Spot tracker links to Flight Service

The tracking device company Spot by Globalstar has partnered with Lockheed Martin Flight Service to provide automated position monitoring for aircraft operating under visual flight rules (VFR).

Using a Spot Gen3 or Spot Trace unit, you can file a VFR flight plan with Lockheed Martin Flight Service and, on your Spot account Web page, authorize data to be sent to Lockheed Martin.

If the aircraft stops moving or stops sending position reports, an alarm is triggered immediately at Lockheed Martin Flight Service. The aircraft’s most recent GPS coordinates are forwarded to search-and-rescue authorities.

The Spot Gen3 also features an SOS button that can send an instant distress message along with GPS position information to GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center, immediately initiating search operations.

“We are pleased that Spot devices are now integrated into our Surveillance-Enhanced Search-and-Rescue services,” said Jim Derr, director of Lockheed Martin Flight Service. “Pilots now will be able to leverage additional tracking and rescue services that are crucial to their flight planning.”