Reminder to SPOT and InReach Sat tracker users...

[Sean Fidler]

All,

This is probably rudimentary but today I have noticed several pilots today with Sat Trackers but no tracking during their flights.

Remember that if you are flying in some "big" soaring location (or even your local club) with a SAT tracker that is NOT automatically "tracking" (pinging satellite with your location automatically at regular intervals) then you might as well not have it.

The reason is that if you get into an real accident and are hurt, incapacitated or perhaps the tracker device flies away from you in the crash...it is now entirely useless to you and those who care about you. If you are in a situation where you really need the tracker to work, you are probably unable to press the "help" button.

Please consider buying a tracking subscription and learning how to put the tracker into tracker mode. Or re-double your efforts to remember to enable tracking mode before your flights. This should be part of your pre and post flight checklist and you should be religious about it.

Many seem to be not turning their trackers into track mode (forgetting, no data subscription, etc) and I feel that a false sense of security is developing.

Also, of course, we can't follow along with you when your out having fun!

Sincerely,

Sean
7T

[[email protected]]

On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 8:23:50 PM UTC-4, Sean Fidler wrote:
> All,
>
> This is probably rudimentary but today I have noticed several pilots today with Sat Trackers but no tracking during their flights.
>
> Remember that if you are flying in some "big" soaring location (or even your local club) with a SAT tracker that is NOT automatically "tracking" (pinging satellite with your location automatically at regular intervals) then you might as well not have it.
>
> The reason is that if you get into an real accident and are hurt, incapacitated or perhaps the tracker device flies away from you in the crash...it is now entirely useless to you and those who care about you. If you are in a situation where you really need the tracker to work, you are probably unable to press the "help" button.
>
> Please consider buying a tracking subscription and learning how to put the tracker into tracker mode. Or re-double your efforts to remember to enable tracking mode before your flights. This should be part of your pre and post flight checklist and you should be religious about it.
>
> Many seem to be not turning their trackers into track mode (forgetting, no data subscription, etc) and I feel that a false sense of security is developing.
>
> Also, of course, we can't follow along with you when your out having fun!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sean
> 7T

Good advise.

At the current Nationals in Elmira, there are many pilots with tracking devices that the SSA version of Glideport.aero is not tracking. There is a "no tracker" designation by their name. However, if you go to Glideport.aero independently of the SSA site and click on "USA" and then "Harris Hill" (not the link to the nationals available on the homepage of Glideport.aero) you will find that most of those "no tracker" types not being tracked on the SSA version show up and actually are being tracked.
I don't know why they are not showing up through the SSA Sailplane Tracker.

[Renny[_2_]]

On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 6:23:50 PM UTC-6, Sean Fidler wrote:
> All,
>
> This is probably rudimentary but today I have noticed several pilots today with Sat Trackers but no tracking during their flights.
>
> Remember that if you are flying in some "big" soaring location (or even your local club) with a SAT tracker that is NOT automatically "tracking" (pinging satellite with your location automatically at regular intervals) then you might as well not have it.
>
> The reason is that if you get into an real accident and are hurt, incapacitated or perhaps the tracker device flies away from you in the crash...it is now entirely useless to you and those who care about you. If you are in a situation where you really need the tracker to work, you are probably unable to press the "help" button.
>
> Please consider buying a tracking subscription and learning how to put the tracker into tracker mode. Or re-double your efforts to remember to enable tracking mode before your flights. This should be part of your pre and post flight checklist and you should be religious about it.
>
> Many seem to be not turning their trackers into track mode (forgetting, no data subscription, etc) and I feel that a false sense of security is developing.
>
> Also, of course, we can't follow along with you when your out having fun!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sean
> 7T

Sean's observation and recommendation are very important reminders. In June when we went back to try to find a missing pilot at Moriarty, we were able to use the last SPOT "hit" to put us in the general area of where he went down. This information was provided to the local authorities and this information was very helpful to the search and rescue folks. Without it the search may have taken a lot longer......Thanks - Renny