LiveATC during commercial flight

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Has anyone ever successfully followed their commercial flight on LiveATC when your flight does have onboard WiFi?

If so, how did you do it? (besides having the app on your phone/tablet and connected to the LiveATC servers.
 
Does liveATC track Center frequencies?
I thought it just did towers/fields.
 
I have tried many times on many different carriers for at least the ground and departure phase. Have never had enough bandwidth for live streaming on any spam can with their crappy internet...even of just the audio (although ANY internet while hurling through the air at 400MPH is amazing in itself). Best I have been able to do is "accidentally" leave the cell service on and listen till it is outta range.

There is also a bit of a delay so you will be moving before you hear the clearances before you hear them on Live ATC

It was helpful one time being stuck on the ground at LAS due to thunderstorms and listening in on ground to figure out how fubared we were.
 
Yes, if the aircraft has on board wifi, last summer going into LAS, I had Las Vegas tracon on and could hear the approach transmissions, it was pretty neat.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Does liveATC track Center frequencies?
I thought it just did towers/fields.
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It does whatever people feel like monitoring.

Even towers/fields are very spotty.

Wouldn't it be easier to ask the flight crew to pipe the VHF comms into the entertainment system?

I imagine CPDLC would be rather boring to listen to.
 
The problem is one of bandwidth. On many flights GoGo internet is so **** poor that you're lucky to be able to load web pages. Using a VPN to get email is a stretch. Streaming services are discouraged or blocked (but a VPN can avoid that).

You'll pay a lot of money and get frustrated. I don't even try any more.
 
StinkBug said:
This never occurred to me. What's the legality of that, assuming you don't transmit?
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I'd say it's 100% illegal...so just make sure you keep the radio in a backpack and use a "music headset". Oh, and don't transmit :)
 
I listen on LiveATC all the time on taxi and departure phase, usually losing it on climb out. (Yes, I'm fully aware my phone should be in airplane mode by then, I switch to it as soon as we're airborne)

Tried on GoGo with no success thus far. I think by the time they switch it on, you've moved to Center anyway.

Thought about bringing my Yaesu with me, but would hate to get grief from the flight attendants over my nerdy obsession to listen to ATC chatter.
 
All transmitting items will need to be disabled, so illegal. Scanner? Seems legal.
 
StinkBug said:
This never occurred to me. What's the legality of that, assuming you don't transmit?
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I believe that handheld radios are not approved for use on airlines. In the back of Delta's magazine there are a list of approved electronic devices but handheld radios are not on the list
 
JasonM said:
Ok.. But what does the FAA say? Is there any official rules on this?
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Official rules on the use of an unlicensed two-way radio on board a commercial flight without the knowledge or approval of the operator or the PIC? What could go wrong? :confused::no:

I think the FAA might not approve. Not to mention the FCC.
 
When I first started my pilot training I borrowed my father's scanner and listened to the aviation frequencies during a family trip down to Florida. Worked okay on the ground but once in cruise it wasn't good enough to pick up the ground stations and I lost track of the frequency the aircraft was on so gave up. This was pre 9/11 so YMMV (my father was going to use the scanner himself but got invited to sit up with the pilots and chat during the flight so I don't think he missed out on much.)
 
The FAA says all personal devices (other than razors and a few other thing) need to be approved by the operator (i.e., the airline). I know of no airline that permits two-way radios or even airband scanners on board.
 
I use my Smartphone to listen to live ATC on the ground taxiing and tower for takeoff clearance. It will usually work until you are handed off to departure, then it loses the cell signal.

I can sometimes get it on the way in when on final, you may catch the tower clearance to land. And then taxi instructions to the ramp.

Also, like somebody mentioned, it's delayed by a few seconds. I didn't know that and it scared the crap out of me a couple of years ago. I was on an Emirate A380 out of JFK going to Dubai on biz. I'm upstairs in my comfy biz class seat (not important, just bragging :yesnod:) listening to ground giving us taxi instructions and then going over to tower. I'm also watching the monitor of the tail mounted camera view from high behind. We were told to line up and wait. I'm seeing us make the slow turn onto the runway, and without stopping I then hear the engines spooling up and we are off. I nearly jumped out of my seat. WTF!!!! This a-hole is taking off. I had a momentary vision of Tenerif collision of the PanAm and KLM 747's. Then about 3 seconds later, I hear "Emirates 203 Super cleared for takeoff 31L".... Phew! Honestly, my heart skipped a couple of beats.
 
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If you fly on United, typically they'll pipe in ATC on the entertainment system on Channel 9. If it's not working, you could ask the FA to ask the Captain to turn it on. Most will if it's not already on.
 
First you have to make sure you're on an old-time UA plane. If you're on an ex-Continental plane, there's no provision for ATC-on-9.

I've found it's dicey getting them to turn on ATC-on-9 if it's not already on. It's fun when it is. Some captains are vehemently opposed to it over some spat with the airline refusing to back some captain when a passenger heard something they didn't like on it.
 
flyingron said:
First you have to make sure you're on an old-time UA plane. If you're on an ex-Continental plane, there's no provision for ATC-on-9.

I've found it's dicey getting them to turn on ATC-on-9 if it's not already on. It's fun when it is. Some captains are vehemently opposed to it over some spat with the airline refusing to back some captain when a passenger heard something they didn't like on it.
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I know. When I was at United, most Captains had it on, some had it off, but told the FAs that if somebody specifically asked for it, let us know, and we would turn it on. Some guys, like you said, were opposed to it no matter what. It always seemed like it was because they were afraid someone was going to hear something and then sue them. Whatever... I always thought the guys who kept it off were a little weak.

I have to say, though, the unwritten first step in any emergency was to turn Channel 9 off.
 
flyingron said:
The FAA says all personal devices (other than razors and a few other thing) need to be approved by the operator (i.e., the airline). I know of no airline that permits two-way radios or even airband scanners on board.
Click to expand...

I have successfully brought a scanner on a commercial flight a number of times. Obviously I don't advertise it and hold it up and laugh at the flight attendants, but I've kept it low key and used my iPod headphones.

My best story was one time out of O'Hare on a busy Monday morning we were approaching a decent line for departure. Our pilot was given taxi instructions, followed by instructions to several more planes behind us to follow us, and our pilot subsequently turned onto the wrong taxiway with the entire conga line following us... and before the ground controller could stop the line about 4 planes were going the wrong way... it creating a hellstorm for the ground controllers. After getting a serious earful from the controller, and then sent to the penalty box, our pilot came on the PA with the old "Well folks, it's a little busy getting out today, so we're going to have to sit here for 10-15 minutes so they can get us on our way. Thanks for flying American!" I chuckled to myself...
 
On flights with WiFi I've used flightradar24.com to find and ID other airborne traffic from their ABS-B data. It's very accurate and only a few seconds behind reality in many cases. You can impress your mates by saying "In 30 seconds a jet will zip in the opposite direction 3,000 ft below us" and then watch it zip by. :-)
 
ahkahn said:
I have successfully brought a scanner on a commercial flight a number of times. Obviously I don't advertise it and hold it up and laugh at the flight attendants, but I've kept it low key and used my iPod headphones.
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So you think it's OK to violate the regulations as long as you do so surreptitiously?
 
flyingron said:
So you think it's OK to violate the regulations as long as you do so surreptitiously?
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No. It is never OK to violate any Federal Aviation Regulations under any circumstances. [EDIT: Unless you declare an emergency.] Any information I choose to post in a public forum specific to violating any regulations should be construed as anecdotal, speculative, and/or made up for the purpose of entertainment and not construed as an admission of an act.

What the hell kind of question is that???
 
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