SPI IS LOST. INSTRUCTOR AIRBORNE IN OTHER ACFT TRIES TO ASSIST. TRANSPONDER FINALLY ACTIVATED AND CTR LOCATED HIM. POLICE HELI DISPATCHED TO GUIDE HIM.

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MY STUDENT ON A SOLO LCL FLT OUT OF FTY BECAME LOST. THE STUDENT PLT PRACTICE AREA IS LOCATED NW OF FTY AND IT'S SOUTHERN-MOST BOUNDARY IS PARALLEL TO INTERSTATE 20. THE STUDENT INADVERTENTLY FLEW S OF THE BOUNDARY (J-20) AND SOON WAS DISORIENTED AS TO WHERE HE WAS. HE THEN BEGAN TO FLY SE TOWARD WHAT HE BELIEVED TO BE FTY. AT THIS TIME; HE CALLED FTY TWR AND INFORMED THEM THAT HE WAS DISORIENTED THE TWR INSTRUCTED HIM TO SQUAWK 1200 AND IDENT. HOWEVER; THE TRANSPONDER FAILED TO OPERATE. I WAS INBOUND TO FTY FROM A LCL TRAINING FLT; WHEN I HEARD MY STUDENT RPT HE WAS DISORIENTED. THE TWR WAS SOON UNABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH THE STUDENT. BUT; BECAUSE I WAS INFLT; I WAS ABLE TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH THE STUDENT. WE TRIED HAVING HIM LOOK FOR DIFFERENT LANDMARKS AND TRY A VOR CROSS-FIX; NEITHER OF WHICH HE WAS ABLE TO DO. ATL CTR AND APCH WERE ALSO LOOKING FOR HIM (THE TWR HAD GIVEN HIM A TRANSPONDER CODE). MCN FSS ATTEMPTED A DF STEER; BUT IT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL (NOTE: ATL DF HAS BEEN DECOMMISSIONED). EVENTUALLY; THE TRANSPONDER BEGAN TO WORK AND A POLICE HELI WAS DISPATCHED TO GRIFFEN-SPALDING COUNTY ARPT. THE STUDENT MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND I CONTACTED HIM BY PHONE. I LATER WENT AND PICKED HIM UP. THE STUDENT ADMITTED THAT HIS INATTN TO POS AWARENESS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER; I FEEL MORE EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED ON LOST PROCS TO FUTURE CFI'S.