Spot Locators
Spot Locators allow us to track our planes via satellite. Every five minutes, the locator sends a signal with time and position, overlaying the data onto Google Maps. The locator gives the pilot the ability to send pre-determined text messages via satellite, such as Check-in/OK, weather or mechanical delay, non-life-threatening situation (but come get me), or any other message we need for a particular mission profile. The locators can also be used to send an international emergency distress signal, in which case the nearest search and rescue team will be contacted and dispatched. With this added technology, staff, families, and supporters can track the aircraft in near real-time from most web browsers.
You can view our MATA training plane’s locators to show tracking for various lengths of time to keep from cluttering the map around training areas. In the upper right corner select your choice of 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or 1 month.
If a “no message to display” banner comes up, it means we have not flown in the preset recall period.
