Always up-to-date - flight tracking with Flightradar24

The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, and high above the earth an aeroplane is painting a fine, white contrail against the blue sky, which, like the aircraft, is only visible for a few fleeting moments. Nobody knows where the plane is headed. Nobody? No, far from it. Thanks to Flightradar24, you can find out exactly where the Airbus or Boeing is flying to. If you’ve always wanted to know what air traffic looks like over your nearest city or over New York, then this service is just what you’ve been waiting for. It also provides additional information that can be useful for travelers and their families, as well as for a range of hobbies.

From a hobby to a market leader - the emergence of Flightradar24

Are you interested in what is happening in the sky above you? If so, then you share the same interest as two Swedish plane enthusiasts. They were also curious to know which aircraft was flying over the heads at any particular moment and wanted to know the destinations of those unknown aeroplanes. At the time, however, it was impossible to get hold of that information. What did they know, though, was that each aircraft is fitted with a transponder, which sends details about the aircraft's speed,the flight path and the current altitude. Most airlines use a technology called ADS-B, which is an abbreviation of ‘Automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast’. The two Swedes wanted to make use of the information provided via ADS-B and put their plan into practice. That’s how the idea of Flightradar24 was born.

The technology behind Flightradar24

Realizing their plan sounds simple, but required a significant amount of effort. In 2006, the founders of Flightradar24 began to set up ADS-B receivers in Europe, and later all over the world. This granted them access to the unencrypted data sent by a large number of planes. The incoming information was uploaded directly to the internet and visualized on the Flightradar24 website. The service still works the same today. Nevertheless, the name is a little misleading, as the technology used has very little in common with a radar in the conventional sense of the word. Radar is usually used by airports and military reconnaissance facilities to actively detect flying objects. This means that machines which do not emit any signals can also be detected. The result, however, is very similar, which is why the name Flightradar24 is ultimately still suitable. All aircraft recorded movements are visualized on a map.

How does Flightradar24 work?

If you want to access the data provided by Flightradar24, then all that you require is an internet connection and a device on which to view the data. The website can be viewed on a PC or laptop, or just as easily on a tablet or smartphone - a dedicated App is available for mobile devices. The only requirement is having Java and Flash activated on your browser, as these are required in order to display the interactive map.

Your first glimpse of air traffic

If all of these requirements are met, upon opening the website you will be greeted by a map area with a multitude of yellow symbols, each of which represents an aircraft in flight. What initially looks like a disorderly and chaotic ant colony is actually the current air traffic over Europe, Germany or America. The region displayed varies based on the map area setting. If you're ready, you can start tracking flights straight away.

How do you use Flightradar24?

Using Flightradar24 is comparatively simple. There are nevertheless various tools for controlling the map, which you should familiarize yourself with step by step. You will be able to navigate through the program Eventually confidently and without even thinking about it.

Resizing and dragging the map

In order to give yourself an overview and familiarize yourself with navigating around the map, you should first of all resize your chosen map area. Typically a section of airspace covering a very broad region around your location is usually displayed first. Clicking on the ‘Magnify’ button, represented by a plus (+) icon, will make the section smaller. This reduces the number of aircraft displayed and immediately gives you a clearer view. When using Flightradar24 on a mobile device, you can zoom in the usual way using the touch screen.

To move the map section further North, South, East or West, click and hold on the map with the mouse or on the touch screen and drag it accordingly. You have now adjusted the map to track the particularly flight that you are interested in.

Viewing aircraft data

To view the details for a particular aeroplane, click on the corresponding symbol on the Flightradar24 interactive map. This opens an information window with a number of interesting details. This allows you to see, for example, which cities the plane is flying between. The airline, aircraft type and flight number are also displayed. Scroll down a little further and you will find live information about the speed and altitude of the aircraft and the calculated arrival time at the destination airport. Many aircraft also have a picture for plane enthusiasts to enjoy. If you look closely, you can even recognize individual elements such as red wings or painted advertising strips from the ground.

Targeted searches for airports and regions

If you're interested in which planes are flying through your area at any particular moment, you can also search for specific airports. To do this, enter the name into the search box and the map section on Flightradar24 will instantly be updated accordingly. If your village, town or city does not appear on the map straight away, simply drag the map a little until it shows the correct area. If you set the map section to a radius of just a few kilometers around your location, you can actually track almost all of the civil aircraft in the sky above you.

