How flightaware displays aircraft

sarangan

sarangan

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Jun 7, 2008
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Andrew, CFI-I
I am trying to figure out how flightaware handles GA flights. I would like to be able to give my tail number to a colleague to track the flight and meet me at the airport (but may not have a flightaware account).

It seems to me that VFR aircraft with ADS-B out show up on flightaware as "position only flights", with a statement that "This flight is restricted from public view". Only those with a flightaware account can see these flights. However, it looks like once the airplane has landed, these flights become unrestricted, and anyone can see it. Can anyone confirm if that is in fact the case?

Also, how are IFR GA flights handled? Are these visible to anyone without an account, or do they also only show up after the flight is completed?
 
If you file IFR your friend can see you even without an account. That is the best way for tracking you. I have ADS-B out and sometimes I show up and sometimes I don't while VFR even on FF. Depends on the airspace I guess. But if you go IFR he will be able to follow the whole way.
 
simtech said:
If you file IFR your friend can see you even without an account. That is the best way for tracking you. I have ADS-B out and sometimes I show up and sometimes I don't while VFR even on FF. Depends on the airspace I guess. But if you go IFR he will be able to follow the whole way.
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That's good to know. But even with ADS-B out, VFR flights are not visible to non-account viewers until after the plane has landed. That seems rather peculiar to me (because flightaware obviously has this data from volunteer radio feeders, so I am not sure why they restrict it to account holders).
 
When I'm IFR, F/A tracks me without fail. During VFR, even with a flight plan, F/A is unaware of me.

Not sure what could change that. If anyone knows, I'd like to know.
 
I flew to Dallas this past weekend and my mom does not have an account. I was IFR and landed for fuel and upon take off I went VFR and told her she likely wont be able to follow me but expect me in 1 hour. Well sure enough when I landed she had said she followed me the whole way, I was VFR and on FF. Its strange how it works because sometimes yeah you wont see me and other times non account holders can see your VFR flight real time.
 
About 90%+ of the time, FlightAware is able to follow my plane. And about 100% when VFR flight following.

I‘M mostly in metropolitan areas with great ads-b coverage.

-David
 
I received a tax bill from LA county, California, even thou I moved from California last year... The kind lady who answered my email by calling stated that the only flight showing in F/A was form El Monte to El Monte.... The flight from El Monte to Utah was not showing up so she sent a tax bill..... Had to send a screen shot of the F/A flight track, tie down fees in Utah and a statement regarding not being in California... She stated that she uses F/A to prove aircraft are in California to asses taxes....
 
We've tried it a few times with VFR FF and just not reliable enough for someone planning to pick us up. The best lately is a few text messages along the route. Been considering something like inreach but the plans with pings are not worth when flying only a hour or two per week. Someone should write ios Android app that just sends a sms every 10 minutes or when crossing within X miles of the destination. While at it have it pull sms metars as well as a backup to FIS.
 
sarangan said:
That's good to know. But even with ADS-B out, VFR flights are not visible to non-account viewers until after the plane has landed. That seems rather peculiar to me (because flightaware obviously has this data from volunteer radio feeders, so I am not sure why they restrict it to account holders).
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To motivate more people to become account holders?
 
sarangan said:
That's good to know. But even with ADS-B out, VFR flights are not visible to non-account viewers until after the plane has landed. That seems rather peculiar to me (because flightaware obviously has this data from volunteer radio feeders, so I am not sure why they restrict it to account holders).
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I don't think this is correct. Do you mean a paid account? I'm just a registered user, have no paid account, and I track VFR planes all the time in real time. Never had a problem with it.
 
BrianNC said:
I don't think this is correct. Do you mean a paid account? I'm just a registered user, have no paid account, and I track VFR planes all the time in real time. Never had a problem with it.
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Not paid account. Just registered account. You can track a VFR flight with ADS-B out if you are registered and logged in to flightaware. If you log out, that same flight will not show. However, it will show up after the plane has landed. At least that is what I have found to be the case so far.
 
sarangan said:
Not paid account. Just registered account. You can track a VFR flight with ADS-B out if you are registered and logged in to flightaware. If you log out, that same flight will not show. However, it will show up after the plane has landed. At least that is what I have found to be the case so far.
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If that's the case then it's a simple thing to register.
 
BrianNC said:
If that's the case then it's a simple thing to register.
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When a busy individual offers to pick you up at the airport, the last thing you want to ask them to do is to sign up for a service, read the terms of use and clutter their inbox, for this one-time use.
 
Glenn D said:
I received a tax bill from LA county, California, even thou I moved from California last year... The kind lady who answered my email by calling stated that the only flight showing in F/A was form El Monte to El Monte.... The flight from El Monte to Utah was not showing up so she sent a tax bill..... Had to send a screen shot of the F/A flight track, tie down fees in Utah and a statement regarding not being in California... She stated that she uses F/A to prove aircraft are in California to asses taxes....
Click to expand...

That’s idiotic even for a California bureaucrat.
 
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