From what I gather, it's mostly done by amateur enthusiasts with equipment that can read the transponder signals and transmit it to the website (read the 'increase coverage' link on the website)


And you don't get many amateur ATC enthusiasts in the middle of the atlantic..

Quote from Crashgate3 :

From what I gather, it's mostly done by amateur enthusiasts with equipment that can read the transponder signals and transmit it to the website (read the 'increase coverage' link on the website)


And you don't get many amateur ATC enthusiasts in the middle of the atlantic..

I thought it compares GPS data in your phone with actual planes positions given that planes in air rarely go in distance closer than couple of kilometers.

no, it reads the ADS-B transponder signals that most planes transmit (there are other formats, but those apparently can't be read by amateurs), with receivers that plane spotters/aircraft enthusiasts put up themselves. Each receiver has a range of up to 400km.

A normal cell phone shouldn't have signal at 37k feet

just had an A380 casually flying by on its way to Tokyo ...

Quote from Dennis93 :

If you look over the Atlantic, that zone i blacked out.

There is no radar coverage over the atlantic.

Been using it for years. Event got my mother in law to check it while they were camping 30 km outside Billinud Airport. She had nothing to do and thoughtit could be fun to se where the planes come from:-)

Millitary aircraft is not shown either, they use ar different tranponder system.
I did a lot of reading about it on may 4th while checking to se if the Battle of Brittian Memorial Flight Lancaster took off from RAF Coningsby as planed.

cool site, sort of... Got me hooked for a few minutes.

Quote from ACCAkut :

no, it reads the ADS-B transponder signals that most planes transmit (there are other formats, but those apparently can't be read by amateurs), with receivers that plane spotters/aircraft enthusiasts put up themselves. Each receiver has a range of up to 400km.

A normal cell phone shouldn't have signal at 37k feet

I dont know a mobile phone or even smartest smartphone with such receiver - thus it has to localize itself and gather data from servers to compare its position and planes around.

This is amazing, i want to look at the sky when a plane comes over Aylesbury but its too cloudy today

Quote from AndRand :

I dont know a mobile phone or even smartest smartphone with such receiver - thus it has to localize itself and gather data from servers to compare its position and planes around.

the whole system has nothing to do with mobile phones. Those receivers are small boxes that you can connect to your PC, and some software then sends the received data to the sites server, which has hundreds of flight plans online. Both combined is what you see on the site (if you need more info, look it up under 'INCREASE COVERAGE')
The augmented reality app just adds the phones GPS coordinates in the mix


I know now that all the big four engined jets flying directly over here are either on its way to or coming from Japan.


edit: oh, just realized you were asking about the augmented reality app, nvm

I wonder how hard would it be to obtain or build such an ADS-B receiver. This is exactly the kind of thing I could install on my balcony

Quote from Bean0 :

There's a one for ships too - www.marinetraffic.com

It's quite surprising just how busy some ports are.

so many ships reg'd in the bahahmas.

As a virtual pilot I have used this site years already to look up the traffic. It really is cool stuff.