Why can't I find a flight on flightradar24. How Flightradar24 works

Flightradar24 is an internet service that shows air traffic around the world in real time. Flightradar24 displays data from many sources such as ADS-B, MLAT and FAA. Data from ADS-B, MLAT and FAA systems are synchronized with the schedule and flight status of airports and airlines, all providing a unique air tracking experience for you on flightradar24 and in the Flightradar24 apps.

ADS-B

The main technology we use to obtain flight information is called automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (). The principle of ADS-B operation is shown in the picture on the right.

1. The aircraft determines its position using the GPS satellite system
2. An ADS-B transponder (transmitter) on an airplane transmits these, and many others, data by radio signal
3. ADS-B radio signal is received by the receiver
4. Receiver transmits data to Flightradar24
5. The data is shown on the website www.fr24.com and in the Flightradar24 applications

Today, approximately 60% of all passenger aircraft are equipped with an ADS-B transponder. This percentage is steadily increasing as ADS-B is introduced as the primary radar for aircraft monitoring.

Flightradar24 has a network of more than 3,000 ADS-B receivers around the world that receive information about aircraft and flight parameters from aircraft ADS-B transponders and transmit this information to our servers. Since the 1090 MHz frequency is used, each receiver has approximately 250-400 km (150-250 miles) coverage in all directions from the receiver antenna because the curvature of the Earth obstructs the signal. The farther the plane is from the receiver, the higher it must fly in order to receive a signal from it. Therefore, over the oceans, there is simply nothing to receive ADS-B signals with.

About 99% of Europe is covered by ADS-B receivers. Good coverage also in USA, Canada, Caribbean, Brazil, Russia, Middle East, India, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. ADS-B coverage varies in other parts of the world.

MLAT

Several regions are covered by several FR24-branded receivers, with the help of which it becomes possible to determine the coordinates of an aircraft using the Multilateration technology, by calculating the time difference in reception of signals (Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA)). By measuring the time difference in receiving signals from the aircraft's "old" Mode-A / C transponders, it becomes possible to calculate the aircraft's position. Four FR24 receivers or more must receive signals from one aircraft - this is a prerequisite for MLAT to work. This implies that MLAT operation is possible at altitudes above about 10,000-20,000 feet, and the likelihood of receiving a signal from 4 or more receivers increases with increasing aircraft altitude.

MLAT currently covers a limited area of ​​Europe and North America, but is expanding rapidly.

FAA

In addition to ADS-B and MLAT data, we also receive data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. Unlike ADS-B and MLAT data, which are real-time data, FAA data has a delay of approximately 5 minutes by FAA regulations. On the Flightradar24 map, all aircraft received from the FAA are orange.

FAA data is based on data from conventional radars (i.e. aircraft not only with ADS-B transponders) and includes the most data mainly on commercial flights in airspace USA and Canada + partially over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Which aircraft can be seen on Flightradar24 (inside ADS-B coverage)

Common aircraft models that usually have an ADS-B transponder and are visible on Flightradar24 (inside ADS-B coverage):

• All Airbus models (A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350, A380)
• Antonov AN-148 and AN-158
• ATR 72-600 (most new deliveries)
• BAe ATP
• BAe Avro RJ70, RJ85, RJ100
• Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787
• Bombardier CS100 and CS300
• Embraer E190 (most new deliveries)
• Fokker 70 and 100
• McDonnell Douglas MD-10, MD-11
• Sukhoi SuperJet 100
• Some newer Ilyushin and Tupolev (e.g. Il-96 and TU-204)

Common aircraft models that usually do not have an ADS-B transponder and are not visible on Flightradar24 (inside ADS-B coverage):

• "Air Force One"
• Antonov AN-124 and AN-225
• ATR 42, 72 (except most new deliveries of ATR 72-600)
• Boeing 707, 717, 727, 737-200, 747-100, 747-200, 747SP
• BAe Jetstream 31 and 32
• All Bombardier CRJ models
• All Bombardier Dash models
• All CASA models
• All Dornier models
• All Embraer models (except most new deliveries of Embraer E190)
• De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
• Fokker 50
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-8x, MD-90
• Saab 340 and 2000
• Most helicopters
• Most of the old planes
• Most business jets
• Most of the military aircraft
• Most of the propeller driven aircraft

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Some older A300, A310, A320, B737, B747, B757, B767, MD10, MD11 aircraft fly without ADS-B transponders, which would make them visible on Flightradar24 in ADS-B coverage areas. But there are also some Twin Otters, Saab 340, Saab 2000 and MD-80 aircraft with ADS-B transponders visible on Flightradar24.

Aircraft visible on Flightradar24 (inside MLAT or FAA coverage)

In regions with MLAT or FAA coverage, most air traffic is visible regardless of aircraft type, however, considering that MLAT operation is limited to having multiple FR24 receivers in the same reception area and altitudes above about 10,000-20,000 feet. The data provided by the FAA often does not include aircraft registration information.

Blocking information

In order to ensure safety and privacy, information about some aircraft is blocked and it is not displayed on the map.

Coverage map

In areas where Flightradar24 has coverage, all major airports are marked with blue markers.

Flightradar24 is recruiting volunteers around the world to increase its coverage. ...

Please note that aircraft coverage and visibility depends on many factors including aircraft type, aircraft transponder type, aircraft flight altitude and the earth's surface and may change. If the aircraft you are looking for is not visible on Flightradar24, then it either does not have the required transponder or is out of Flightradar24's coverage.

Please visit our FAQ to find answers to frequently asked questions about Flightradar24.

Flightradar24© is an aircraft tracking system that displays in real time air traffic around the world. Flightradar24 uses several sources of information to display airflow: ADS-B, MLAT and FAA.

Data from ADS-B, MLAT, and the FAA are combined with flight schedules and aircraft status information from airlines and airports, all to provide an aircraft tracking engine via www.flightradar24.com or Flightradar24's computer applications (in including for mobile devices).

ADS-B

The main technology used by the service Flightradar24 to obtain flight information data, is automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast (ADS-B = Automatic dependent surveillance - Broadcast).

The main essence of ADS-B operation is reflected in the picture:

1. Airplanes receive their position information from a satellite navigation system (GPS).
2. Aircraft ADS-B transceiver transmits a signal containing information about the position of the aircraft (and much more).
3. The ADS-B signal is received by a receiver connected to the Flightradar24 system.
4. The receiver transmits data to the Flightradar24 system.
5. Flight data is displayed on the website flightradar24.com and in Flightradar24 computer applications.

ADS-B is a relatively new technology, it is still in the development and implementation stage and, accordingly, is currently rarely used in air traffic services / air traffic control (ATS / ATC).

Flightradar24 estimates that approximately 65% ​​of all commercial passenger aircraft (75% in Europe, 35% in the US) are equipped with ADS-B equipment. For general aviation (GA) this number is most likely even less than 20%. But every year the number of aircraft equipped with ADS-B is steadily increasing. This is due to the fact that ADS-B will soon become mandatory for almost all aircraft, in almost all airspace classes around the world (implementation of this limitation is planned for 2020).

Currently, restrictions have already been introduced for aircraft without ADS-B in the airspace of Australia (from December 2013 FL290 and above), Taiwan (from the beginning of 2014 FIR Taipei FL290 and above), China. Some countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.) are gradually introducing ADS-B, but they are not yet imposing restrictions. It is likely that ADS-B will one day become the main surveillance method used by ATS and replace the primary radar.

The Flightradar24 system, which has a network of more than 4000 ADS-B receivers around the world, receives information about aircraft and their flights using ADS-B transponders and sends it to the server. ADS-B receivers operate at a high frequency (1090 MHz), so the coverage area of ​​each receiver is limited to a radius of approximately 150-250 miles (250-400 km). The farther an aircraft is from a ground receiver, the higher its height must be in order to make contact with that receiver. The distance constraint makes it very difficult to implement ADS-B in oceanic areas.

ADS-B covers almost 99% of Europe, very good ADS-B coverage in USA, Canada, Mexico, countries The Caribbean, Brazil, central Russia, the Middle East, India, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. The rest of the countries and territories are still in the process of organizing and installing ADS-B.

MLAT

In some regions (for example, USA, Europe) with a large number of ADS-B ground stations, the aircraft position can be determined without the installed ADS-B avionics. In this case, MLAT technology is used - multilateration, which uses a method known as time difference of arrival (TDOA - Time Difference of Arrival).

By measuring the time difference when signals are received from a standard aircraft transponder by multiple ground stations, the position of the aircraft can be easily calculated. To implement MLAT, 4 or more ground stations are required to receive a signal from the aircraft. The more ADS-B receivers on the ground, the more accurate the calculation of the aircraft's position in airspace by Flightradar24.

The MLAT coverage area can be physically implemented only at an altitude of 5000-10000 feet (~ 1500-3000 m) and above, since the probability that an aircraft signal will be received by four or more ADS-B ground stations increases with altitude.

Much of Europe is currently covered by MLAT, ranging from 5,000-10,000 feet. Partially MLAT is implemented in North America, Mexico, Australia and Brazil. In 2014, there was an active increase in MLAT zones around the world, and this trend continues in 2015.

FAA

As mentioned above, in addition to data from ADS-B and MLAT, Flightradar24 uses information received from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Compared to the real-time data from ADS-B and MLAT, the data from the FAA arrives with a delay of about 5 minutes (this is the FAA rule). Accordingly, the information on these aircraft on the Flightradar24 website is not up-to-date, such aircraft are displayed in orange to separate them from the rest of the honest aircraft.

The data from the FAA is based on information from radars (i.e., this data does not only contain aircraft with an ADS-B transponder) and includes most of the scheduled and commercial flights in the USA, Canada and parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Flarm

Flarm is a simplified version of ADS-B with a shorter range, mainly used for small aircraft and gliders. The range of the Flarm receiver is 20 to 100 km. Flarm receivers are often installed at small airports with high glider traffic to track all gliders around the airport.

Aircraft displayed on Flightradar24 (within ADS-B coverage area)

ADS-B was originally used only to monitor commercial passenger aircraft with a capacity of 100 passengers or more. During recent years all more planes, including small aircraft, install ADS-B transceivers. Until the requirement for the presence of ADS-B equipment on the aircraft has become mandatory, each operator can independently decide for himself whether to install ADS-B transponders or wait a little longer.

Aircraft types with ADS-B transceivers and visible on Flightradar24 (within the ADS-B coverage area):

• All Airbus models (A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350, A380);
• An-148;
• An-158;
• ATR 72-600 (most new deliveries);
• BAe ATP;
• BAe Avro RJ70, RJ85, RJ100;
• Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787;
• Bombardier CS100 and CS300;
• Embraer E190 (most new deliveries)
• Fokker 70 and 100;
• McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and MD-11;
• Sukhoi SuperJet 100;
• IL-96 (extreme new aircraft assemblies);
• Tu-204 (extreme new aircraft assemblies).

Aircraft types that do not currently have ADS-B transceivers and are therefore not visible on Flightradar24:

• Air Force One;
• An-124;
• An-225;
• ATR 42, 72 (except for the newest deliveries of ATR 72-600);
• Boeing 707, 717, 727, 737-200, 747-100, 747-200, 747SP;
• BAe Jetstream 31 and 32;
• All Bombardier CRJ models;
• All Bombardier Dash models
• All CASA models;
• All Dornier models;
• All Embraer models (except for the newest Embraer E190 deliveries);
• De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter;
• Fokker 50;
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-8x, MD-90;
• Saab 340;
• Saab 2000;
• Most helicopters;
• Most older aircraft;
• Most business jets;
• Most military aircraft;
• Most aircraft are propeller driven.

These lists do not pretend to be the 100th truth, of course there are exceptions, for example, now there are still many old A300, A310, A320, B737, B747, B757, B767, MD10, MD11 aircraft that do not have ADS-B transponders flying accordingly, these aircraft become invisible to Flightradar24 if the flight is in the ADS-B zone, without MLAT. And vice versa, there are aircraft from the second list that already have ADS-B transponders and are displayed in the system. Flightradar24.

Aircraft displayed on Flightradar24 chart (within MLAT, FAA or Flarm coverage)

In regions with MLAT, FAA or Flarm, most air traffic is tracked and displayed on the Flightradar24 map, regardless of aircraft type. Accordingly, Flightradar24 users can observe turboprop aircraft, helicopters and gliders with Flightradar24.

But do not forget that this requires a large number of ground receivers and aircraft at altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 feet and above, which means that general aviation at lower altitudes can fly below MLAT coverage. The FAA generally does not track general aviation flights that have no flight plans.

Data received from the FAA often does not contain aircraft registration information, and aircraft tracked by MLAT often lack an aircraft call sign.

Blocking data

For security and confidentiality reasons, the receipt of information on some aircraft may be restricted or completely blocked.

That is, if you, with your own aircraft, do not want to be tracked by "enemies" using the Flightradar24 website, you can refer to the FR24 manual and your aircraft will become "invisible".

Flightradar24 coverage area map:

In areas where Flightradar24 covers territory, all major airports are marked with blue markers. The bulk of Flightradar24's coverage is provided by volunteers around the world. Almost anyone can contribute to the development of Flightradar24 and ADS-B in general by installing the receiver on the roof of their home.

Please note that aircraft coverage and display depends on many parameters: aircraft type, aircraft transponder type, aircraft altitude and terrain. Thus, one aircraft can get into the coverage area, but another (with the same location in coordinates) cannot.

If you cannot find a certain aircraft in the Flightradar24 system, it means that either it has an old transponder type (without ADS-B), or it is outside the coverage of the Flightradar24 network.

There are many online tracking sites that allow you to track flights in real time. This is very convenient because it allows you to find out with great accuracy exactly where the aircraft you are interested in is.

How to track a plane online?

Among such resources, Flightradar24 deserves special attention, which in the form of interactive map demonstrates the location of any aircraft. All flights are tracked to within a few minutes.

So now it will not be difficult to find out exactly where the plane of relatives or friends is. Moreover, the resource will be useful to those who often travel themselves. With the help of a mobile application with a rather convenient interface, the passenger will be able to determine by himself where the plane is, which is very useful if the flight is delayed or during the flight you want to know if there is a delay in the schedule.

The Flightradar24 website is very easy to use. To find the plane you want, just enter the flight number in the search field. You can also select any icon you like and click on it - then you can see what the route has already been. In addition, detailed information about the flight will be displayed in a special column on the left - for example, aircraft model, speed, altitude, etc.

The data is updated once a minute, so that all information is fresh and relevant. However, due to some technical difficulties, it may arrive with a delay of 5 minutes - such aircraft are specially marked in orange on the map.

Finally, the Flightradar24 database contains information not only about flights, but also about the airports of many countries, and also provides the ability to track all flights of a particular airline. In general, this is not only a useful, but also an entertaining site - if only because you can look at fire, water and how the figures of airplanes move around the map for a very long time.

Where to look for low-cost airline tickets?

To find tickets for flights of most airlines in the world, you can use the search form posted or use the Tripmydream metasearch

There is no better service for finding low-cost airline tickets than Kiwi.com. Try it and see for yourself!

Where to book cheap hotels?

The most convenient way to book hotels is through Hotels Combined, a service where you can compare prices from different suppliers. Or through the good old

Hello again everyone. Surely many of us use the services of various airlines. We make business trips, visit our relatives, friends, friends and acquaintances fly to us. Indeed, by plane you can get to your destination faster than any other means of transport.

Suppose your family members from another part of our Motherland are to fly to you. How to track an airplane flight in real time? The service, which we will talk about today, will help us with this.

This is a service - Flightradar24... Thanks to him, you will find out which flights depart and arrive at your airport, trace the path of any plane, find out its speed, route, distance, departure and landing time.

Let's get to know him better. Go to the main page of the service at https://www.flightradar24.com

The service automatically detects your location and you can choose your airport. The aircraft that are flying over your territory will also be indicated. By choosing any plane, you will find out detailed information about him, flight, etc. Which one? See below. Using the mouse wheel, you can zoom in and out of the terrain. Thus, the aircraft can be tracked anywhere in the world.

So, we choose our airport.

Before us will open information about arriving, departing flights.

Above it will be indicated local time airport, weather, wind strength.

Arrivals (Arrival)- the nearest flights, which will be accepted by the Irkutsk Airport, are indicated. Here you will find out the arrival time, flight number, from where, the name of the airline, the make of the aircraft, registration number him and his status.

Departures (Departure)- this tab will display flights departing from this airport.

On ground- here will be shown the vessels that have landed on the ground.

For the convenience of working with the service, make a language. This will help you more or less figure out what's what.

Go to the tab " Arrival". According to the current time, the next flight arrives from Ulan Bator. But for some reason, it cannot be tracked where it is located in this moment... But we can take a flight from Khabarovsk. In the Status column he has Estimated) arrival time 22:33. And next to it is a black arrow. We click on it and show the flight, data about it.

To close the data for this airport, click the cross in the upper right corner.

On the left we see 3 blocks with information.

1 - flight status. Here are the route of the flight, time of departure, arrival; total distance traveled and remaining distance.

2 - details of the aircraft. This block displays aircraft data. Model, registration number, serial number, age. Some data is hidden under the lock icon. This means that the data is available in the paid version. You can learn more about tariff plans on this page - https://www.flightradar24.com/premium

3 - flight data. Indicated are longitude, latitude, speed (in knots), altitude in feet.

There are 2 buttons just below.

Number 4 in the screenshot - when you click on it, the scale is reduced and the full path of the aircraft is shown: from the place of departure to the place of arrival.

To return to the previous mode, press the button again. Nearby, to the right of it, there is a button that directs our attention to the plane. All ships move around the map in real time.

The most interesting feature of this service is that you can watch the liner in 3D. To switch to this mode, press the " 3 D"(See screenshot 3). The mode will load and you will see the aircraft in 3D. You can watch it in real time: where and how it flies.

Using the left mouse button, you can rotate the viewing angle from different sides. If you press the right button and, without releasing it, move the mouse itself up and down, you can change the scale of the aircraft. You can even feel like a pilot of this vessel by switching to the pilot view by clicking on the corresponding icon in the right panel. In this case, the camera does not change the angle of view. To determine the location of the liner, there is a map that will tell you exactly where the aircraft is flying.

To exit 3D mode, simply click the cross in the upper right corner.

If you like the service, then you can use the application for various devices. To select the required application, go to the menu item " Programs»And select the required application.

Thanks to this service, you can always track the plane in real time and arrive at the airport on time to meet your friends, acquaintances and relatives.

And that's all for today. Have a great weekend and good luck!

Anyone who can rule a woman can cope with the state.

Probably everyone who at least once met or saw off relatives or friends on a plane used the free Flightradar24 service. It is very convenient way tracking the position of the aircraft in real time.

As shown by a survey of acquaintances, very few people know that this service is supported only by enthusiasts who send data to the server. Even fewer know that anyone can join the project.

Let's fill this gap. We will continue how it works under the cut.

Iron

The very first question is where the data comes from.

Each civilian aircraft is equipped with a special transmitter, the so-called ADS-B transponder:

(photo from Garmin website)

This device sends special messages at a frequency of 1090 MHz, containing the main flight parameters, the type of aircraft, its coordinates, destination, etc.

The signal on the spectrum looks something like this:

And what is most important for us, it is not difficult to decode this data, an RTL-SDR receiver with a cost of about $ 8 connected to a computer is enough. Actually, the idea is probably already clear - if we collect data from many receivers, we get a picture, something like this:

But that's not all. Some planes transmit data packets, but they lack GPS coordinates. If you receive data simultaneously from multiple receivers whose coordinates are known, then by analyzing the delays at different receivers, you can find out the position of the aircraft. This technology is called multilateration (MLAT), you can read more about it on the website.

