Spidertracks, a leading provider of satellite-based real-time flight tracking, active flight following and communication solutions, announced the launch of the Spider X – their next-generation Spider hardware.

It wasn’t much more than a decade ago when aircraft tracking was feasible only for the top tier of the industry. Innovation in the sector typically followed a traditional pathway of heavy boxes that required integration into aircraft systems, and the cost and complexity of these precluded mainstream adoption. Spidertracks came to market with fresh thinking and a delightfully simple product philosophy that broke down these barriers and revolutionised the sector. Today aircraft tracking has industry-wide adoption – the benefits of increased safety and operational efficiencies have seen Spidertracks become the de facto standard.

Ten years on, Spidertracks took this to a whole new level with the release of Virtual FDR™ – an adaptive sampling algorithm on the Spider that provides an accurate, high-resolution representation of an aircraft’s actual flight path and movements in (near) real-time. As a trusted provider of aviation safety services, Spidertracks utilise a dedicated Iridium channel for all mission-critical data. This gives the customer assurance of receiving high-quality data, on-time every-time, without reliance on cellular availability or retrieving an SD card.

And now, they have done it again with the release of the Spider X. Spider X expands on the power of Virtual FDR™ with the introduction of an attitude and heading reference system. AHRS data is transmitted over the air, allowing simple and easy access to information about the aircraft’s orientation and position. The innovative piece of hardware developed by the Spidertracks team based in New Zealand is packed with forward-thinking tech such as WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth, USB-C, and serial port interface capability, to provide the ideal development and integration platform.

Building on the advanced functionality of its predecessors, the Spider X will make flight data monitoring (FDM) accessible for the general aviation industry as a simple, easy to install, lightweight, and affordable solution.

“I am really proud of what the team has delivered with the SpiderX. The look, feel, and design concepts reflect 13 years of aviation DNA and learnings, and future-proofs our customers to meet their ever-evolving requirements,” notes Dave Blackwell, CEO of Spidertracks.

Spidertracks are carving out a unique opportunity for a digital transformation within a traditionally analogue industry. Building on their reputation of continually challenging the status quo and solving the problems that the industry faces, they look to redefine the way you access and receive data from the aircraft to deliver more usable insights and better understanding.

Thousands of aircraft owners and operators around the world choose Spidertracks, who continue to push boundaries, lead the way towards safer practices, and help support more efficient operations. They are breaking down the barriers of traditional flight data recording through digitising the analogue, and unlocking significant value for customers to better operate, analyse, and optimise their business processes.