Aviation survival kits and emergency survival gear for aircraft is all we do and we do it better than anyone else. That's why our customers include NASA, the FAA, the National Park Service, Cessna, State Aviation Departments and hundreds of pilots around the world.  Every piece of equipment in our aviation survival kits has been chosen and extensively field tested by pilots. The survival kits, SPOT Satellite Messengers, Nomex Survival Vests, ACR MicroFix 406 MHz PLBs, AeroFix PLB and other survival equipment we carry are all top quality gear that works when you need it to most.   We would be glad to build a custom survival kit to meet your particular needs or answer any questions about survival equipment. If you are looking for any survival equipment that you do not see on our site give us a call or send an email. We may well already have it in stock and can certainly offer it to you at very competitive prices.

LATEST NEWS 

New low pricing on  ACR Electronics PLBs!  MicroFix only $599.99   AeroFix only $499.99

SPOT – The World’s First Satellite Messenger

Revolutionary emergency messenger and personal tracker allows users to summon help from virtually anywhere on the planet

SPOT Inc. announced the introduction of the SPOT™ Satellite Messenger. The SPOT messenger gives consumers a vital line of communication, independently of cellular coverage, with emergency services, friends, and family. SPOT is a revolutionary product that is designed to raise the safety factor for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

“All of us have heard the news stories of people getting lost, stranded or worse in the mountains or remote areas beyond the range of their cellular phones and we’ve all wondered what would we do if caught in those same dangerous or potentially life-threatening situations,” said Darren Bassel, Director of Retail Marketing for SPOT Inc. “Now, with SPOT, you can send a message for help or tell family members, friends or the authorities exactly where to find you using GPS accuracy. For anyone who ever drives their truck or car, or works or plays anywhere regardless of cellular coverage, help is now only a push button away.”

SPOT message and tracking functions enable users to send messages to friends, family or emergency responders, based on varying levels of need and to visually track the location of the SPOT Satellite Messenger:

• Alert 9-1-1 dispatches emergency responders to an exact location
• Ask for Help sends a request for help to friends and family
• Check In lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay
• Track Progress sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps™

Weighing just over 7 ounces and priced at less than US $150, the SPOT Satellite Messenger provides consumers with the ability to send for emergency assistance in time of need; notify employers, friends or family of their status; and allows them to visually track the messenger’s location and progress on a computer using Google Maps™ and the SPOT website. SPOT uses convenient, easy-to-replace AA size lithium batteries for complete portability and when powered on, has a standby battery life of approximately 12 months. SPOT floats and its rugged waterproof construction is engineered to withstand a wide variety of extreme environmental shock and temperature conditions.

The National Association for Search and Rescue estimates more than 50,000 search and rescue missions are initiated each year in the United States alone. Many of these missions are undertaken without search and rescue knowing the exact location of the missing party. SPOT removes this unknown by providing GPS location coordinates that are accurate to within 20 feet.

SPOT can also be used for commercial lone worker safety applications for those businesses with employees operating in remote areas outside the range of cellular and other wireless communications. It is also a valuable safety tool for any person who drives their automobile outside of cellular coverage or for emergency messaging during natural disasters such as hurricanes or other situations when cellular or land-based communications may be damaged or unavailable.

Mr. Bassel added, “Never before have all of these innovative features existed in one device – in some cases, the technology just didn’t exist, and those that did were too expensive. Now, virtually everyone can afford a potentially life-saving satellite messenger. The SPOT Messenger really represents the next-generation of satellite-based solutions for consumers. This product is just the first in what we expect to be a series of innovative SPOT satellite products designed for the everyday consumer. We anticipate our solutions will serve our customers around the world with long term peace of mind for years to come.”

Pricing and Availability

The SPOT Satellite Messenger will be available to the public starting November 1, 2007 through www.PreparedPilot.com The SPOT messenger will be available for $149 USD. Initially, service fees will be offered for at $99 USD. Later, monthly and multi-year options will be available. Optional features include automatic tracking service (SPOTcasting) and private rescue service for countries or regions with non-responsive emergency services.

Coverage

SPOT works around the world, including virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia, portions of South America, Northern Africa and Northeastern Asia, and hundreds or thousands of miles offshore of these areas. SPOT uses the GPS satellite system to determine a user’s location and the SPOT network to transmit that location and the user’s status. The SPOT network features satellite technology with a proven 99.4% reliability while processing over 6 million messages a month – the equivalent of 2.3 messages per second.

Product Specifications

Approximate Dimensions: 4.38 X 2.75 X 1.5 inches

Operating Temperature Range: -40 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Weight: 7.37 ounces

For more information on how SPOT Inc. is helping users live to tell about it™ with its SPOT Satellite Messenger device, visit www.findmespot.com.

