Aircraft SPOT Logistics

[JeffDG]

I've been hearing grumblings that some folks in CAP-USAF don't consider these SPOT trackers to be an acceptable means of "Command and Control".

Well, if you're using them for Command and Control, you're doing it wrong, since they're a one-way thing...from the field to base.

They are a fantastic situational awareness and safety tool.  They also permit a crew to continue their mission in the event of lost-comms, in that they can continue to send ops-normal checks via the SPOT so the base knows they're still OK (we brief that the "OK" message = OpsNormal, and lost-comm, they hit that every 30 minutes)

[Mustang]

That's a really open ended statement. Can you provide some more particulars about why they don't like them.

I haven't seen such particulars articulated yet.

Well, if you're using them for Command and Control, you're doing it wrong, since they're a one-way thing...from the field to base.

They are a fantastic situational awareness and safety tool.  They also permit a crew to continue their mission in the event of lost-comms, in that they can continue to send ops-normal checks via the SPOT so the base knows they're still OK (we brief that the "OK" message = OpsNormal, and lost-comm, they hit that every 30 minutes)

Agree 100%, and that's exactly how we employ them. We've never characterized their use as a "command and control" mechanism, which is why CAP-USAF's statement came as an odd surprise.