A friend and I are going rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon this Wednesday. It's a 46mi, 20+hr "hike" with some very physically challenging sections. We are packing the minimal amount needed - meaning not too much extra in case of an emergency - it's especially risky given the below zero (fahrenheit) temperatures this time of year. Normally for something like this, I would bring my Spot - to call for help if I needed to, but it's not working.
If I brought my VXA-220, would it be legal to use it to call for help? From what I understand, most airliners are tuned into 121.5. Could I tell them to send a helicopter for rescue?
Obviously, in a life or death situation it's not going to matter if I'm braking the law. But it would be nice to know how such a situation would be handled.