Great except for this feature
. The system keeps track of the aircraft and if the aircraft stops moving or stops sending position reports, an alarm is triggered immediately at LMFS.

Perhaps ok for pavement to pavement
but I rarely go point to point without an unscheduled stop at an interesting beach or lake

Perhaps possible to turn off at lmfs....

Yes, you can turn it "off". Actually, you have to turn it "on" by adding a "forward signal" to LMFS on your website account.

The information suggests you can turn the feature on and off at will from your SPOT account page. But I'm also concerned about how it works if I have the feature on and I leave a registered airfield and land someplace to camp or something and cannot contact FSS to let them know I'm ok...... Might require radio contact before landing?
I'd imagine that more details will come soon.....

This function has been available for the DeLorme In Reach for some time now. These programs rely on the user filing, opening and CLOSING a flight plan with FSS. If you don't file a flight plan, they don't track you. If you file a flight plan, and land somewhere that you can't close that flight plan, the flight plan will automatically alert SAR anyway, with or without these devises.....but it won't happen till the flight plan expires.

If you're on a flight plan, and you land somewhere unscheduled, and you're being followed on one of these devices, you're going to need to call FSS and let them know you're okay, just an unscheduled stop.

I can see some very real advantages to this service, but, like any kind of flight following, it limits your "freedom to roam" so to speak. Flight following by FSS would certainly make a huge difference in the event that you're in an accident enroute, though....expediting the rescue process.

Every good tool has some limitations....

MTV

One slight correction, MTV. They only track you if you _open_ the flight plan. Filing doesn't initiate any tracking/search.

I added my spot to my lmfs profile yesterday. Haven't actually uses it yet on a vfr flight plan but there is a check box you can unchecked any time if you don't want or need to share the spot data with lmfs. I'll definitely use it pavement to pavement but probably not when tooling around the mountains in Idaho.

[quote="soyAnarchisto"]One slight correction, MTV. They only track you if you _open_ the flight plan. Filing doesn't initiate any tracking/search.[/quote

Yep, that's what I posted: "These programs rely on the user filing, opening and CLOSING a flight plan with FSS."

MTV

I can't remember the last time I had a VFR flight plan filed.....hmmm circa 2007 maybe!

piperpainter wrote:I can't remember the last time I had a VFR flight plan filed.....hmmm circa 2007 maybe!

I can! Mexican FAA requires one for every flight, even if you're staying in the pattern doing touch and go's.