A summary of best live plane tracker technologies.
Traveling can be fun, but at the same time, it can be stressful. Frequent travelers always know that staying on time is very important. While earlier, there was no method to determine your flight schedule nowadays; for this purpose, there are various flight tracking applications. With the help of such apps, you can get minute to minute information about your all of your flights. You can always get to know if your flight is delayed or arriving early. As a result of these advanced flight tracking mobile apps you’ll be able to get the latest updates about the schedule of your flight. It will help you to be on time. Such applications are for both platforms – Android and iOS.
But have you ever thought about how these apps are able to access such accurate data? What helps in the working of the apps? This article covers answers precisely to these questions. Read on to know more.
These flight tracking apps gather data from many sources, mainly ADS-B and MLAT. In this article, we’ll tell you about how these apps utilize latest technologies to get flight schedule data.
1. ADS-B:
The first and foremost technology these apps use is automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast. Every aircraft has a transponder that can transmit a signal comprising the location. This location is determined with the help of GPS (Global Positioning System). In addition, every flight tracking app has a receiver to it. Thus, the signal given by the transponder is detected by the receiver of the flight tracking app.
This way, ADS-B technology helps in determining the track of the flight. Flight tracking apps possess a network of receivers around the world so that flight information can be received from the transponders and sent to the servers. ADS-B also provides additional information related to aircraft like weather, terrain overlay, and traffic. Most important of these is the ability to gather Information on surrounding aircraft as it helps prevent collisions.
2. MLAT:
In some aircraft where ADS-B is not available, the tracking is done through MLAT or Multilateration method. A phenomenon made use of in MLAT is Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA).
TDOA is essentially the time taken to receive the aircraft signal. In MLAT methods, the position of the aircraft can be calculated with the help of ModeS-transponder. For MLAT to work properly, it is essential that the aircraft is flying at an altitude range of 3,000-10,000 feet as the receivers can detect the transponder signal easily on high altitudes.
Apart from ADS-B and MLAT, many other technologies are used by flight tracker apps to gather data. These are:
3. Satellites:
Satellites installed with ADS-B receivers collect the data from the flight outside the coverage area of the ADS-B Flightradar24 network and transmit that data to the Flightradar24 network.
4. FLARM:
For smaller aircrafts, FLARM (Flight Alarm) is used. It is a simpler substitute for ADS-B type, widely used by small aircraft, in most cases, gliders. You can also use this link to find the best flight tracking apps available right now. The FLARM receiver range is between 20 and 100 km. FLARM is also sometimes used for receiving signals from other small planes and helicopters.
5. Federal Aviation Administration:
FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is another substitute method to obtain flight tracker data, albeit with a delay of five minutes. In the areas where ADS-B or MLAT technology cannot be used, the FAA can be used to obtain aircraft signals. It is especially useful in specific areas in North America where ADS-B and MLAT coverage is not there. In these areas, aircraft feed can be provided by the FAA.
What Information do Flight Trackers Provide?
With the help of these flight tracking apps, detailed Information can be obtained about the aircraft. Over the years, aircraft trackers have greatly improved and can now be used to get more than basic information about the aircraft time and schedule. Using these, you can plan your travel better. The Information that can be obtained from flight tracking apps include:
- Flight number and type
- Flight schedules
- Flight arrival and departure time
- Delayed flight location
- Speed of the aircraft
- Altitude at which the aircraft is flying
- Route the aircraft is following
- Delay statistics of the flight
- Airport amenities (e.g., Wi-Fi availability, ATMs, and parking rates)
- Transport options when you arrive
- Origins and destination places of the flight
- Ground Speed and airspeed of the flight
Flight tracking apps are a must-have for anyone who wants to know about the arrival and departure times of their flight. Travel situations, be it short or long, share one thing in common- being updated with relevant flight details will go a long way in ensuring peace of mind, saving time and money. Finally, flight tracking apps remove the uncertainties of your trip. Flight tracking apps are easily downloadable on a tablet, smartphone, or Android. It also makes it easier for family and loved ones to track your flight and know the appropriate time to receive you from the airport.