Kiwi company Spidertracks is winning interest in its tracking-based emergency location system from GA pilots in Alaska.
The recent spate of aircraft incidents in Alaska, including a DeHavilland DHC-3T crash that claimed the life of former US Senator Ted Stevens, has heightened interest from local Alaskan pilots in alternative forms of aircraft location.
The rugged and remote terrain that Alaskan pilots have to navigate every
time they fly puts them at an increased risk of danger. Gary Bennett from Northern Lights Avionics, Spidertracks representative in Alaska, says inquiries about the Spidertracks product have been on the up of late.
“The Spidertracks system is rapidly gaining popularity as more folks are aware of the benefits the system has to offer, along with its reliability,” Bennett says. “ELTs [emergency locator transmitters] are great when they work, but unfortunately too often they are damaged on impact and don’t go off.
“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.”
The Spidertracks tracking-based emergency location system uses the Iridium Satellite Network to ensure global coverage and reliability and operates in over 50 countries. Spidertracks’ Rachel Donald says the company believes its tracking-based emergency location system can save lives.
“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,” she explains. “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.”
Spidertracks was launched in 2007 to fill the gap in the aircraft tracking market for
portable, simple and cost-effective satellite-based tracking solutions. The privately owned company is based in Palmerston North on New Zealand’s North Island. To find out more about Spidertracks click here.