MicroFix PLB is smallest lightest PLB with a built in GPS!

This newly approved PLB is 35% smaller and 25 % lighter than its predecessor.  It will be available from Prepared Pilot on March 12, 2007 for $649.99.  It has a built in 12 channel GPS and at the touch of a single button alerts rescuers who you are, that you need help, and most importantly, where you are.  It effectively takes the search out of search and rescue and is considered by many to be the single most important piece of survival gear you can carry.   You can read the full press release on the PLB at the bottom of this page and find more information about purchasing the MicroFix PLB here.

ACR PLB credited with stranded hiker's survival!

A NPS ranger said "the PLB probably saved his life" after a man stuck on a cliff face in freezing temperatures uses his ACR PLB to call for help. The ACR PLB he used was very similar to the ACR AeroFix PLBs carried by Prepared Pilot.  You can read the full story as told by the park ranger here.

Testimonials:

"When I investigated your Wilderness Aviator Survival Kit I found everything a pilot needs to cope with the hazards of a survival situation.... I have found your kit to far exceed my expectations and it exceeds the minimum list of items that I recommend. I heartily endorse it (and the ACR AeroFix Personal ELT with the built-in GPS). Thanks for providing a tool that is functional and provides peace of mind wherever I fly." - Sparky Imeson, Gold Seal Flight Instructor, Author of 18 best selling aviation books including Mountain Flying Bible. You may read the complete letter here.

"I always look at so called survival kits in catalogs. Most are cheap in quality and leave much to be desired for content. The Prepared Pilot kits have the real equipment a pilot will need if they are stranded in the wilderness." - Darren Hunsaker, Pilot, Commander Salt Lake County Search and Rescue

"I hope I never have to use a survival kit but should the time come when I need one it is reassuring to know I have the best one available." - Jerald Boseman, Pilot

"Prepared Pilot survival kits contain no useless gadgets as are often found in other kits. Based on his professional training and long experience, Rob has assembled this kit with only the highest quality components - all designed to assist you in almost any type of emergency. I would not consider a cross country trip without a Prepared Pilot survival kit on board." - Steve Durtschi, CFI, President Utah Back County Pilots

Why do I need a Survival Kit?

There are about 1,500 general aviation accidents every year and many situations that require the use of a survival kit with out involving an accident such as a forced landing with out any aircraft damage. A study by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center found that even pilots that are not injured, have only a 50% chance of surviving 72 hours. The average time from when an airplane is reported missing to the time it is found is 62.57 hours if it is not on a flight plan. With better survival equipment you will be rescued much quicker and your chances of surviving go up dramatically.

ACR Introduces the MicrOFix™ 406 Personal Locator Beacon

 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—JANUARY 16, 2007--ACR Electronics, Inc., the leader in safety and survival technologies has introduced the world’s newest and smallest Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)—the MicroFix™, a one-button activated, emergency signaling device for hunters, hikers, climbers and outdoorsmen.

The MicroFix™, which has just received FCC approvals, is 35% smaller and 25% lighter than its predecessor, the ACR TerraFix™, a PLB that aided in the rescue of a number of distressed outdoors enthusiasts around the world over the course of the last two years.

The suggested MSRP for the MicroFix™ is $750.  Now FCC approved, MicrOFix™ units will ship to retailers in February.

“In spite of developing a more technologically advanced Personal Locator Beacon that requires a more efficient use of power, features a more sensitive, built-in GPS receiver and employs components more typically found in the latest generation cell phones, we managed to keep the MicroFix™ at the same consumer price point as the TerraFix™ I/O, its predecessor,” said Chris Wahler, director of marketing for ACR.

Weighing in at just 10 oz (285 g), the MicroFix™ is easily carried in a pack or pocket and is small enough to be worn by hunters, skiers, hikers, kayakers, climbers, snowmobilers or any outdoor enthusiasts looking for a reliable way-out-of-trouble in a life-threatening situation.  A lanyard and clip provide functionality and allow for multiple mounting options.

In an emergency, the MicroFix™ transmits on 406 MHz via the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system with the sender’s unique registered, digitally coded distress signal. Emergency officials monitoring the system not only will be able to tell who is sending the signal (thanks to the coding and registration data) but precisely where the signal is coming from as a result of the built-in GPS engine. The beacon’s highly-sensitive, built-in -136 dBm GPS receiver provides for faster acquisition, a bonus in any rescue where every second counts. 

Once activated by a single button, the MicrOFix’s built-in 12 channel parallel GPS acquires then transmits LAT/LON, dramatically saving valuable time for the distress message to reach local rescue centers with exact coordinates to within 110 yards (100 meters). The MicroFix™ also simultaneously transmits a signal on the 121.5 MHz (SAR homing frequency) to assist rescuers home in once in the general area.

Additional unique MicroFix™ features include: