SSA Creates National Sailplane Tracker List - Free to SSA Members

Last August, a sailplane failed to return after a 'local' cross-
country flight in Idaho. The search area was limited due to poor
soaring weather, but the wreckage and the deceased pilot still weren't
found until late the next day. One of the things that came out of the
R.A.S discussion about this accident was a suggestion that a public
repository of personal satellite trackers be created so that if a
tracker-equipped sailplane failed to return, it would be possible to
quickly access their tracking information and dramatically shorten SAR
response time.

As a result of this discussion, the SSA has now created a national
sailplane tracker repository as a free service for SSA members. If
you have a SPOT satellite tracker or APRS (ham radio) unit with web-
based mapping capability, you can now 'register' your pertinent
tracking information on your SSA member profile, and the information
will show up on the SSA Sailplane Tracker page (http://ssa.org/
myhome.asp?mbr=6867486834). The tracker list is sortable by name,
glider ID, registration number, and state. A link on the right-hand
side of the SSA home page is available to members or non members
alike.

The loss of Theirry Thys last August was a loss for all soaring, and a
tragedy for those left behind as well. Hopefully this new service
which was the direct result of an ad-hoc group of dedicated SSA
volunteers, will help the next time.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please
contact the SSA's Sailplane Tracker volunteer committee (http://
ssa.org/members/governance/VolunteersDetail.asp?group=74) or contact
me directly. It is our hope that this new SSA service will be widely
used by U.S. pilots, and maybe something similar set up by other
national bodies.

TA

On Oct 8, 1:57*pm, Frank wrote:
Last August, a sailplane failed to return after a 'local' cross-
country flight in Idaho. The search area was limited due to poor
soaring weather, but the wreckage and the deceased pilot still weren't
found until late the next day. *One of the things that came out of the
R.A.S discussion about this accident was a suggestion that a public
repository of personal satellite trackers be created so that if a
tracker-equipped sailplane failed to return, it would be possible to
quickly access their tracking information and dramatically shorten SAR
response time.

As a result of this discussion, the SSA has now created a national
sailplane tracker repository as a free service for SSA members. *If
you have a SPOT satellite tracker or APRS (ham radio) unit with web-
based mapping capability, you can now 'register' your pertinent
tracking information on your SSA member profile, and the information
will show up on the SSA Sailplane Tracker page (http://ssa.org/
myhome.asp?mbr=6867486834). *The tracker list is sortable by name,
glider ID, registration number, and state. *A link on the right-hand
side of the SSA home page is available to members or non members
alike.

The loss of Theirry Thys last August was a loss for all soaring, and a
tragedy for those left behind as well. *Hopefully this new service
which was the direct result of an ad-hoc group of dedicated SSA
volunteers, will help the next time.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please
contact the SSA's Sailplane Tracker volunteer committee (http://
ssa.org/members/governance/VolunteersDetail.asp?group=74) or contact
me directly. *It is our hope that this new SSA service will be widely
used by U.S. pilots, and maybe something similar set up by other
national bodies.

TA

Any reason 406 MHz PLB/ELT ESN was not included as well?

Obviously the rescue coordination center knows if a 406 MHz ELT/PLB is
activated and should know who owns it but it is useful for others
involved in the rescue to know quickly if the pilot has a PLB or ELT.


Darryl

On Oct 8, 2:12*pm, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:57*pm, Frank wrote:



Last August, a sailplane failed to return after a 'local' cross-
country flight in Idaho. The search area was limited due to poor
soaring weather, but the wreckage and the deceased pilot still weren't
found until late the next day. *One of the things that came out of the
R.A.S discussion about this accident was a suggestion that a public
repository of personal satellite trackers be created so that if a
tracker-equipped sailplane failed to return, it would be possible to
quickly access their tracking information and dramatically shorten SAR
response time.

As a result of this discussion, the SSA has now created a national
sailplane tracker repository as a free service for SSA members. *If
you have a SPOT satellite tracker or APRS (ham radio) unit with web-
based mapping capability, you can now 'register' your pertinent
tracking information on your SSA member profile, and the information
will show up on the SSA Sailplane Tracker page (http://ssa.org/
myhome.asp?mbr=6867486834). *The tracker list is sortable by name,
glider ID, registration number, and state. *A link on the right-hand
side of the SSA home page is available to members or non members
alike.

The loss of Theirry Thys last August was a loss for all soaring, and a
tragedy for those left behind as well. *Hopefully this new service
which was the direct result of an ad-hoc group of dedicated SSA
volunteers, will help the next time.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please
contact the SSA's Sailplane Tracker volunteer committee (http://
ssa.org/members/governance/VolunteersDetail.asp?group=74) or contact
me directly. *It is our hope that this new SSA service will be widely
used by U.S. pilots, and maybe something similar set up by other
national bodies.

TA

Any reason 406 MHz PLB/ELT ESN was not included as well?

Obviously the rescue coordination center knows if a 406 MHz ELT/PLB is
activated and should know who owns it but it is useful for others
involved in the rescue to know quickly if the pilot has a PLB or ELT.

Darryl

My apologies, I see there is a field there for ELT, it was not
mentioned in the post and when I first looked I had the right hand
column covered up. Well done. Thanks for doing this I'll be adding my
info...

Darryl

Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 2:12 pm, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:57 pm, Frank wrote:




My apologies, I see there is a field there for ELT, it was not
mentioned in the post and when I first looked I had the right hand
column covered up. Well done. Thanks for doing this I'll be adding my
info...

Darryl


But there does not appear to be a way to display both your SPOT info,
and to indicate that you have a PLB.

On Oct 8, 6:05*pm, Greg Arnold wrote:
Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 2:12 pm, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:57 pm, Frank wrote:

My apologies, I see there is a field there for ELT, it was not
mentioned in the post and when I first looked I had the right hand
column covered up. Well done. Thanks for doing this I'll be adding my
info...

Darryl

But there does not appear to be a way to display both your SPOT info,
and to indicate that you have a PLB.

Greg,

Not sure what you mean - the tracking list has a 'Locator URL' field,
but also has a read-only field for ELT. I presume if you have a
406MHz PLB you would enter '406' here. I have a 121.5MHz ELT
(required for some contests) and a 406MHz PLB, so I just entered the
121.5 one. Am I missing something?

Regards
TA

In article
,
Frank wrote:

As a result of this discussion, the SSA has now created a national
sailplane tracker repository as a free service for SSA members. If
you have a SPOT satellite tracker or APRS (ham radio) unit with web-
based mapping capability, you can now 'register' your pertinent
tracking information on your SSA member profile, and the information
will show up on the SSA Sailplane Tracker page (http://ssa.org/
myhome.asp?mbr=6867486834). The tracker list is sortable by name,
glider ID, registration number, and state. A link on the right-hand
side of the SSA home page is available to members or non members
alike.

This is a fantastic idea and the result looks great. Many thanks for
doing this. I will certainly be adding my info when I obtain the
relevant equipment.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

Frank wrote:
On Oct 8, 6:05 pm, Greg Arnold wrote:
Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 2:12 pm, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:57 pm, Frank wrote:
My apologies, I see there is a field there for ELT, it was not
mentioned in the post and when I first looked I had the right hand
column covered up. Well done. Thanks for doing this I'll be adding my
info...
Darryl
But there does not appear to be a way to display both your SPOT info,
and to indicate that you have a PLB.

Greg,

Not sure what you mean - the tracking list has a 'Locator URL' field,
but also has a read-only field for ELT. I presume if you have a
406MHz PLB you would enter '406' here. I have a 121.5MHz ELT
(required for some contests) and a 406MHz PLB, so I just entered the
121.5 one. Am I missing something?

Regards
TA


Good point. I just updated my profile to include this.

However, the column heading is ELT, and an ELT will transmit if I am
unconscious, while a PLB will not. The absence of a transmission might
be taken to mean there was no crash if everyone thinks I have an ELT.
If it is known that I have a PLB, the absence of a transmission would
not be taken to mean this.

In other words, rescuers may be more likely to make the assumption that
there is a landout rather than a crash if they erroneously think I have
an ELT. This could delay the start of a search.

I would suggest another column to indicate whether the unit is a PLB or
an ELT.

