Mifflin SPOT tracking maps are now UP

[payn...@gmail.com]

The Mifflin U.S. 15-meter nationals and Sports class regional SPOT tracking maps are now up and available to anyone with a inet connection. The links are:


The tracking page URL's are:
Google Maps - http://www.hawketracking.org/mifflin/files/tracking.htm
Google Maps Large - http://www.hawketracking.org/mifflin/files/trackinglarge.htm
Mobile - http://www.hawketracking.org/mifflin/files/mobile.htm
Google Earth KML - http://www.hawketracking.org/mifflin/files/tracking.kml

Just as an interesting factoid - 25 of the 37 15-meter competitors (67%), and 7 of the 12 Sports class competitors (58%) are SPOT equipped. Pretty good considering we started from scratch only a few years ago. Thierry Thys' fatal crash in August 2009 was the impetus for the formation of the SSA's Track a Sailplane' page that now has approximately 450 SPOT devices registered by pilots. Theirry's death was a real tragedy (and a SPOT device would probably not have helped him), but at least it prompted us as an organization to do something significant in it's wake.

Full disclosure: Mark Hawkins and I are partners in Hawke Tracking LLC which sells SPOT tracking map services to soaring contests and other events for ridiculously low prices. At the rate we are going, I expect to have enough to buy my Arcus (winglet) anytime now ;-).


Regards,

Frank(TA)

[Ramy]

I went to the shared page to see if we can track the downed pilot at Miffin (thanks for this great service Frank).
Couple observations:
1 - 67% use of spot by pilots who fly contests, 5 years since spot introduced a device which only cost $150+ $150 per year and requires no installation, is pity IMHO. If I was a contest organizer, spot would be required.
2 - Pilots should know by now not too turn off their spot immediately after landing, or better yet, send an OK message and leave it on for another 10 minutes. Otherwise it will look like a landout few miles from the airport.

Ramy