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The first results of the eConspicuity survey are out! Your feedback barely received, we are already offering solutions: integration into free flight app XCTrack, helping emergency response, and setting up a ground station network in Europe. To top it off, we've earned a new award—the "Aviation et Pilote Trophy"!

Fellow SafeSky pilot, Exciting news awaits you this month with not just one, but two newsletters coming your way! We can't contain our enthusiasm as Europe's top general aviation event, #aerofriedrichshafen, promises to be packed with exhilarating news and surprises that we simply have to give it a newsletter of its own. But that's for later. First things first, let's dive into our early April activities. The month kicked off to a phenomenal start with the establishment of a new partnership, receiving outstanding feedback from you, and to top it off, we're currently in the running for a new award!

Dear SafeSky pilot! As we kick off the new flying season, your Newsletter has shed its old skin and emerged anew, baptised with the name "SafeSkyScoop". A distinguished audience deserves nothing but the most innovative communication. Read below what happened in March, as we're soaring to new heights with an expansion of our community, both geographically and collaboratively.

AERO23, what an unforgettable event! We announced several new partnerships but above all … we received an award from YOU. Discover all our AERO highlights here.

Now that the skies have finally cleared, we're excited that you can experience SafeSky firsthand during your flights and at the many flying events taking place. During the last weeks, you have broken every SafeSky flying record. You Fly to Make a Difference! From our side, while we are still reeling from the excitement of AERO, we are also working hard to prepare for the short- and long-term future. As you can read in our latest newsletter.

June is showering us with an abundance of exciting news, and in return, we're spoiling you with yet another newsletter! When we say "You fly to make a difference," those words carry deep significance. Once again this month, your contribution has been the driving force behind the realisation of our dreams, your dreams, but most importantly, the dreams of others. As you can read in our latest newsletter.

This month, we were fueled by the power of listening—attentively hearing the needs of our users and society, driving us to create impactful solutions. Therefore the word "critical" is the red thread in this month's newsletter. General Aviation, in its broadest sense, indeed plays a critical role in addressing societal needs and embracing change. You are General Aviation. You are SafeSky. So you are transforming today’s dynamic aeronautical environment. And guess what... we now are 50,000 pilots to join us in this endeavor! Find out how in this newsletter.

This month, we've been uplifted by numerous aviation initiatives that embody the spirit of aviation - joy, unity, and safety. These events have also raised an intriguing question: "To be or Not to be... visible?" That's the topic addressed in this month's newsletter. Amidst a multitude of arguments and choices, finding the answer can be challenging. Except for the SafeSky pilot, for whom the choice is clear: flying is sharing! Discover more in this newsletter.

Last month we talked about 'To BE seen or not to BE seen.' This month is all about 'To SEE or not to SEE.' A subtle but crucial distinction – an eye-opener! One thing is certain: we were thrilled to SEE you at the Mondial de l'ULM and SEE so many of you enjoying the skies with SafeSky. What's more, you now can SEE even more traffic directly on your navigation map! So what's not to SEE? You will find out below.

As summer fades, autumn reveals a new chapter in aviation: Starlink promises celestial connectivity, U-Space shakes up general aviation, and some nations face risky skies. We're eager to embrace these new realities. But before we do, we want to thank you for your exceptional dedication to safety and community this summer!

Happy New Year to all of you! 🍀 You may have seen the fantastic news: our community has now grown over 60,000 pilots. What a way to start the year! Together, we can make it even better. You can still share your ideas on safer flying through our unique eConspicuity survey. With your input, we promise you an even more exciting 2024!

One key word stands out in this newsletter: PARTNERSHIP. Industry players, instances, and pilots all join the SafeSky movement. We firmly believe that "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Look at how much we were able to achieve this month, all together.

Spring is in the air, and so are you! Our SafeSky statistics are peaking. And the best is yet to come: after taking flight, let's meet on solid ground at AERO, where we can do what we love most: meeting you. Will you be there?

The countdown to AERO Friedrichshafen 2024 has begun! We promised you some surprises and electrifying updates, today's the day you get to peek behind the curtain. Take a look.

