flight tracking
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Rescue teams will soon have access to global aircraft tracking data
The disappearance of flight MH370 taught the general public one thing: that flight tracking technology isn't as comprehensive as many might have thought. Current radar doesn't have global coverage, and if a transponder fails (as was the case with the Malaysia Airlines flight) there's little that can be done. Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) promises to improve things, but still won't cover the whole planet. Aireon (a subsidiary of Iridium Satellite) has an implementation of ADS-B that promises global reach (a leap from 10- to 100 percent coverage according to its claims). It uses 66 of Iridium's "Next" Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites which is what allows it to cover remote, or oceanic regions out of reach by current systems. "Aireon Alert" has been in development for some time, and is scheduled to launch in 2017. What's new, is that Aireon has announced it'll be providing the it's Alert data to emergency services and the aviation community free of charge. Soon after launch, approved search and rescue teams will then be able to get the location of any ADS-B enabled flight without needing extra avionics.
GateGuru for iPhone has been updated and greatly improved
I've been a fan of GateGuru since I first tried it in 2010. It's a travel app for the iPhone that provides a plethora of information of flights, airlines and airports. It's great having all of that in your pocket. Version 4.0 fixes some problems and makes GateGuru even better. Version 3 was nice, but had nagging problems. For example, it required me to enter flight details, even when that's not the information I was after. For example, sometimes I simply want to review the amenities that are available at a certain airport. GateGuru 3 needed flight info before sharing that data. With version 4, released today, all is forgiven. The free app now allows you to browse airport information with no restrictions. The entire app has been redesigned and it looks very modern. Plus, the amount of tapping has been reduced when you navigate, and all your travel information is on one screen. GateGuru excels at travel info, including airport weather, terminal and gate arrival and departure info, and real-time flight information with optional push alerts for flight status. The app also provides estimated TSA waiting times, and reviews of airport food, location of ATMs and rental car information with some discounted rates for GateGuru users. %Gallery-186907% I have one mild complaint. GateGuru caters to the traveler, and not the person who's simply doing the pickup. Yes, you can get the information on arrival times, but it's not really the purpose of the app. I prefer Flight+ which is a bit more agnostic on whether you are the traveler or the transportation. I'd like to see GateGuru add travel times to the airport based on local real-time traffic info, and travel / traffic time to a particular address like a hotel or convention center. Still, GateGuru is an absolutely indispensable app for those traveling by air, especially since so much of air travel involves sitting at airports. This new version is one of the most improved apps I've seen this year. If you travel, I heartily recommend adding it to your iPhone's travel folder.
Flight+ travel app now has free ad supported versions for iOS
I raved last April about Flight+, a travel app from International Airport Flight Track Technologies. Flight+ diligently tracks every flight in the world, alerting you to delays and gate changes while relaying the current position of your chosen flight on a detailed map. It sends messages on changes to flight status, take off and arrival confirmations, as well as weather forecasts. The app also contains flight displays for all major airports, gets seating charts for flights, and provides a world clock for keeping track of what's where and when. Flight+ comes in an iPhone or iPad version. I've used it while traveling and waiting to meet a flight, and I can say it's the best travel app I've seen. Really, I've just touched on the extensive features in this post. If you travel at all, or have friends, family or business associates who do, this is a must-have app. The paid, ad-free versions also have a fixed price cut: The iPhone version is now US$1.99 (previously $2.99) and the iPad app is now $3.99 (previously $4.99), starting today. Ad-supported editions are available as well. Either free or paid, I think you will like Flight+. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