Track selected flights

Would you rather know where a specific plane is at a particular time because your relatives or friends are on board? Flightradar24 is also able to do this. Instead of an airport, simply enter the corresponding flight number into the search box. If an aircraft matching the given description is currently in the air, the map will focus on that plane and you will be able to view all of the information available at this time.

Where else is this technology used?

The technology behind Flightradar24 is certainly not limited to airplanes. Other modes of transport use transponders too in order to convey their current position. In addition to the flight radar, a ‘ship radar ’ can also be extremely informative. Passenger ships, container ships and ferries send the same kind of information - obviously there is no altitude reading, though, and there is quite a difference between the speed of an airplane and that of a ferry. In all other respects, the technology works in exactly the same way.

Who is Flightradar24 aimed at?

What Flightradar24 is able to offer is aimed at three major groups who might have an interest in it: Plane enthusiasts, hobbyists and airline passengers and their families. Essentially, the service is available free of charge to anyone with an interest in the information it provides.

Bring the tower into your home

People with a keen interest in aeroplanes, airspaces and modern aviation will be very excited by what Flightradar24 has to offer. What was previously only possible in the form of game-like simulation software is now accessible, live and real: Tracking flights and observing an airspace from the comfort of your own home. If you wish, you can virtually step into the control tower for as long as you want without having to take on any responsibility. Affectionately known as ‘plane spotters’, aeroplane enthusiasts have already uncovered a range of interesting information. Flightradar24 therefore allows you to see almost immediately if an airline has changed a flight path, for example, either due to a storm or some other event

Flightradar24 for plane spotters and drone pilots

Where hobbies are concerned, two groups in particular are able to benefit from using Flightradar24: Plane spotters and drone pilots. The former are always on the lookout for a unique photo of a particular machine on the ground, in the air, on approach or while landing. Perhaps you share this enthusiasm for tracking aircraft? Thanks to Flightradar24, you no longer have to stand around in the rain for hours on end if a rare airplane is due to land in your area. By following the flight, you stay up-to-date and work out exactly when the plane is due to arrive. This is often how rare machines are discovered in the first place. But if you’d rather get off the ground yourself with a drone, Flightradar24 is also a very helpful service in this respect. You can immediately see whether the air space above you is free or whether you might be restricted by other air traffic. The App will be of particular interest for hobbyists, as it can be used to view a wide range of information while out and about.

When will the family be home?

Flightradar24 offers a fantastic benefit for air travelers and their families. The latter can call up the website on a screen and check that all is progressing smoothly with the flight. Even delays are indicated in real-time. If you have to pick up relatives or friends from the airport, Flightradar24 can keep you up-to-date as to exactly when you should set off. Along with providing peace of mind for the family members on the ground, the service is also interesting for air travelers themselves. The details of delays published by Flightradar24 are usually more accurate and more up-to-date than the information provided at the airport.

Having boarded a plane with our family or friends, we all worry that the plane will land at the designated location without incident. The time waiting for news drags on endlessly, and therefore it is much more convenient to control the progress of the flight online from the screen of your gadget.

For those who know how to track a plane in real time by flight number, this does not become a problem. There are special services that directly track the movements of airliners around the globe in real time, for example:

Real-time flight tracking technology by flight number

Today, a unique ASD-B technology is used to track flights, which allows not only to find out the coordinates of the aircraft on the map, but also to see the altitude gained and the speed at which the airliner is flying. In other words, it is a radar that is used to track the movements of aircraft in the sky, based on the data of which services are created that help track flights online.

One of the most popular and accurate services using ASD-B technology is flightradar24.com. Live flight tracking can also be seen on flightaware.com, planefinder.net and others. Flytradar24 does not work in Russian, but the functionality of the site will be intuitive even for a beginner. Full functionality is available at https://www.flightradar24.com

The user who opens will be able to watch planes fly in real time, and it does not matter which airline operates the flight. Airliners on the map are displayed as yellow moving icons; by clicking on one of them, you can get Additional information about the flight:

Aircraft number;
Airplane route and coordinates;
Place of departure and final destination;
The airline that owns the aircraft;
Flight time (passed and remaining);
Altitude gained;
The speed at which movement occurs.