Recently, we announced the establishment of a vast network of ground stations across Europe to improve airspace coverage and therefore air safety. France is one of the countries actively participating in this initiative. Today, let's take a closer look at the ground station installation at the Atlantic Air Park (LF8523). This installation is in fact the story of a SafeSky ambassador: Benoît MATHIEU, a 3-axis ULM pilot, who has been following and using SafeSky since its very beginning. He is part of our beta tester group. Benoît MATHIEU: "I've found the perfect air safety set-up for my flights: my eyes, the FIS, my TCAS, and ... SafeSky." As co-owner of Village LF8523, he takes aviation safety very seriously. The Village is located near the Atlantic Coast, a popular destination of many pilots to admire the splendid landscapes or visit the numerous aviation fields. However, this popularity results in dense air traffic, prompting Benoît to raise awareness among other co-owners. No sooner said than done, earlier this year, the General Assembly of the Air Park voted to finance the installation of an Avionix openAir multitrack ground station to capture maximum traffic data. The result? Benoît MATHIEU : "The result is excellent: the antenna successfully captures the majority of air traffic, also aided by the region's flat topography. This traffic data is then routed to SafeSky, who makes it available to all pilots at no cost." But that's not all. The initiative doesn't end there, and once again, partnership proves to be a key factor in success. It is now well known that for the multilateralisation of air traffic - enabling the viewing of Mode-S traffic - at least 4 antennas are necessary. So, Benoît reached out to the neighboring clubs. Their interest in also investing in aviation safety by installing a ground station has already been confirmed. For some, the vote for approval is already scheduled. >>> Follow the installation at LF8523 and the progress of future installations here. CONCLUSION This is again an example of how the combination of three success factors allows air clubs and villages to ensure the safety of their member and visitor pilots: Awareness Collaboration and the Best Technology. Thank you Benoît for leading this unifying initiative and promoting these values! How about you? Interested in the most advanced ground traffic reception station available today? Contact Avionix. As a reminder, SafeSky traffic, among other sources fueled by the Avionix receiver, is entirely free. In addition to this, you can add unique interoperability features. Check out the 2 plans offered to you:

Once more, partnership served the needs of pilots. In response to the requests of our pilots, particularly from the French community, it's now possible to integrate SafeSky traffic into SDVFR navigation software on iOS. While this feature was already available for Android, the iOS integration required some development work by SkyDreamSoft. This was now achieved, much to the delight of many SafeSky pilots. With a simple adjustment in the Settings of both Apps, pilots no longer need to use them separately but instead view traffic directly within the SDVFR app. This is made possible by the GDL90 protocol, a popular binary protocol used in aviation for communication between ADS-B devices and Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) apps. This is how you do it. Become SafeSky PREMIUM if you aren't yet (either by activating it directly in the APP, either by buying it on our store) Adapt your Settings in SDVFR 👉 Go to SETTINGS > OPTION > TRAFFIC SOURCE > 3. Adapt your Settings in SafeSky 👉 Go to SETTINGS > TRAFFIC SHARING > ENABLE TRAFFIC SHARING > And don't forget to take off! The result Why wait? Become SafeSky PREMIUM to enjoy this new functionality!

Egelsbach Airport (EDFE), Germany, 18th of October 2022. On October 18, 2022, more than 25 representatives from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) travelled to Egelsbach to spend the day on learning more about General Aviation (GA) in Europe. Organised by the world’s leading manufacturer association GAMA and the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations IAOPA, this unique event was an opportunity to exchange on the general aviation challenges, such as flight standards, GA community and Safety promotion. The SafeSky team was present to explain the limitations of VFR flying in 2022, and the need for all pilots – including paramotors, paragliders, trikes, ultra-lights and GA – to become visible to one another. This is particularly true at low airspace (below 5,000 feet AGL), where we share the same sky after all. Three key topics have been discussed with EASA on Safety: acknowledge that today there is no single technical solution that can depict a correct picture to pilots of what is flying in the sky. Therefore, inter-operability of systems is essential and must be promoted to pilots; too little aircraft are today eConspicuous, and near air-misses are an everyday reality in Europe for GA pilots; Search and Rescue: in Europe, it takes on average 4 hours to find a missing plane. Why not bring all stakeholders around the table (SAR, EASA, military) and develop a secure portal that provides SafeSky passive tracking information as such saving precious location and survival time? The SafeSky team demonstrated the possibilities of our app, explaining that it can be used with just a mobile phone with little limitations. Thanks to inter-operability and combined with an external radio receiver, pilots are lifting these limitations and can have a much completer picture of other pilots flying in the vicinity. We anticipate that EASA will continue working with SafeSky to increase safety through joint initiatives and campaigns, enabling all of us to realise our dream of making space the safest place on Earth 🌎. Organisations supporting this event:

