Generic ADSB question
 

For you ADSB gurus out there that already know how the system works internally, I have this question. There are various systems (SPOT, APRS) etc that allow a pilot to give feedback to those on the ground about their position, or interested parties on the ground to track their position while in flight. If you are on an IFR plan or VFR flight following, then Flight Aware does a pretty decent job of it.

With ADSB-OUT, each aircraft will be hardcoded into the system by GPS coordinates - it seems like it would be possible to find any aircraft by tailnumber anywhere in the NAS while airborne via some web utility tool tied into the FAA/ATC computer, which would allow folks on the ground to track flights in the air by aircraft, similar to Flight Aware, but even if they are not "talking and squawking". Anybody know of plans for such an animal?

This sounds like what you want: http://planefinder.net/

mcb

I like http://www.flightradar24.com/





Even squawking 1200, I show up. Too bad they don't have an airplane symbol for the RVs!

Makes me wonder what's going to happen to the BARR program for all the corporate operators.

I got a message on my builders page from Fredrik Lindahl, CEO of Flightradar24, asking me to host an ADSB feed for Midland, TX. Unfortunately I don't live in Midland proper, but rather in Garden City about 30 miles east, so I don't think an ADSB feed would do him much good there.

Apparently they have volunteers all over the world that have ADSB receivers plugged into internet connections (like LiveATC) that capture the ADSB transmissions from aircraft and feed that into their main computer, and that data gets fed out to the apps that we use to track aircraft on our phones/tablets/computers. Neat setup, I guess, from a technical point of view. It also shows that there is no longer any way to go flying without most of the world knowing about it, privacy is gone.