ADS-B Tracking and Flightaware.com

MikeJJ

Call me naive, but how do you fellow pilots feel about this one: While in ForeFlight looking at some airport info, I discovered a link to flight tracking. This takes you directly to flightaware.com where it shows you departures, arrivals, etc. for the chosen airport. I was puzzled because the airport does not have air carrier service. Then I saw the tracks and detailed flight data were associated with general aviation aircraft! The data included time of departure, ground speed, rate of climb or descent, heading, and altitude about every 30 seconds of flight time, complete with animated flight tracks!

Then, I noticed a search box and typed in my N number. O M G !! There was a complete history of all my flights for the past month complete with data tables, animated graphics, AND AN OFFER TO PURCHASE AN ENTIRE FLIGHT HISTORY FROM THIS PRIVATE COMPANY!!! They even had a picture of my airplane I never sent them!

I know all of this ADS-B data is available to the Federal Government, but I was not aware private companies could collect and disseminate this information to the general public let alone sell it and make a profit. Was it interesting to see the flight history? Yes, but I was a little creeped out. Big brother, and apparently everyone else, IS watching your flight. The location of your aircraft, where it came from and how it got there, is now public information.

Regards,

Mike

MikeJJ

In an effort to better understand this issue, I discovered this article, I am now better informed.

Perhaps this will help others to understand the issues if you are curious. The article also contains other links on the subject.

https://tonywebster.com/2017/03/war-on-adsb-receivers/

Regards,

Mike

Scott Sherer

Hi Mike,
I became of Flight Aware sometime around 2004 and started using it them. It's really cool but the data risks are there, too, as you read in that article. www.flightaware.com is what I use.

MikeJJ

Hi Scott,
Yes, I too used a FlightAware app on my phone to track commercial air carriers when I traveled for business. But I was not aware of the general aviation tracking nor their general encouragement to build a low cost ADS-B receiver, put up an antenna, and share the data with them!

It is quite amazing, and I have to admit, quite useful to have such a detailed flight log. Didn’t pilots get a graphical printout of their instrument approach after enduring an hour in the Link trainer

Scott Sherer

Roger that, Mike. I learned to fly in a Link trainer back in the 1960's.

Jmcmanna

Mike,

You can have Flight Aware block your tail number from everybody except for you if you'd like. The guy I bought my plane from had that feature turned on...once the registration was in my name I sent them a copy and they un-blocked me from the public. After you're blocked, you can still see all of your flight info when you are logged into the site. You get the best of both worlds if you don't want other people tracking you.

arrow76r

Scott, I still carry time in my logbook from a Link trainer also in the '60's!! Thing made a lot of noise as I recall and traced the flight path on a piece of glass overlying a low altitude enroute chart!!