Sam Buchanan
been here awhile
The extent to which APRS has penetrated our RV community struck home yesterday. Tragically, there was an accident two miles from my home airport Wednesday that resulted in the loss of two pilots and an LSA amphibian. Within minutes of the sketchy news of a downed plane hitting the local media, my cell phone started taking calls from individuals who either wanted to know if I had details of the accident or wanted confirmation I wasn't involved.
Three callers told me that prior to calling they checked my APRS tracking page to confirm that N399SB was safely at the airport.
I found it interesting that APRS, while very new to our aviation community, is already being considered a prime tool by those in the know for determining the location of an aircraft when questions arise concerning its safety. If APRS has gathered this much momentum in four months, we can expect it to become even better known in the months and years to come. It is just a matter of time until APRS is called upon to locate an aircraft whose situation is unknown. At that point the transition of APRS from an interesting curiosity to a mainstream safety enhancement will be fully realized.
Three callers told me that prior to calling they checked my APRS tracking page to confirm that N399SB was safely at the airport.
I found it interesting that APRS, while very new to our aviation community, is already being considered a prime tool by those in the know for determining the location of an aircraft when questions arise concerning its safety. If APRS has gathered this much momentum in four months, we can expect it to become even better known in the months and years to come. It is just a matter of time until APRS is called upon to locate an aircraft whose situation is unknown. At that point the transition of APRS from an interesting curiosity to a mainstream safety enhancement will be fully realized.
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