The recent spate of aircraft accidents in Alaska has heightened interest in alternative forms of aircraft location.

Gary Bennett, Northern Lights Avionics, says he has quite a lot of inquiry for spidertracks, a tracking-based emergency location system. “The spidertracks system is rapidly gaining popularity as more folks are aware of the benefits the system has to offer, along with its reliability.

“ELTs are great when they work, but unfortunately too often they are damaged on impact and don’t go off. The new technology, like spidertracks, is ideal because it tracks the aircraft when it’s healthy and automatically sends out the SOS messages when the aircraft stops flying. It’s not reliant on the box in the aircraft surviving the crash.
“The spidertracks system helps take the “search” out of Search and Rescue.”

Bennett says: “Personally, I would spend my money on a spider Aviator and a personal 406 PLB, rather than installing a 406 ELT in my aircraft. And probably have money left over from the cost of installing a 406.”

Spidertracks Marketing Director Rachel Donald says the high number of pilots and aircraft, and the rugged and remote terrain over which they fly, means Alaskan pilots are in potential danger every day. “No one wants to think that they might have an accident. But if something was to go wrong, you want to have peace of mind that search and rescue can find you quickly. With spidertracks you have that sense of security.

“Spidertracks is more than just a safety system – because it tracks you in real-time, where ever you are, via the Iridium satellite, so your family can know where you are every time you fly. You can use its messaging and notifications functions to help run your business more effectively. So for very little cost you are getting much more than just an emergency alerting system.
Ms Donald says the company believes spidertracks can save lives. “We want pilots to know there is a system out there that will ensure they will be found fast if they have an accident – they should have access to the best possible technology.”
She says that while no one resents spending money on searching for lost aircraft, the money would be better invested before a crash in systems like spidertracks that minimise the search area and make sure the pilot and crew can be found quickly.

About Spidertracks

Spidertracks was launched in 2007 to fill the gap in the aircraft tracking market for portable, simple and cost effective satellite-based tracking solution. Spidertracks is leading the development of Next Gen aircraft tracking solutions. It has patented automatic activation, and automatically sends emergency alerts in the event of an accident. Spidertracks is a fully integrated system with fit for purpose aviation hardware and websites specifically designed for both fleet operators and GA pilots. Spidertracks hardware sells for $995 with ongoing costs from as little as $10 per month. Spidertracks uses the Iridium Satellite Network to ensure global coverage and reliability and operates in over 50 countries.

Spider Tracks Ltd is a privately owned company with offices in Colorado and New Zealand