That appears to be his father (I can see part of the Major's nametape, and the part I can see matches the cadet's nametape); the three-person rule does not apply to members of the same family. There's also the possibility that the videographer is also a Senior Member or a cadet, which would meet the Rule of Three if the Major & the C/2d Lt were NOT related.

I had spoke to Garman about this exact question. They said a flat tire or mechanical issue is a legitimate SOS. Not a health issue, so no reimbursement. But, they would be happy to coordinate a tow or repair. You might verify this for certain.

Just to clarify, we are not using this as a SAR device. Civil Air Patrol uses VHF / HF as primary means of communication. Our squadron bought this from our own funds as a backup means of communication. There are times in the Rocky Mountains when we are not line of sight to a repeater or aircraft. We felt it was useful for safety reasons since we have cadets ranging in age from 12-18. It's good peace of mind to know we can communicate quickly if needed and out of VHF / cell tower range.

We just bought one... Yes you need to pay a subscription for 12 months and after that you can go month by month.

@@niwy1838 you can go month to month at anytime

I just got the device but I'm pretty sure that you can link with cell via bluetooth and then, with the Garmin Earthmate app, send texts with phone.

I also have this device. In order to start a dialogue. You must text first. I have the unlimited text plan. I can text anywhere on the planet . I absolutely love it. Basic plan only allows a limited amount of texts . (10) or some ridiculously low amount.