bsacks05

bsacks05

Well Known Member
Disclaimer: Maybe this thread could be routed to the APRS section. I wasn't sure so I posted it here.

Call me slow or behind the aviation knowledge power curve, but I just learned that you can track flights which are conducted under flight following on Flightaware.com :eek:

So, of course I had to test the theory and decided to fly down to Ocala, Fl to have lunch with my sister today at the airport restaurant. (excellent cheeseburgers and onion rings!)

Here is a screen shot of me on my way down. I guess this is what the controller sees: a little airplane with my reg #, type, airspeed (kts), and altitude (+00).
Bummer that I was below my target cruise of 140 at the time.
And, on the way back the controller asked what kind of experimental I was - RV9 was my response but he typed it as as an RV8 - DOUBLE BUMMER
I was tagged on Flightware as an RV8 for the whole return trip. :mad:
Here is a screenshot from today. Thanks Dave!

flighttrackwl5.jpg
 
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I've heard that seeing VFR with flight following on FlightAware is hit or miss. Sometimes you show up, and sometime you don't...

--Bill
 
Interesting. If anyone on the forum has the premium subscription, you could check to see if N66AP shows up on flight following from March 20/21. I think I can only see back 24 hours.

I set up the flight following before takeoff with the tower, so I was "in the computer" (their words). Maybe that is the difference as to whether or not we vfr flights show up. Probably not when we just call in the air, without them having our routing, etc.. They had my whole route "in the computer".

I'll have to try it again on the way home from FL to MN.
 
Yes, both flights show up..

Date Type Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
21-Mar-2008 RV6A/A Decatur County Arpt (KBGE) Page Field (KFMY) 09:32AM EDT 11:50AM EDT n/a
20-Mar-2008 RV6/G Anoka Co-Blaine Arpt (KANE) Greenville (KGRE) 12:52PM CDT 03:38PM CDT n/a
 
I use FF on trips of an hour or more and always request from the air after departing the pattern. Flightaware.com had a flight of mine from three weeks ago when I put in my tail number on the site before yesterdays flight. That was quite a surprise!
I plan on installing APRS but until then I will continue to check Flightaware.com to see if there is consistency to the tracking of VFR FF. My family really likes the ability to track my progress and it gives them that extra bit of reassurance that all is well.
 
Maybe a dumb question

How long does it show up on flightaware after you land or cancel flight following?

Also, sometimes I will ask the ground ATC for flight following, especially in the LA basin. I figure this way, if it takes a few minutes while I'm doing a runup then I'm all set.
 
I've used flight following several times, including this past Sunday which I set up while on the ground at Roanoke and I never show up on flightaware.
 
brayski98 said:
How long does it show up on flightaware after you land or cancel flight following?
Click to expand...

My flight from yesterday is still up. Check it out: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N659DB

There is a flight log page which shows the minute by minute status of the flight. Not 100% accurate because at one data point my groundspeed was 0 at 5500 ft. :eek:

I guess if you register with them then you can access all your flights, otherwise you are getting the most recent which seems to stay up until your next flight is tracked. You will also notice that the track starts when you are given FF and stops when you cancel.
 
Sweet! According to flight aware I own a Lear 55!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N115SB

Wonder if I can fly that on my ASEL private licencse? Funny thing is, a few months back, I got a bill in the mail from what I assume is the Bahamas version of ATC to collect a fee for services. It listed me as a Lear 55. At least now I know why.
 
CAPFLIGHTS don't show up.

It appears that even when I have filed and opened a flight plan and have flight following that my CAPFLIGHT flights don't show up - anyone want to check and see if they can find capflight 2023 on March 8th in Michigan ?

(It would be listed as CPF2023. )

--JCB
 
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im always on flightaware... A few days ago I was killing time in fort worth, and the weather was really bad... rain, overcast, very low ceilings, 1mi vis... I was watching all the inbound traffic to KAFW cause I was waiting right by the end of the runway. I saw Fedex planes coming from KLAX and watched them on flightaware the whole time... I saw them decending on there, and once their altitude was ~2000ft, I looked out the window and about 1 minute later, they break out of the clouds and land... really cool site! :D
 
Picked up in the air today

I just came in from the Wright Pat area this afternoon. I picked up FF in the air and I was in flightaware.

