Now is my chance to share a useless fun fact! If there is a V-22 Osprey on the map the icon will change from helicopter mode to plane mode depending on airspeed
Which is less than fun for a private pilot. The fact someone can lookup my full name and home address from my tail number or ADS-B data doesn’t feel good as a privacy advocate. Basically required to beacon all my personal information any time I fly
Thankfully the FAA finally made it easier for individuals to protect their privacy, but it’s still pretty minimal
This is also my preferred flight tracker. It’s important to understand how and why this site is available for free, and where the data come from:
the FAA and others mandate that pretty much all aircraft broadcast ADS-B info automatically on every flight. ADS-B is an international standard for aircraft data to be broadcast for the purpose of conspicuous ID, locating, and other info about the craft. Only highly sensitive military flights are exempt, for obvious reasons.
This particular site merely aggregates data from volunteers who have set up stations. These stations are easy enough to set up that there are enough volunteers to provide continuous, overlapping coverage in most places. If you wanted, you could set up a station of your own (requires just a cheap ~$30USD SDR, an antenna, and a laptop/raspberry pi/etc)
Justin Ling. (2023-01-27). “The Flight Tracker That Powered @ElonJet Just Took a Left Turn”. wired.com. Accessed 2025-10-16. “A major independent flight tracking platform, which has made enemies of the Saudi royal family and Elon Musk, has been sold to a subsidiary of a private equity firm. And its users are furious. ¶ ADS-B Exchange has made headlines in recent months for, as AFP put it, irking “billionaires and baddies.” But in a Wednesday morning press release, aviation intelligence firm Jetnet announced it had acquired the scrappy open source operation for an undisclosed sum.”.
I don’t have kids but I still like to wonder about where planes are going
https://www.flightaware.com/live/
https://planefinder.net/
https://www.flightradar24.com/
Another one that’s not corporate, and doesn’t remove planes when someone pays a fee.
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/
ADSB exchange is the go-to
Now is my chance to share a useless fun fact! If there is a V-22 Osprey on the map the icon will change from helicopter mode to plane mode depending on airspeed
That is so cool. I just checked and there’s two in plane mode and two in helicopter mode right now.
Which is less than fun for a private pilot. The fact someone can lookup my full name and home address from my tail number or ADS-B data doesn’t feel good as a privacy advocate. Basically required to beacon all my personal information any time I fly
Thankfully the FAA finally made it easier for individuals to protect their privacy, but it’s still pretty minimal
This is also my preferred flight tracker. It’s important to understand how and why this site is available for free, and where the data come from:
And that SDR is a hobby in and of itself. There are all kinds of interesting transmissions you can receive from around the world.
Oh, yeah, that’s a whole rabbit hole that I’ve been on for 5 years and counting, and I still feel like I know nothing :)
Isn’t it owned by a company called Jetnet?
Justin Ling. (2023-01-27). “The Flight Tracker That Powered @ElonJet Just Took a Left Turn”. wired.com. Accessed 2025-10-16. “A major independent flight tracking platform, which has made enemies of the Saudi royal family and Elon Musk, has been sold to a subsidiary of a private equity firm. And its users are furious. ¶ ADS-B Exchange has made headlines in recent months for, as AFP put it, irking “billionaires and baddies.” But in a Wednesday morning press release, aviation intelligence firm Jetnet announced it had acquired the scrappy open source operation for an undisclosed sum.”.
To get to the other side!
Of what? The disk?
Of the spacetime chicken