alternatives to flight aware: flight tracking

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alanbreck

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AlanB
As far as website/app flight tracking, so far I've only played around with Flight Aware. Lately I've been annoyed by it. Maybe part of it is operator incompetence. I played around a bit (once) with Flight Radar 24, and couldn't figure it out any better.

So...

Do folks have recommendations for websites/apps they like better for flight tracking?
My preferences:
- free
- shows ALL traffic (ADS-B) in a given geographic area
- even better if it shows traffic that doesn't have ADS-B out but which is on ATC radar (is this doable?)

Example case:
I'm on the ground somewhere and see a plane flying overhead ... I pull out my phone, open website/app, center and zoom in on my location, and see icon (and make/model/Nnumber?) for the plane that just flew overhead (assuming it is ADS-B out and/or on ATC radar)

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
They are all a little different. I feed 4 of them with a raspberry pi:
  • Flightware
  • Flightradar24
  • Radarbox
  • ADSB-exchange
Each one will have some slightly different coverage depending on who their feeders are. Also, the base maps can be different too, so I flip from one to the other depending on what I am looking for.

If you are a feeder, you get some added bonus such as no ads and access to longer history (ADSB-exchange offers no extra benefits, but it is free with no ads to begin with).
 
As @Lycosaurus says... plus if you already use ForeFlight, then when you're on the ground ForeFlight provides Internet traffic of all hits in the vicinity (via a feed from FlightAware) including the ability to view the traffic in 3D.
 
FlightAware is the best one of them all IMHO. The only thing FlightAware lacks is the ability to view tail numbers for airline flights (unless you pay), whereas FlightRadar24 will show them for free. Overall, each of them show the same data, it’s just that the interface isn’t nearly as friendly as FlightAware.
 
RyanB said:
FlightAware is the best one of them all IMHO. The only thing FlightAware lacks is the ability to view tail numbers for airline flights (unless you pay), whereas FlightRadar24 will show them for free. Overall, each of them show the same data, it’s just that the interface isn’t nearly as friendly as FlightAware.
Click to expand...

... but flightradar24 will show you a street map, which I really like for identifying locations. The Flightaware map is less detailed.

If you are just looking at commercial flights, then there will be very little difference in the tracking. For flight to small airports and low to the ground flying, some sites will do better than others... all about the feeder coverage in the area.
 
Lycosaurus said:
They are all a little different. I feed 4 of them with a raspberry pi:
  • Flightware
  • Flightradar24
  • Radarbox
  • ADSB-exchange
Each one will have some slightly different coverage depending on who their feeders are. Also, the base maps can be different too, so I flip from one to the other depending on what I am looking for.

If you are a feeder, you get some added bonus such as no ads and access to longer history (ADSB-exchange offers no extra benefits, but it is free with no ads to begin with).
Click to expand...

Is there open source code for this available online or is it something you programmed?
 
I hate Hate HATE HATE the fact that the FAA forced me to put a little box in my aircraft at rather great expense that now anyone with a blasted screen can use to spy on me and follow my travels.
 
Lycosaurus said:
but flightradar24 will show you a street map, which I really like for identifying locations. The Flightaware map is less detailed.
Click to expand...
FlightAware does the same thing. Just change the map type.

A14FB3C5-D02A-473D-A1E8-9B2D4DF4D558.jpeg
 
steingar said:
I hate Hate HATE HATE the fact that the FAA forced me to put a little box in my aircraft at rather great expense that now anyone with a blasted screen can use to spy on me and follow my travels.
Click to expand...


Rockwell knows how you feel.
 
steingar said:
I hate Hate HATE HATE the fact that the FAA forced me to put a little box in my aircraft at rather great expense that now anyone with a blasted screen can use to spy on me and follow my travels.
Click to expand...

I agree. We should have the capability of the same level of anonymity as terrestrial vehicles have. Also, none of this looking up the tail number business. You do not have access (without some legal or investigative means) to ownership information for license plates.

So, what are we going to do about it?
 
alanbreck said:
Example case:
I'm on the ground somewhere and see a plane flying overhead ... I pull out my phone, open website/app, center and zoom in on my location, and see icon (and make/model/Nnumber?) for the plane that just flew overhead (assuming it is ADS-B out and/or on ATC radar)

Thanks for the suggestions.
Click to expand...
I do that with ForeFlight.
 
