62 Aircraft Tracking
AUSTRALIAN FLYING January - February 201510-minute reporting with an automatic
trigger in unusual circumstances to
transmit each minute.
“Spidertracks offers subscription
for high usages where the cost of
a position report is only $0.05
(sent every two minutes),” ICAO
concluded. “This system sends the
GNSS location in real-time from
the device mounted in the aircraft
through the Iridium Satellite
Network, and displays the flight
tracks on dedicated websites. This
could represent a cheap solution at
the condition that it can be certified
and be robust to power outages and
intentional disconnections.”General Aviation
For general aviation, one tracking
option is Flight Following, a radar/
ADS-B alerting and tracking service
at pilot request. Subject to ATC
workload and surveillance capability,
it is not guaranteed.
Andrew Andersen of Australian
Strategic Air Traffic Management
Group (ASTRA) fitted ADS-B tohis Cessna 182 and collaborated
with Airservices Australia for
tracking his outback trips. “When
crossing remote areas with precious
people on board, my PLB is always
close at hand,” Andersen said. “It’s
also reassuring to know that ATC
can track my movements in the
event of an emergency. I’ve been
pleasantly surprised at the extent of
low-level ADS-B coverage, which
will improve even more with 13 new
ground stations being installed.”
Existing satellite-based aircraft
trackers, called “bread-crumb”
trackers, report GPS position and
may include speed, course and
altitude but are not substitutes
for mandated 406 MHz beacons.
They use Iridium or GlobalStar
constellations, not COSPAS-
SARSAT, are not required to
meet beacon specifications, do
not report to a government SAR
MCC, and involve subscriptions.
CASA spokesperson Peter
Gibson told Australian Flying
“At present, existing and
proposed CASA regulationsdo not provide for the types of
tracking systems mentioned to
be utilised as an alternative to
the carriage of an ELT.
“CASA monitors developments
in this field and, in consultation
with other relevant bodies such
as AMSA [Australian Maritime
Safety Authority], will consider
these technological advancements
in the future.”Available systems
Spot GEN3
A compact GPS messenger with
a choice of using your GPS
location for location advice,
check in or help request to
specified contacts, and a SOS
with GPS location to the GEOS
International Emergency
Response. GEN3 enables GPS
tracking and report frequency
dependent on subscription level,
where recipients can track on
Google Maps. For Australia,
quotes 99% probability ofsuccessfully sending a single
message within 20 minutes.
Waterproof to 1 metre for 30
minutes. Plan prices vary with
user needs. RRP: $176DeLorme inReach
SE Communicator
Can operate stand-alone or paired
with Apple and Android devices.
Will send and receive text messages
with delivery confirmation using its
colour screen and virtual keyboard.
In emergency, it can trigger an SOS,
receive delivery confirmation, then
two-way text with GEOS centre
until rescue. Includes tracking and
is waterproof to 1 m for 30 mins,
dustproof, and impact-resistant.
R R P: $ 419DeLorme inReach
Communicator
As a stand-alone, is a device that
is waterproof 1/30, dustproof,
impact resistant and f loats.
Can send up to three preloaded
messages for anticipated
situations or an SOS, and has
remote tracking. Paired with a
Smartphone has similar abilities
to the SE model without screen
and keyboard. RRP: $363DeLorme inReach
Explorer
The Explorer builds on the SE
Communicator by adding a digital
compass, barometric altimeter and
accelerometer plus the ability to
insert waypoints and a route on
a basic map page in the event of
leaving the aircraft and walking
out to safety or backtracking to the
aircraft if unsuccessful. It also suits
bushwalking. DeLorme inReach
plan prices vary based on user
needs. RRP: $499Yellowbrick V3 MkII
In addition to reporting GPS
position at preset time intervals as
often as 40 seconds, Yellowbrick 3
offers a basic messaging function
accessed via the five-button keypad
and OLED screen. In urgency,
the alert button sends a messageSPOTGME1 2