Services like FlightAware and FlightRader24 have become the mainstream flight-tracking software for most plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts. However, I’d like to introduce you to a lesser known tool that I feel is far more interesting.
ADSBexchange takes the signals broadcasted by aircraft and displays them in real-time on a map. FlightAware and FlightRadar24 allow aircraft owners and operators to pay a fee to not have their signal broadcast on their maps but that’s not the case with ADSBexchange so it gives you a more accurate picture of the aircraft that are currently airborne.
The fee an aircraft owner can pay to FlightAware to block their plane from showing up starts at $600 a year. However, this does not block the aircraft across other platforms like FlightRadar24 and obviously ADSBexchange. The FAA also maintains a block/unblock list pursuant to recent legislation that has been passed.
An aircraft owner can opt to select the most restrictive form of blocking their aircraft which will only make it available to the FAA and no 3rd party vendors. You may also elect to have your registration accessible only at a subscriber level. This would be beneficial if you were a company managing a flight department and wanted to be able to access real-time data about your aircraft.
ADSBexchange does have a limitation though. Unlike the other aforementioned services, you can’t look at an airport and see past arrivals, departures, or upcoming arrivals and departures.
TL;DR
How do you track a flight?
The easiest way to track a flight is to use a service that provides access to ADSB broadcast signals. Services like FlightAware, FlightRadar24, and ADSBexchange all provide the ability to track a flight.
