In more EAA AirVenture 2008 news from Oshkosh, Kitplanes magazine has done a good and brief writeup of SPOT. Visit Kitplanes for the whole article.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Spot, originally developed for backpackers and back country skiers, is a natural in the airplane. “The first thing I did with it was throw it in my Cherokee 140,” says Wilkenson. “It worked. When I pressed the OK button it sent a message, via text and email, to let people on my list know the lat/long of my departure and that I was OK. There’s also a link to a private Google Maps page where they can track me. Hold that button down again, watch for flashing lights, and I know it has gone to tracking mode,” he says. “Then it issues updates every 10 minutes or so, with my lat/long. When I reach my destination, I hit the OK button once more and it sends a message so people know I’ve landed safely. But that’s just the tracking mode. What makes this little device great are the HELP and 911 buttons. Push HELP and you’ll send out a non-emergency, ‘you need to come get me’ notice. It’s very popular with glider pilots who might land out. Push 911 and we will activate search-and-rescue in your vicinity immediately,” he says. ”
