In debuting the Spidertracks S3, the New Zealand company has brought the price of its GPS-based tracking system down dramatically. The previous Spidertracks system cost $1995 for the unit plus monthly and per-message fees. With the S3, the buy-in is less than half: $995. Plus, there are several data plans that can bring the ongoing costs way down for infrequent flyers. They range from $15 to $50/month for tracking alone, variable by the number of hours per month. Notifications sent from or to the Spidertracks unit are extra.

What’s more, the S3 is a very compact unit, designed to sit atop the glareshield (where its two GPS engines have a clear view of the sky). The system uses standard GPS for positioning, plus it includes a data link through the Iridium system to send tracking and “canned” messages, which can then be seen on a website or transmitted to users through text messages.

Spidertracks also allows dedicated tracking through a system called Spiderwatch, which acts similarly to SPOT; if tracking is lost while the unit is presumed active, Spidertracks will alert selected individuals, who may then contact emergency responders.

For more information, visit the Spidertracks website.

About Marc Cook: KITPLANES Editor at Large Marc Cook has been in aviation journalism for 23 years and in magazine work for more than 25. He is a 4500-hour instrument-rated, multi-engine pilot with experience in nearly 150 types. He’s completed two kit aircraft, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glastar Sportsman 2+2.