Preliminary Note: This note is inspired by our response to a personal question from one of our loyal readers and users. It has been intentionally simplified. It is by no means a detailed technical note, but it straightforwardly sheds light on this delicate aspect of our light aviation, often misunderstood. SafeSky wishes to express its gratitude to the pilots who have contributed to the improvement of this article through their insightful feedback. Thanks to their input, we have been able to make several adjustments to provide you with the most accurate, albeit simplified, information possible. Among them, Steve UZOCHUKWU, a graduate in Avionics from Queen Mary College, London University, deserves special mention. He has reminded us of the importance of being very precise when addressing such important subjects. Mode C/S Transponders: How do they work? Mode C/S transponders transmit on the 1090 MHz frequency, just like ADS-B. However, the main difference lies in the amount of information transmitted. The message from a Mode C/S transponder is much less detailed than that of ADS-B. In the message from Mode C/S transponders, precise location is missing although both types will give a standard pressure altitude for the other aircraft. Consequently, even modern situational awareness systems capable of receiving radio waves can only roughly estimate the distance and the location between two aircraft. The information received might be something like: "intruder aircraft within a radius of 5Nm around my position, similar altitude." This is a very basic alert and tends to make pilots nervous, as they do not know where to look. The other aircraft could be anywhere in a 360 degree arc. Our aircraft respond to secondary air traffic control radars via transponders (C/S mode). The radars send queries at 1030 MHz and receive responses at 1090 MHz. In the S mode, the radar receives signals without direct GPS positioning data. Aircraft location is determined by the radar using information on time, distance, and azimuth of the returned signals. Some installations (secondary radars) are capable of decoding and interpreting ADS-B, adding better accuracy in aircraft location. Hence the importance of ADS-B, which offers much completer information, significantly enhancing safety by accurately positioning traffic. This occurs simply because the transponder is connected to a GPS, allowing the transmission of the aircraft's exact coordinates in three dimensions. And what about SafeSky? SafeSky can provide part of the Mode S transponder information thanks to multilateration made possible by the presence of ground-based traffic reception antennas. The lack or absence of these ground stations means there can be no multilateration and therefore no traffic reported on SafeSky or other equivalent platforms. That's why SafeSky is actively involved in a collective effort with authorities, associations, and other organisations concerned about flight safety in order to establish a semi-professional network of ground stations specifically dedicated to general aviation, preferably positioned at airports. This network would increase visibility of traffic near airfields, where the risk is highest. We are working closely with authorities, IAOPA, and drone-related movements to make this solution a reality. ADS-B Transponders: Good to know. Most modern transponders, such as the Trig TT21, can transmit in ADS-B if they're connected to a GPS. A simple cable costing a few euros is enough to make you visible/able to transmit in ADS-B. This connection can usually be made via EFIS like the G3X or Dynon, or even via a Garmin 650. However, this work must be carried out by a qualified person or during the radio and transponder check, which must be performed regularly. Conclusion.

Compliments of a Belgian pilot, Sven. 🙏🏻 "When I was finally in the air last Saturday, I caught myself thinking about what an incredibly useful product you have created. Only now do I realise how much traffic I never noticed before with 'see & avoid.' When Brussels Info calls me, I'm already searching for the right place for about five seconds thanks to SafeSky, which also makes their traffic advisories more efficient. You undoubtedly hear this daily, but wanted to send my personal compliments."

The "SafeSky experiment" conducted at L’Ile de la Réunion (France) by the "Direction de la Sécurité de l’Aviation Civile Océan Indien" (DSAC OI) over three months, starting on October 14, 2023, revealed its first results on February 16, 2024. Introduction. Pilots on "La Réunion" face particular unique safety challenges associated with its island nature, primarily because the majority of flights cater to tourism activities.. Common identical flight routes and a single radio frequency lead to massive saturation. The environmental topology also negatively affects radio frequency quality, as evident in the radio extract below. These issues collectively contribute to an overall sense of danger for all pilots. 🔊 Radio extract 🔊 The "SafeSky experiment". The experiment aimed to assess the SafeSky App's effectiveness in addressing the air safety challenges of Réunion Island. With voluntary participation, it engaged over 150 pilots, representing the majority in the territory, most of whom were flying 3-axis aircraft. While many pilots installed and used SafeSky, not all continued, a typical observation in a change adoption curve. 🔊 An example of how SafeSky could facilitate pilots' life 🔊 Challenges and opportunities for enhancement. The experimentation highlighted some functional challenges such as battery consumption, support suitability, and network coverage. Additionally, software refinement and addressing the absence of specific traffic, particularly helicopters, were identified as areas for improvement. It appeared that most of the mentioned challenges were already tackled with a number of existing and future solutions: General conclusion. "When used effectively, SafeSky is a major contribution to flight safety, particularly in the island’s context. The use of 'electronic visibility' devices is to be promoted and gradually integrated in a manner suited to our practices. The system relies on the integration of the highest number possible." (Regional ULM Committee of Reunion Island) "No system will replace the "see and be seen" principle, but all real-time safety-contributing information provided to pilots helps to mitigate the risk—this is the essence." (FFPLUM) Next steps. Additional investment – the DSAC OI intends to install 8 ground stations to enhance protocol reception. A new three-month SafeSky experiment will be launched afterwards to collect fresh insights. Change management – Recognising the time and investment needed for change adoption, the DSAC OI plans to provide educational support for pilots and instructors and to promote the use of electronic visibility devices in aviation practices. SafeSky's role – SafeSky commits to supporting DSAC OI with easily addressable questions. The upcoming V3 will also introduce solutions such as cancelling alerts during formation flights. Check out the full results: