Flight tracking is an invaluable tool in the world of aviation for both passengers and those who will pick them up at the airport alike. Thanks to its up-to-the-minute updates, flight tracking helps to keep the minds of those monitoring the flight at rest from the suspense of not knowing an aircraft’s whereabouts. These updates include the plane’s route, navigation points, altitude, speed, and estimated arrival.
Flight tracking services are more important with a private plane where last-minute changes can easily be made to schedules and plans. Today, private planes are fitted with advanced trackers that help to broadcast their location, altitude, and other key details. Through these advanced onboarding systems, you can easily monitor the whereabouts of a private aircraft legally in real time with an internet connection.
Knowing an aircraft’s flight progress helps travelers, crew, and meeting parties stay on top of departures, arrivals, and potential airport delays. With a few clicks, you can easily ascertain things like diverted routes due to weather, airspace congestion near airports, or maintenance issues. This visibility eases concerns over late landings or missed pickups. And, allows passengers to better determine how long they can rest on their Jetbed before landing!
In this guide, we will be sharing several accessible methods for tracking private plane flights from start to finish. With the right online tools, observers can follow a jet’s movement across city-pairs, oceans or even know its cruising speed and altitude at any given moment.
Let’s get started!
How To Track A Private Plane
With modern technologies like ADS-B and multilateration (MLat), understanding a private jet’s whereabouts in real time is now possible through flight tracking tools. Let’s explore some popular options.
FlightAware
FlightAware is one of the most extensive free services for flight tracking available worldwide. This service is powered by sources including ADS-B, multilateration, and air traffic control data, and it offers a comprehensive overview of private and commercial aviation.
To track a private plane using FlightAware, visit FlightAware.com and enter the aircraft’s tail number or flight number in the search bar. This will pull up the plane’s live flight feed if it is in progress or the history of past flights. Details provided include current location, altitude, speed, destination, route, estimated/actual times, and more. You can also follow flights via notifications, get weather alerts, and view paths on an interactive full-screen map.
FlightAware tracks over 100,000 flights daily across most airlines and airports globally. With this tool, you can be rest assured of up-to-the-minute info on the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.
FlightRadar24
As another popular free option, FlightRadar24 covers much of the world by aggregating data from sources such as ADS-B, MLat, and air traffic control. It offers similar flight tracking features to FlightAware.
To track a private plane using FlightRadar24 all you need to do is visit FlightRadar24.com and enter the tail number or call sign. This pulls up the aircraft’s path history and the latest real-time updates if active. You can expect to see details such as location, altitude, speed, route, departure/destination airports, and estimated arrival time. FlightRadar24’s intuitive interface lets you see flight paths on a zoomable map. Push notifications can also be enabled for any specific flight you wish to monitor closely.
Both FlightAware and FlightRadar24 track tens of thousands of aircraft daily worldwide using diverse data sources. Coverage depends on a country or region’s terrestrial ADS-B network but both do a superb job following private aviation.
ADS-B Exchange
This is an open-source alternative to the two options mentioned earlier. ADS-B Exchange relies on hobbyist-operated receivers to gather Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) signals directly from the aircraft.
To track a private plane using ADS-B Exchange, visit ADSBExchange.com and input the tail number. You get to easily locate the aircraft on a crowdsourced coverage map showing reception stations. If within range of a receiver, you’ll see its real-time position and abbreviated flight data. Coverage with this option is global but more sparse than paid services, relying on individuals’ home stations. However, aircrafts without functioning ADS-B may not be viewable, an obvious downside.
ADS-B Exchange offers a unique look at available broadcast data sourced straight from planes. While coverage has room for growth, it remains an excellent supplementary flight tracker.
Flight tracking for a private plane can be done easily with a simple internet connection and necessary flight info.
All three services provide engaging maps and easy searches for comprehending a private jet’s travel route, status, and estimated arrival time simply by inputting its tail number or flight details. Downloading the apps additionally enables tracking aircraft on the go. Understanding these techniques empowers convenient flight monitoring of any private aviation voyage.
The technology now exists to digitally accompany planes anywhere in the sky. Whether keeping tabs on a personal aircraft or following along on a rented charter plane’s itinerary, flight tracking resources online deliver the virtual front-row view we seek. Just the plane’s identifying code remains all anyone needs to stay continuously updated on its airborne activities and estimated arrival.
For more information on all things around aviation technology from answers to questions like What is VOR in Aviation? and What is VORTAC?, check out our blog. And, if you’re looking for an easy and convenient tool that will help you and your crew avoid flight fatigue, explore our fleet of JetBeds to find the one that best fits your aircraft.