Tail Number Blocking

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RLVoumard

Filing Flight Plan
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Dec 13, 2013
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RLV
The time has come for me to block my tail number from public tracking sites ...two options.
Desired level of blocking
Desired level of blocking (New)
FAA source blocking The aircraft's flight tracking data will not be broadcast from FAA to any vendor. You will not be able to track your own flights via an vendor once FAA Source Blocking is in place.
or
Subscriber-level blocking Vendors will still receive the aircraft's flight tracking data from FAA. However, the vendor will not be authorized to publicly display the flight information.
With subscriber level blocking, you can subscribe to a vendor to track your own aircraft.

If I am reading correctly ...option 2 Subscriber - level would still allow display of flight info as long as someone is a subscriber ?
 
You are correct, but the LADD blocking only applies to data provided by FAA. If you have ADS-B Out, your ADS-B Out system is still broadcasting your ICAO address, which corresponds 1 to 1 with your N number. So even though FlightAware will not track you using your ADS-B data, other companies such as ADS-B Exchange can because they don't get any of their tracking information from the FAA. One option is to take advantage of the FAA PIA program that assigns you an ICAO address whose N number can be found in the FAA registry, but the entry only shows that it is assigned to the FAA and doesn't give out any address information. To use the PIA program, you have to obtain a third party call sign from one of four companies tied into the PIA program, for example ForeFlight. You need a Performance Plus subscription and the call sign is like FFL1234 and the telephony is ForeFlight One Two Tree Four when you talk to ATC. You need to have your transponder reconfigured to use the PIA ICAO address rather than the one assigned to your N number and the transponder must be setup to be able to enter a call sign. You need to enter it as FFL1234. That way, your ADS-B Out doesn't give away who you are and if you include FFL1234 and your actual N number with the LADD program, then the FAA won't disclose it either. Someone with an ADS-B receiver can still track you, but unless they see your N number printed on the side of your aircraft visually or by photo, they will not be able to match the PIA address with who you are.
 
RLVoumard said:
The time has come for me to block my tail number from public tracking sites ...two options.
Desired level of blocking
Desired level of blocking (New)
FAA source blocking The aircraft's flight tracking data will not be broadcast from FAA to any vendor. You will not be able to track your own flights via an vendor once FAA Source Blocking is in place.
or
Subscriber-level blocking Vendors will still receive the aircraft's flight tracking data from FAA. However, the vendor will not be authorized to publicly display the flight information.
With subscriber level blocking, you can subscribe to a vendor to track your own aircraft.

If I am reading correctly ...option 2 Subscriber - level would still allow display of flight info as long as someone is a subscriber ?
Click to expand...
Not really. For example, FlightAware. If you block via LADD with the FAA and use Subscriber-level blocking (where the FAA still broadcasts your info to vendors), FlightAware will still block it for *everyone*. However, you can then subscribe to FlightAware Global Gold or higher ($1,680/year) and then *you* can see your flights, as well as add as many other people as you want to be able to see you. It does *not* show up for just anyone who happens to subscribe to FlightAware. Source blocking means that you have no ability to give anyone access to your data, including yourself, because the FAA never sends your data. ***

However, this also doesn't block ADS-B. Others will still see your tail number, you'll still be trackable on ADS-B Exchange (because they don't have an FAA feed and thus aren't subject to the FAA requirement that LADD tails are blocked even if the data isn't coming from the FAA). To deal with that, you need to obtain a Privacy ICAO Address from the FAA and a callsign, and you'll be given a hex code that's not matched to your tail number to program into your transponder. To get a callsign, the easiest way is to use FltPlan.com (in which case you'll be "Dotcom 1234") or ForeFlight Performance (in which case you'll be "ForeFlight 5678").

*** I believe that if you use FAA Source Blocking, you may still need to go to the various sites and request that they block you from ADS-B as well. Not sure about that but if they're not sending your info at all I think the vendors may be free to use ADS-B still. I know that you can request blocking separately from FlightAware.
 
Related question. Would going the LADD-FAA level + obtaining a privacy ICAO address/PIA program make you anonymous to scum like Virtower (who sells your tail # to Vector)?
 
traumamed said:
Related question. Would going the LADD-FAA level + obtaining a privacy ICAO address/PIA program make you anonymous to scum like Virtower (who sells your tail # to Vector)?
Click to expand...
No. They will still see your callsign, and even if you have a PIA they will bill. Because they can't send you a bill directly since they don't know who you are, they will send the bill to your "airline" (ie, fltplan or ForeFlight), who will pay the bill and pass it on to you. There's no escaping them other than avoiding the airports where they operate.
 
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