And finally, the last question is how the data is received. The answer is simple, anyone can host the receiver, the price of the issue ranges from $ 0 to $ 50. For example, this is how the Flightaware receiver map looks like:

As you can see, the coverage of the Russian part leaves much to be desired, so some have a good chance to be the first.

To receive data you need:

Raspberry Pi2 / 3 with internet connected (price from $ 20)
- RTL-SDR-dongle (price from $ 10)
- at least the simplest antenna of 2 pieces of wire 6.8 cm long each (1/4 dipole at 1090 MHz)

It is also desirable to have a place with a more or less open view of at least part of the sky. gigahertz signals are absorbed by obstacles such as houses or trees.

I already had both the Raspberry Pi and the RTL-SDR, so I didn't have to buy anything. But anyone can try to get a ready-made receiver for free - and Flightradar and Flightaware send kits for free to users from those areas where coverage is currently insufficient. You can send a request via the link (Flightradar or Flightaware), of course, it is advisable to try for those who live in a fairly remote area.

I used a kit from RTL-SDR V3, which together with antenna and mini tripod cost $ 27 with free shipping from China:

By the way, as a second bonus, Flightradar24 and Flightaware provide everyone sending data to the server unlimited access to premium account and all server functions (separately, such access costs about $ 50 / month). So if someone is interested in aviation and wants to have extended access to such an account, installing an RTLSDR receiver is a completely cheap alternative.

Testing

Installation is extremely simple, on the Raspberry Pi you just need to connect the receiver and run one command:

Sudo bash -c "$ (wget -O - http://repo.feed.flightradar24.com/install_fr24_rpi.sh)"
The script will request the necessary data (coordinates and type of receiver, e-mail address), then the software will work automatically, user attention is no longer required. In parallel, you can activate a premium account (for FR24 at https://www.flightradar24.com/premium/signup?account=free) and immediately use all its features (flight tracks, etc.).

You can go to the Raspberry Pi IP address page and see the current status:

Much more information can be seen on the Flightradar24 account page:

I live on the 6th floor relatively close to the airport, so the number of planes monitored per day was more than 1000, even with a simple antenna on the windowsill. Interestingly, even with such an antenna, the maximum range to the received aircraft was 215 miles. You can find different antenna options on ebay by searching ads-b antenna.

Alternative

A bonus for those who have the patience to read to here. Some readers may have a question: is it possible to do without third-party services like Flightradar? Of course, you can run the decoder on the Raspberry Pi directly. You can download the sources at github.com/antirez/dump1090.

It is enough to type 3 commands on the Raspberry Pi:

Git clone https://github.com/antirez/dump1090.git cd dump1090 / make
Then the decoder can be started with the command:

./dump1090 --interactive --net
The decoder starts working, and we see "raw data" - a list of visible "boards":

Now you can go to the browser on the Raspberry Pi and admire your own, local Flightradar, the picture may look something like this:

Why might this be necessary? Firstly, just out of interest, and secondly, Flightradar24, unfortunately, filters some of the data and shows Not all aircraft (for example, military, government, or business jets may not be displayed). Having launched our own local service, we see everything "as is", without any censorship. But, of course, the amount of data is limited by our local location and antenna quality, and MLAT technology will not be available either. Dump1090 is available in source, so those who wish can even create their own version of Flightradar, with blackjack and other bells and whistles.

conclusions

As you can see, everything is not so complicated, but at the same time it is quite interesting and inexpensive. To understand the order of prices: 10 years ago, the Airnav RadarBox receiver cost about $ 1000, now the RTL-SDR, which does the same thing, can be taken for $ 10.

In my case, the receiver was launched only for testing, there is no practical sense to keep it constantly on, the coverage density of the European part already reaches 100%. For residents of the Russian hinterland, on the contrary, this can be quite interesting - there is an opportunity to both do a useful job for air travelers around the world, expanding the coverage area, and get access to the Premium account of the above sites.

All successful experiments.