2365451954_8a80e9ffae_o.jpg


Had a great 3 days at the USAF museum doing photography. You gotta see that place if you haven't. Glad I left today. Dubyah is going to be there tomorrow and the place was a zoo with all the security and setup people. Museum is closed all day tomorrow for his speech.
 
Radomir said:
Yes, both flights show up..

Date Type Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
21-Mar-2008 RV6A/A Decatur County Arpt (KBGE) Page Field (KFMY) 09:32AM EDT 11:50AM EDT n/a
20-Mar-2008 RV6/G Anoka Co-Blaine Arpt (KANE) Greenville (KGRE) 12:52PM CDT 03:38PM CDT n/a
Click to expand...

Cool! For whatever reason, I can't get to those flights, even though it claims I should be able to for 7 days.
 
bigbill25 said:
Question: Did you file a VFR flight plan? Did you get a code on the ground? Thanks!

--Bill
Click to expand...

Bill, your question was for someone else - but, my answer is that for the ANE-GRE leg, I set it up with ANE ground during taxi. Simply asked for them to set up flight following to GRE. They do this all the time. I didn't file any flight plan, and they do give a code to me on the ground (class B is lurking). The second leg, GRE-BGE, was set up in the air, and apparently didn't show up in Flight Aware. The next day, the BGE-FMY leg was also set up in the air, and did show up in FA. Don't know the formula.

I will be leaving FMY tomorrow morning for MN, so we will see how the guys in FMY tower handle it. I always have flight following when flying single ship, unless the ceilings keep me to only a couple thousand AGL.
 
Long time ago I filed and flew an IFR flight and lost communication near class c airspace. In accordance wit FARs when I encountered VMC I proceeded VMC. I had been in the clag at 4000' and never was able to contact ATC. Flew into an opening that was clear above but would have been soon in the **** again getting bounced arouned and rained on if I remained at 4000' so I climbed.

Finally established com 30 minutes later and got the please call ###-###-#### on landing.

Made the call and started getting a ration of s$%^ from a rather angry controller. She started to tell me that I busted my altitude restriction by never even levelling off at 4000'. Told her that just wasn't so. She said I am looking at your flight right here on my computer. I said so am I and pointed her to flightaware. The conversation ended and I never heard any more of it.

I have also had friends get out of presidential TFR trouble by accessing flight aware.

Quite a useful site. (if you file IFR)
 
No flight plan

bigbill25 said:
Question: Did you file a VFR flight plan? Did you get a code on the ground? Thanks!

--Bill
Click to expand...

No I didn't file a flight plan. I departed a small private strip NE of Dayton and contacted DAY dept. control. I wanted to get across Wright Patt. without going too far east so I called just after liftoff.
I asked for flight following and he later asked if I wanted it all the way to destination or just through his airspace. As you can see from the map, my tracking from Flight Aware didn't start until I was past FFO. It was at this point that I was assigned a different squak that I kept all the way south.
 
Thanks for the data points. I wish we could figure out the magic formula. Maybe all the FilghtAware flights were handed off between more than one entity? So if you take off for your little strip, call in the air, and land at an uncontrolled strip without going to a different "center", maybe they don't put it in the computer. Guessing...

--Bill
 
Here's what I turned up from Flightaware.com's FAQ section:

Can FlightAware track VFR flights? What about a VFR flight with a flight plan? (Back To Top)

Some VFR aircraft with flight following are available on the position maps but it largely unreliable and no arrival/departure/flight plan data is available. VFR flight plans are irrelevant and only used by FSS for search and rescue. We suggest ensuring that aircraft are on an IFR flight plan from wheels up to wheels down for proper tracking.

Guess that answers the inconsistency issues. I'll continue to look there for my FF trips until I get my APRS.
 
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