On Oct 8, 4:01*pm, Greg Arnold wrote:
Frank wrote:
On Oct 8, 6:05 pm, Greg Arnold wrote:
Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 2:12 pm, Darryl Ramm wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:57 pm, Frank wrote:
My apologies, I see there is a field there for ELT, it was not
mentioned in the post and when I first looked I had the right hand
column covered up. Well done. Thanks for doing this I'll be adding my
info...
Darryl
But there does not appear to be a way to display both your SPOT info,
and to indicate that you have a PLB.

Greg,

Not sure what you mean - the tracking list has a 'Locator URL' field,
but also has a read-only field for ELT. *I presume if you have a
406MHz PLB you would enter '406' here. *I have a 121.5MHz ELT
(required for some contests) and a 406MHz PLB, so I just entered the
121.5 one. * Am I missing something?

Regards
TA

Good point. *I just updated my profile to include this.

However, the column heading is ELT, and an ELT will transmit if I am
unconscious, while a PLB will not. *The absence of a transmission might
be taken to mean there was no crash if everyone thinks I have an ELT.
If it is known that I have a PLB, the absence of a transmission would
not be taken to mean this.

In other words, rescuers may be more likely to make the assumption that
there is a landout rather than a crash if they erroneously think I have
an ELT. *This could delay the start of a search.

I would suggest another column to indicate whether the unit is a PLB or
an ELT.

While I agree more flexible info on ELT/PLB would be nice. However
rescue coordination folks will be well aware of the abysmal
activation/detection rate with ELTs and unlikely to make such
assumptions.

Now we should focus on the silly ELT contest rule. Much better options
than 121.5 Mhz ELTs exist. Including 406 MHz PLBs and Spot.

Darryl

On Oct 8, 1:57*pm, Frank wrote:
Last August, a sailplane failed to return after a 'local' cross-
country flight in Idaho. The search area was limited due to poor
soaring weather, but the wreckage and the deceased pilot still weren't
found until late the next day. *One of the things that came out of the
R.A.S discussion about this accident was a suggestion that a public
repository of personal satellite trackers be created so that if a
tracker-equipped sailplane failed to return, it would be possible to
quickly access their tracking information and dramatically shorten SAR
response time.

As a result of this discussion, the SSA has now created a national
sailplane tracker repository as a free service for SSA members. *If
you have a SPOT satellite tracker or APRS (ham radio) unit with web-
based mapping capability, you can now 'register' your pertinent
tracking information on your SSA member profile, and the information
will show up on the SSA Sailplane Tracker page (http://ssa.org/
myhome.asp?mbr=6867486834). *The tracker list is sortable by name,
glider ID, registration number, and state. *A link on the right-hand
side of the SSA home page is available to members or non members
alike.

The loss of Theirry Thys last August was a loss for all soaring, and a
tragedy for those left behind as well. *Hopefully this new service
which was the direct result of an ad-hoc group of dedicated SSA
volunteers, will help the next time.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please
contact the SSA's Sailplane Tracker volunteer committee (http://
ssa.org/members/governance/VolunteersDetail.asp?group=74) or contact
me directly. *It is our hope that this new SSA service will be widely
used by U.S. pilots, and maybe something similar set up by other
national bodies.

TA

Thanks for doing this. I have entered my information but I found that
my glider (PZL Bielsko SZD-48-1 Jantar Standard 2) is not selectable
from the list. AFAIK there are only about 6 in the US so that probably
isn't a big problem but it would be nice to be able to enter correct
data.

Jonathan

Frank wrote:
On Oct 8, 6:05 pm, Greg Arnold wrote:

But there does not appear to be a way to display both your SPOT info,
and to indicate that you have a PLB.

Greg,

Not sure what you mean - the tracking list has a 'Locator URL' field,
but also has a read-only field for ELT. I presume if you have a
406MHz PLB you would enter '406' here. I have a 121.5MHz ELT
(required for some contests) and a 406MHz PLB, so I just entered the
121.5 one. Am I missing something?

Something the page should suggest is using the _weekly_ shared page
instead of the _24 hour_ shared page; otherwise, the track will
disappear completely from public viewing 24 hours after the last track
point.

I've added my information, using my weekly page.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly