Airflare?

[Jonathan S.]

No, not this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airflare

I first noticed it recently at a local ski hill:
https://berkshireeast.com/the-resort/airflare

But doesn't seem to be new:
https://airflare.com/successes/
... especially since the reviews go back to mid 2017:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/airflare/id1193142072
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...light.airflare

Reading the details here:
https://airflare.com/wp-content/uplo...d-Features.pdf
... in each paragraph #2 of "Searching for an AirFlare Subscriber" and "Searching for a non-AirFlare Subscriber" seems to be a way for ski patrol to "ping" a cell phone using a special drone:
https://airflare.com/mountainresorts/

So if your local hill is listed on the website, might be worth a few bucks, on the chance that you get lost out of bounds or crash into a tree, etc.
(Although I'm going to ask my local hill's patrol about this -- I just guest patrol there every now and then, plus assist at the annual refresher, so I might have missed an announcement about this.)

[sfotex]

Hmm, interesting. LifeSeeker is pretty big in Europe (and Teton County has a unit)
https://www.centum-rt.com/product/lifeseeker/

And I have seen some other home grown stuff over there. One of the big issues in the States is FCC regs/Privacy issues, but I imagine the AirFlare app lets you opt in to be found.

[total_immortal]

Hmm, interesting. LifeSeeker is pretty big in Europe (and Teton County has a unit)
https://www.centum-rt.com/product/lifeseeker/

And I have seen some other home grown stuff over there. One of the big issues in the States is FCC regs/Privacy issues, but I imagine the AirFlare app lets you opt in to be found.

Just downloaded and bought a subscription to AirFlare to see how it works since my home hill uses it Yes, you do have to opt-in when you sign up and give it permission to run in the background. Curious to hear some first hand reports and I might bring it up with our SAR team as well.

[Jonathan S.]

So I asked the patrol ass't director. The patrol doesn't use a drone to ping the victim or anything like that. Instead the patrol just searches with a desktop via the internet. So the victim would have to be within cell service. Which is the case for *almost* all of the ski area & mtn bike park. Although perhaps even those dead zones (for the purposes of making a call or checking email) have enough signal for the purpose of being found by this?
Also, the part on the website about "Searching for a non-AirFlare Subscriber" sounds like it's pretty much moot b/c if a non-Airflare victim hasn't enabled being found by something like that, then it won't work.

[sfotex]

If you have cell phone service your provider can triangulate your location withing a certain range. If you call 911 with a modern cell phone most 911 call center will get your GPS coordinates,

But how does a SAR team even know you have AirFlare to use it? If you have a loved one, room-mate, etc. you could use 'find my phone' to do the same thing. Or get a Garmin inReach and share the location with them.

Life Seeker is pretty awesome in this regard, it mimics a cell phone tower and any cell phones in the area will lock on to it, so for a non dense populated area the operator can see who is close by when the cell phone tries to connect. But it presents some privacy issues.