Using the iphone as an emergency locator

[Kyle Wolfe]

I've been thinking and messing around with my iphone thinking that it could provide my wife (or others) with a way of locating me in case of emergency (I know, I know - she could also track me anytime as well! I'm willing to live with that.

So I think I've got it figured out. If I'm not quite on target I'm thinking others may jump in here.

So here's what I did:

First I went to the iphone app store and downloaded "find my iphone"

Then I went into my iphone settings.
Under "Privacy" I chose location services and made sure it was "on".
Under "Privacy" I chose Find My Iphone and turned it "on"

The last thing I did was downloaded "find my iphone" onto my home PC. This could be done on any other Apple product (i.e. another iphone, ipad, etc.)

Now all I - or someone else who knows my Apple ID and password can log into "find my iphone" and could locate it (me)

I'm thinking that it could be used in a pinch to locate me as long as I'm within phone coverage area. It seems to work when I attempt to find the phone!

Make sense? Maybe not as foolproof as a spot tracker but I'm more likely to have my phone in my pocket. Anyone else trying this?

[bagarre]

My wife and I use this almost DAILY to make sure each other is OK. She's a realtor and I have a long commute...it's nice to know the other arrived safely by just checking their location.

She also LOVES it when I go for a flight because she can see where I am as long as I have cell signal.
There is also a feature to put the phone in 'Lost Mode' where it will notify people the next time it has a signal.

I also try to send positional reports via text when over an airport or other landmark: "14:45 W18" or "15:30 10 East BVI". Be sure to add timestamps in case they are needed later to locate you.

The only problem with all of this is, it requires cell signal. but that's ok for 90% of our flying.

When I make my big trip this summer, I'm getting a SPOT locator so I can send updates via satellite.

[bagarre]

There are spots as I cross PA that I get no signal at 4000 feet.
I imagine the same will be for other areas in the country as well.

[GAHorn]

Of course, there is no "G-switch" activation....so if you're located on a freeway because you tried to land there...or unless you're in Lake Michigan....(in which case it probably died underwater).... and if you're incapacitated.... it doesn't offer much in the way of useful information as to the degree of wreckage or injury possibilities.

[bagarre]

A Spot, iPhone or even a hand held PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) are not a 100 replacements for a real 406mhz Aircraft ELT.
But, if you're willing to accept the limitations, they are very good alternatives at a much lower prices.

The units are small and rugged enough that they probably won't be damaged in a crash that you're able to survive. PLBs can be waterproof..iphones are NOT.

Hopefully, you have time to hit the panic button before impact. I imagine this would be the case for the majority of forced landings. Hitting the ground and knocking yourself out (or worse) without any forewarning is HOPEFULLY the exception when needing to be located (Flying in to IMC, stall/spin.)

I guess you need to decide what type of Emergency you plan to be located after and how much money is it worth to you.

[GAHorn]

It seems to me that ....if you need cell service for the device to be useful....then all I need to do is make a simple telephone-call. Since it's an android, I can even get on-line and let all you guys know.

My new truck was sold to me with wonderful addition of "Mopar Emergency Vehicular Theft Service" (MEVTS)
It works like this: if my vehicle is stolen...(I have basic-service)....all I have to do is call the police, obtain a police-case-number, then call MEVTS and they will, using the on-board GPS/Cell microchip, locate the vehicle for the police. This depends, of course, on there being cell-service where the vehicle is located. And the theives not removing the battery. Or the antenna.

Then, I can get my newly-trashed vehicle returned to me so I can not only pay the deductible, but also drive a car of forever-questionable reliability and possibly a salvage-title.

Or I can simply not find the car, pay the deductible, and get a new car.
That is the basic "free" service, automatically included in my purchase....i.e., if I give them $32,626.

If I pay $249/year additional...for "Silver Service"....MEVTS will notify me via cell phone that my car is moving without using it's own power.....like it's being towed or placed upon a car-trailer. I will still need to obtain a police report number if I wish it to be tracked.

