Group:

Does anyone here know the data source for flightaware, and how it
works? Recently, I flew from Hampton Roads Executive (KPVG) in
Virginia to Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI) in Gaithersburg, MD, via
the scenic route up the Eastern shore Virginia and Maryland. I was
VFR, not on a flight plan, although I did have a flight plan on file
for my final leg in the Washington, DC ADIZ, from Easton to
Gaithersburg. I did have flight following by Patuxent after leaving
Norfolk class C. After landing I looked in Flightaware, and was
surprised to see that it had traced my whole route. The data was funny
(for instance, it said I had arrived 17 hours ago), but the track was
right and I know no one has take the plane along the route for a long,
long time. Just got me wondering they were able to display my whole
track even though I was VFR. Was it because I was in the system for
flight following?

Thanks,
Wiz

In article . com>,
"Wiz" > wrote:

> Group:
> Does anyone here know the data source for flightaware, and how it
> works? Recently, I flew from Hampton Roads Executive (KPVG) in
> Virginia to Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI) in Gaithersburg, MD, via
> the scenic route up the Eastern shore Virginia and Maryland. I was
> VFR, not on a flight plan, although I did have a flight plan on file
> for my final leg in the Washington, DC ADIZ, from Easton to
> Gaithersburg. I did have flight following by Patuxent after leaving
> Norfolk class C. After landing I looked in Flightaware, and was
> surprised to see that it had traced my whole route. The data was funny
> (for instance, it said I had arrived 17 hours ago), but the track was
> right and I know no one has take the plane along the route for a long,
> long time. Just got me wondering they were able to display my whole
> track even though I was VFR. Was it because I was in the system for
> flight following?

I have air-file IFR and found that Flightaware picks up my track from
the time I am issued a squawk until the flight plan is closed.

The data comes from the FAA command center near DC. Any IFR aircraft
will be there with the exception of some, if not all, of the tower
enroute tracks. Tower enroute is specifically designed to avoid getting
the center involved. Flight following likewise will also show up if you
are on a center code. If you are only talking to the local TRACON that
wouldn't show up as that data doesn't get forwarded to the command
center unless the center uses the TRACON's radar data. You would have
no way of knowing that in advance.



Wiz wrote:
> Group:
>
> Does anyone here know the data source for flightaware, and how it
> works? Recently, I flew from Hampton Roads Executive (KPVG) in
> Virginia to Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI) in Gaithersburg, MD, via
> the scenic route up the Eastern shore Virginia and Maryland. I was
> VFR, not on a flight plan, although I did have a flight plan on file
> for my final leg in the Washington, DC ADIZ, from Easton to
> Gaithersburg. I did have flight following by Patuxent after leaving
> Norfolk class C. After landing I looked in Flightaware, and was
> surprised to see that it had traced my whole route. The data was funny
> (for instance, it said I had arrived 17 hours ago), but the track was
> right and I know no one has take the plane along the route for a long,
> long time. Just got me wondering they were able to display my whole
> track even though I was VFR. Was it because I was in the system for
> flight following?
>
> Thanks,
> Wiz
>

Another interesting thing I found on Flightaware... the minute-by-minute
altitude page which listed my... um... altitude deviations during my
flight.

B A R R Y wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:12:47 -0600, Newps > wrote:
>
>
>>The data comes from the FAA command center near DC. Any IFR aircraft
>>will be there with the exception of some, if not all, of the tower
>>enroute tracks.
>
>
> Some VFR FF's show up, as well.

Yep, like I said.

"Wiz" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Group:
>
> Does anyone here know the data source for flightaware, and how it
> works? Recently, I flew from Hampton Roads Executive (KPVG) in
> Virginia to Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI) in Gaithersburg, MD, via
> the scenic route up the Eastern shore Virginia and Maryland. I was
> VFR, not on a flight plan, although I did have a flight plan on file
> for my final leg in the Washington, DC ADIZ, from Easton to
> Gaithersburg. I did have flight following by Patuxent after leaving
> Norfolk class C. After landing I looked in Flightaware, and was
> surprised to see that it had traced my whole route. The data was funny
> (for instance, it said I had arrived 17 hours ago), but the track was
> right and I know no one has take the plane along the route for a long,
> long time. Just got me wondering they were able to display my whole
> track even though I was VFR. Was it because I was in the system for
> flight following?
>
> Thanks,
> Wiz

And if you are the aircraft owner and don't want your track (or any info)
displayed you can request they do not show it. Check out the owner of the
Dallas Cowboys aircraft, N1DC.

Allen

"Allen" > wrote

> And if you are the aircraft owner and don't want your track (or any info)
> displayed you can request they do not show it. Check out the owner of the
> Dallas Cowboys aircraft, N1DC.

Give us a hint? I would be interested in knowing what you are talking
about, but not enough to go track it down.
--
Jim in NC

"Morgans" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Allen" > wrote
>
> > And if you are the aircraft owner and don't want your track (or any
info)
> > displayed you can request they do not show it. Check out the owner of
the
> > Dallas Cowboys aircraft, N1DC.
>
> Give us a hint? I would be interested in knowing what you are talking
> about, but not enough to go track it down.
> --
> Jim in NC

If you go to flightaware.com and put N1DC (Mr. Joneses' G-V) in the aircraft
ID box it comes up saying that the owner has requested his information not
be displayed. Some people do not want to be tracked : )

Allen

"Newps" > wrote in message
...
> If you are only talking to the local TRACON that wouldn't show up as that
> data doesn't get forwarded to the command center unless the center uses
> the TRACON's radar data. You would have no way of knowing that in
> advance.

NY TRACON may be an example of that. While VFR with o FF, I called on the
way back into FRG for a single practice approach and the very short track
showed up on FlightAware. Of couse the rest of the data on the page was from
my last IFR flight.

Marco



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> Flight following likewise will also show up if you
> are on a center code. If you are only talking to the local TRACON that
> wouldn't show up as that data doesn't get forwarded to the command
> center unless the center uses the TRACON's radar data. You would have
> no way of knowing that in advance.

Not true for my neck of the woods. I've been VFR using flight following
within the local TRACON's airspace and have seen my flight track.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

john smith wrote:
> Another interesting thing I found on Flightaware... the minute-by-minute
> altitude page which listed my... um... altitude deviations during my
> flight.

Yours too? Must be a bug in the software! :-) Then again, it doesn't
help when your altimeter is off one direction and your encoder is off
the other. In our case, we were consistently reporting 200 ft. low.
Turns out we needed to get the altimeter rebuilt and the encoder tweaked
(as part of a pitot static cert.).


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)