Spidertracks Customer Spotlight: Graeme Milne, Private Pilot in New Zealand
Private pilot Graeme Milne may have sold his Dynamic WT9 light-sport aircraft not long ago, but he’s still a strong advocate for Spidertracks and for why it should be a tool in every pilot’s bag.
He was on board with our real-time tracking software and safety capabilities from the beginning, outfitting his plane with the first version of the Spidertracks unit more than a decade ago and then using it to keep a watchful eye on his son and daughter when they decided to go for their own licences.
Read on for more of his thoughts on Spidertracks!
Tell us a bit about yourself and your aviation background. How long have you been flying?
I’m a private pilot who got my PPL about 12 years ago and bought a Dynamic WT9 light-sport aircraft. I did about 700 hours in it, including the 2010 and 2013 around-NZ air safaris, and I also did a family circumnavigation of the country from Stewart Island to Cape Reinga. I recently sold the aircraft but maintain an interest in private aviation.
How did you become aware of Spidertracks, and when did you begin using us? What was involved in your decision to become a Spidertracks customer?
From memory, I fitted the original Spidertracks model around 2008. I read about it in aviation mags and thought it was a pretty essential safety aid and peace-of-mind tool for my family at home.
What Spidertracks features and functionalities were the most important for you, and why?
As a single aircraft operator, I wanted the live tracking and emergency location features. And then when both my kids decided to get their licences, Spidertracks came in very handy to track them and make sure they were en route.
What would you say are the biggest strengths of the Spidertracks system?
Watch mode : the fact that it alerts on the loss of a signal rather than the activation of a signal.
What key issues did Spidertracks help you with?
It's a great tool for keeping a log of flights and also for confirming details of past flights. Spidertracks makes it easy to confirm heights and speeds in the case of retro-checking any suspect airspace infringements or the like — not that I had any, of course!
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