optional creative spelling on the exam—learn the spoken form as published. SEELONCE MAYDAY marks silence ordered by the distress station or controlling station. SEELONCE DISTRESS is the international expression used by other nearby stations when they must impose silence and believe it is essential.

Effect of imposed silence

Should radio silence be imposed during a distress situation, all transmissions shall cease immediately except from those stations involved in distress traffic.

Worked example A — silence on a specific interfering station (by the station in distress)

Scenario: Cessna C-FNJI is causing interference to distress traffic; the distressed Piper orders silence.

CESSNA FOXTROT NOVEMBER JULIETT INDIA
THIS IS
PIPER FOXTROT X-RAY QUEBEC QUEBEC
SEELONCE MAYDAY
OUT

Notes:

• Addressed to one station (the interferer), not ALL STATIONS
• Distress station uses SEELONCE MAYDAY
• Ends with OUT (no reply expected for this order)

Worked example B — silence on all stations (by a station other than the one in distress)

ALL STATIONS, ALL STATIONS, ALL STATIONS
THIS IS
CESSNA FOXTROT NOVEMBER JULIETT INDIA
SEELONCE DISTRESS
OUT

Notes:

• Addressed to ALL STATIONS (three times in the RIC-21 example pattern)
• Because the imposing station is not the distress/controlling station in the SEELONCE MAYDAY sense, it uses SEELONCE DISTRESS
• Only when essential—do not freelanced-silence the world for ego

Choosing the right silence tool

Silence is a scalpel. Overuse can hide useful helpers; underuse lets a fuel truck driver block a ditching report.

6.6 Control of distress traffic (full placement)

Although introduced earlier, control belongs with silence and cancellation because the controlling station is who usually imposes silence and who must cancel:

• Control is the responsibility of the aircraft in distress or the station that relays the distress message
• These stations may delegate control to another station such as an aeronautical station that normally has a very efficient interface with ATC and all SAR organizations

Practical picture: pilot sends MAYDAY, tower acknowledges and takes control, tower issues SEELONCE MAYDAY if needed, tower later cancels with SEELONCE FEENEE and ensures SAR is told the emergency is over.

6.18 Cancellation of distress

When to cancel

Cancel when:

• The station is no longer in distress, or
• It is no longer necessary to observe radio silence (for example, the rescue operation has concluded)

The station that controlled the distress traffic transmits a message addressed to ALL STATIONS on the distress frequency(ies) used, advising that normal working may resume.

Exact cancellation procedure (RIC-21 order)

1. The distress signal MAYDAY (once)
2. The words HELLO ALL STATIONS (three times)
3. The words THIS IS
4. The call sign of the station transmitting the message
5. The filing time of the message
6. The call sign of the station in distress (once)
7. The words SEELONCE FEENEE

Official RIC-21 example

MAYDAY
HELLO ALL STATIONS, HELLO ALL STATIONS, HELLO ALL STATIONS
THIS IS
WINNIPEG TOWER
TIME 1630 ZULU
PIPER FOXTROT X-RAY QUEBEC QUEBEC
SEELONCE FEENEE
OUT

What SEELONCE FEENEE means

FEENEE is the radiotelephony form of French fini (“finished”). SEELONCE FEENEE tells the aeronautical mobile community that silence is lifted / distress working on that basis is finished so normal traffic may resume. It is not a casual “thanks everyone.” It is the formal cancel key.

Two-part cancellation duty (critical exam point)

RIC-21’s note is easy to miss and often tested:

1. The HELLO ALL STATIONS / SEELONCE FEENEE procedure is mainly for the benefit of other stations so they can resume regular service.
2. In addition, to ensure search and rescue stations are advised that a station is no longer in distress, a normal call to the nearest aeronautical station detailing the reasons for cancelling the distress call MUST be made.

So: broadcast cancel for the network + explicit SAR/ATS advice with reasons. Doing only the theatrical SEELONCE FEENEE without telling the aeronautical station/SAR why the emergency ended can leave rescue forces launching or continuing unnecessarily—or uncertain of status.

Cancellation checklist

Full lifecycle: one story from MAYDAY to SEELONCE FEENEE

1. Piper FXQQ struck by lightning, ditching 20 NM east of Winnipeg — distress call + message on frequency in use.
2. Winnipeg Tower acknowledges: MAYDAY… RECEIVED MAYDAY; takes control; notifies ATS/SAR pathways; warns others off the frequency.
3. Chatter starts; tower (or distressed station) issues SEELONCE MAYDAY to the interferer or ALL STATIONS.
4. A nearby Cessna that first heard an unacked call might have already sent MAYDAY RELAY; control may rest with relay or be delegated to tower.
5. Rescue concludes / aircraft no longer in distress: tower transmits MAYDAY / HELLO ALL STATIONS ×3 / … / SEELONCE FEENEE at a stated time, naming the distressed call sign.
6. Tower (or responsible station) also completes the normal advice to the aeronautical station/SAR with reasons for cancellation.

Comparing the three “SEELONCE” expressions

Never use SEELONCE FEENEE to start silence. Never use SEELONCE MAYDAY to mean “emergency over.”

Exam traps

Trap 1 — Swapping SEELONCE MAYDAY and SEELONCE DISTRESS. MAYDAY version = distress station or control. DISTRESS version = other nearby stations when essential.

Trap 2 — Cancelling with only “cancel my MAYDAY” slang. Use the full HELLO ALL STATIONS structure and SEELONCE FEENEE.

Trap 3 — Forgetting filing time or the distressed station’s call sign in the cancel message.

Trap 4 — Believing SEELONCE FEENEE alone notifies SAR. You must also make a normal call to the nearest aeronautical station with reasons.

Trap 5 — Transmitting routine traffic after silence is imposed when you are not part of distress traffic.

Trap 6 — Forgetting that control may be delegated to an aeronautical station for ATC/SAR efficiency.

Final mastery drill for Chapter 6

Without notes, write:

1. Distress vs urgency one-liners
2. Frequency order (in use → 121.5 → any available)
3. Distress call template
4. Eight message elements + Winnipeg example
5. RECEIVED MAYDAY ack template
6. MAYDAY RELAY template
7. SEELONCE MAYDAY vs SEELONCE DISTRESS
8. Full SEELONCE FEENEE cancel + SAR notification note

If you can perform all eight aloud in under five minutes, you have internalized RIC-21 section 6 at ROC-A depth. Urgency (PAN PAN) in the next chapter will feel like a controlled sibling of this process—not a substitute for it.