For another $100, MEVTS will also provide "Concierge Service" and I may track my vehicle "free" on the Internet, up to 200 such inquries,....and, ...if I press a special button on the dash, they will call my cell phone to provide information about nearby restaraunts, theatres, shopping-centers, etc. They will also call me on my cell phone if it push that button, should I need a wrecker, ambulance, etc......(like about that time I'd need another task...such as answer-the-phone and talk to someone with a jingoist accent, named "Melvin" in India.)

What was that P.T. Barnham quote?...something about a scheme every day and a fool every minute?

My android cell phone will already do most of that plus display a map to the activities and lots more for no additional charges than ordinary cell phone service.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

The point is that lots of us are now carrying devices, that allow us to be tracked or found under curtain circumstances, by average people and not necessarily only for emergency use. I activated the Find My Phone when I first got my IPhone two months ago. I thought I'd use it for finding my phone. Period.

I'd never considered that I or in my wife's case and her Iphone, that she would be next to or in the vicinity of the phone being found by us. I never considered that we might want to find each other using this technology. Is it fool proof, no. And only a fool would count on it for survival situations.

This is a very cool and outside the box thinking. Thanks Kyle.

[bagarre]

Wife called me a while ago (her car now has GPS).
Her "David, I'm lost."
Me "Where are you?"
Her "On the highway."
Me "What highway?"
Her "I think something95."
Me "Umm, 495? 295? 695? 895??"
Her "Stop confusing me and help me!!"
Me "One Second"
...Find iPhone, load up, locate her phone on the map...
Me "In about two miles is an exit. Take that exit. It will put you on route 50 and you'll see signs for Bowie in 15 minutes"


That conversation used to be much longer before the iPhone.

[Kyle Wolfe]

Thanks guys for the comments. In no way was I intending that an iPhone would be my only ELT. I do think however instead of buying a spot locator and spending the extra money for the annual fee it makes sense that I use something that I get with my current device for free.

In my mind its just one more safety item that I thought others might use and appreciate. Just trying to share ideas. But I do know that it can provide peace of mind at home - and that's always good!

[W.J.Langholz]

Good idea Kyle!!!!!

I don't recall.....and could be wrong ....but I don't remember where a ELT was used to actually find someone........like I said I could be wrong but that's why it changing I think........in any case another source is always good, right.

I got a droid......sometimes on Saturday mornings I don't want my wife to find me .....



W.

[GAHorn]

Good idea Kyle!!!!!

I don't recall.....and could be wrong ....but I don't remember where a ELT was used to actually find someone........like I said I could be wrong but that's why it changing I think........in any case another source is always good, right.

I got a droid......sometimes on Saturday mornings I don't want my wife to find me .....



W.

Good Grief, DUbya! Don't you know the TRUE VALUE of ELTs????
They have been used for decades to locate airplanes inside airplane hangars and sell weird little proprietary batteries!

Several years ago, one of the founders of the CAF and a childhood friend of my Mom's, ...a man named Williams...went missing on a short flight back home from picking up his fresh-annualed airplane.
He was missing for several days, despite constant efforts to locate the airplane, which was reliably transmitting a steady "sweeping tone" from it's ELT, received by hundreds of airliners and GA airplanes.
The airplane was located after four days....on a brush-covered, down-slope hillside...on 1/8-mile final approach, inside the perimeter fence .....of the Hot Springs, AR airport.

ELTs have been enormously successful. For ELT mfr's.

[blueldr]

How'd y'all find out about the battery scam, George?

All I had to learn was to soft solder small copper wire to a small dry cell batteries and mix up potting compound.

[GAHorn]

How'd y'all find out about the battery scam, George?

All I had to learn was to soft solder small copper wire to a small dry cell batteries and mix up potting compound.

I'm just glad some of the more popular mfr's finally developed models which use common D-cell batteries.
The WORST ELT mfr'r ...in my opinon....was the EBC people ....who INSIST that their units MUST use ONLY their proprietary batteries!
They can kiss my EX's ... $^(#)#(*^$&^$. I hope they get the same satisfaction from that activity as I did for so long.