Lycosaurus said:
I agree. We should have the capability of the same level of anonymity as terrestrial vehicles have. Also, none of this looking up the tail number business. You do not have access (without some legal or investigative means) to ownership information for license plates.

So, what are we going to do about it?
Click to expand...
Here we go again. :rolleyes:
 
Plane Finder is the other one I use.

It will show all aircraft, and highlight the one you are tracking.

Also, the paid version allows you to use the camera and GPS to look at a plane and it will figure out which airplane it is.
 
steingar said:
I hate Hate HATE HATE the fact that the FAA forced me to put a little box in my aircraft at rather great expense that now anyone with a blasted screen can use to spy on me and follow my travels.
Click to expand...

I found this inconvenient as well, when I was president of a high-rise HOA Board.

I've blocked my tail # and only ADSB-Exchange can be used to track me easily by the layperson.
 
I didn't realize most of you are so important that you think people are spying on you. I know I'm not, I'm just irritated they made me spend the money. But that still was a choice sooo......
 
simtech said:
I didn't realize most of you are so important that you think people are spying on you. I know I'm not, I'm just irritated they made me spend the money. But that still was a choice sooo......
Click to expand...
You do you, I'll do me. I don't care about you, or your thoughts on the surveillance state. I don't like it applied to me. If you don't approve, too bad.
 
steingar said:
You do you, I'll do me. I don't care about you, or your thoughts on the surveillance state. I don't like it applied to me. If you don't approve, too bad.
Click to expand...
On the flip side, I can just about guarantee there isn’t a soul who cares enough to track you and your whereabouts. You can rest assured that nobody cares.
:rolleyes:
 
steingar said:
I only wish that were true.
Click to expand...
Certainly you know there are ways to prevent people from tracking you online that don’t involve sounding like a self-centered ego driven individual though, correct? You can have your tail # blocked from these sites by simply submitting a request.
 
RyanB said:
Certainly you know there are ways to prevent people from tracking you online that don’t involve sounding like a self-centered ego driven individual though, correct? You can have your tail # blocked from these sites by simply submitting a request.
Click to expand...
I submitted that request long ago and found to my dismay I can still easily tracked. I am sorry my desire for privacy offends so many.
 
steingar said:
I submitted that request long ago and found to my dismay I can still easily tracked. I am sorry my desire for privacy offends so many.
Click to expand...
Doesn't offend me one bit, I just made a statement that clearly offended you (i didnt even call anybody out, see @midlifeflyer..hahaha). It's okay, like I said before, people think they are so important that people spy everytime you go fly. I'm not doing anything illegal and I'm too boring for people to track me anyway. Unless of course we talk about that thread were the poster was wanting to hide his flights from his wife to go visit his mistress. Then yeah you want privacy otherwise our lives are not as private and secure as we think anyway.
 
steingar said:
I submitted that request long ago and found to my dismay I can still easily tracked. I am sorry my desire for privacy offends so many.
Click to expand...

100 bucks a year fixes the problem.
 
RyanB said:
Certainly you know there are ways to prevent people from tracking you online that don’t involve sounding like a self-centered ego driven individual though, correct? You can have your tail # blocked from these sites by simply submitting a request.
Click to expand...
Will ADSB-exchange block a tail # on request? I was under the impression that they would not.

Nauga,
asking for a friend
 
nauga said:
Will ADSB-exchange block a tail # on request? I was under the impression that they would not.

Nauga,
asking for a friend
Click to expand...
I don’t believe so, but I could be wrong. The others will, however.
 
nauga said:
Will ADSB-exchange block a tail # on request? I was under the impression that they would not.

Nauga,
asking for a friend
Click to expand...
They will not. That's kinda their whole purpose. True open source totally unrestricted data
 
My current job has the tail numbers blocked. This was to the great dismay of my mom, who likes to see where her little boy is flying today. Fortunately I found adsbexchange.com, which shows blocked tail numbers since its just receiving the data straight from the airplanes, not from the FAA at all (as I understand it).

Unfortunately, adsbexchange.com is quite a bit less user-friendly for the average user than, say, FlightAware. It’s still usable, but has so many options and kind of a weird interface that I suspect it’s designed more for the techies, ads-b hobbyists, ham radio operator types.
 
I use flight aware and tell my friends they can monitor my tail number. They can also set the alert for notification when I go flying.
 
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