Additionally, you can even find out weather specific location on the map.

When you click on the aircraft icon to obtain detailed information, it will change its color to red, and the flight route will be displayed as a blue line. The flight map is updated every second, so the icons are constantly changing their location.

How to track a plane by flight number?

Also on flytradar24 it is possible to track a plane online by flight number. To do this, you just need to enter the number in the search box - it is located in the upper right corner of the screen. The site will show all flight options with this number, from which you need to select the one you are interested in and click on the aircraft icon. An interactive map will appear on which you can track the aircraft online at the moment.

The resource can also show the routes of airliners that have already landed. In addition, you can find an aircraft by tail number (aircraft) or by city/airport of departure or arrival.

Mobile phone application

You can track the plane online through mobile app– the site has links for owners of IOS devices (cost $3.99) and Android (purchase cost 149 rubles), where you can buy the flightradar24 application and monitor the movements of the airliner directly from your smartphone or tablet. The interface is quite convenient and will also be understandable even to those who are encountering this technology for the first time.

Real-time flight tracking by flight number is a feature that is incredibly useful today. You don’t have to worry about your loved ones on board the plane, but can calmly watch the flight on an interactive map at any convenient time.

Today many people ask if there is a flytradar in Russian online.

Others don't know how to use this program, but really want to learn.

The fact is that this program is really useful and necessary for everyone who travels by air. Moreover, it does not have a single analogue.

Today we will try to answer all questions regarding this service.

Contents:

What it is

To put it simply, this is a special online monitor that also works in the form of applications for smartphones and tablets, and which allows you to track all aircraft flights.

Any user who decides to use it will be able to see in a matter of seconds everyone who is currently operating their flights.

They are very conveniently depicted as pictograms with small aircraft figures right on the map.

At the same time, the same map displays the capitals of countries, as well as cities, in general, everything is like on a regular map from Google, but with all flights indicated.

It all looks as shown in Figure 1.

What you need to use

It all depends on what device you are working on. And there are only a few options:

If you are using a computer with Windows, Mac OS or any other operating system, you just need to go to the site.
It is also possible that you are working with a smartphone or tablet on which . Then you need to download and install the corresponding application from .
Finally, if you use , there is an app for you in the App Store.

Actually, that's all you need to work with flightradar. It is noteworthy that the interface on the site is almost exactly repeated on mobile platforms.

This means that the process of use will be the same everywhere.

Is there a version in Russian?

No, it doesn't exist. It supports only one language and that is English.

Attention! Don't fall for scammers' tricks. , which supposedly allow you to download the application of the service we are considering in Russian. But such an application does not exist. Those files probably contain some kind of viruses that gullible users can very easily pick up.

Also, various sites often write that they have a Russified version, but in fact this is not the case at all.

Perhaps they simply placed his window (from the official website) on their page and made a Russian description. But this does not mean that they have a completely Russified service.

Be careful.

Now let’s look at the process of using the official website. It’s worth saying right away that everything here is as simple as possible.

How to use?

So, the first thing you can do is find the desired area on the map.

This can be done as on a regular page, that is, hover the mouse cursor over a certain area and use the wheel to zoom in and out of the picture.

The same thing, by the way, can be done using the “+” and “-” buttons, which respectively zoom in and out of the map, that is, zoom in and out.

You can also use the search. To do this, in the field at the top, where “Search” is initially written, you need to enter the name of the city on English language.

Rice. 2. Search and zoom in/out buttons

After this, you will be able to see the selected city in an enlarged version. Above it will be located all air transport vehicles that this moment are nearby.

At the same time, since the status of flights is constantly updated, their location will also change. The main thing is that their position will fully correspond to reality.

All you have to do is click on a specific plane. All information about it will immediately appear on the left. Specifically, you will see the following information:

flight code;
the locality from which you departed
destination;
time zones of the two above-mentioned points;
the distance traveled;
total distance his flight;
type of aircraft;
departure time and arrival time.

Available for some aircraft

FlightRadar | History and description

In 2007, the Swedish company Travel Network developed a system for tracking aircraft in the air in real time Flightradar24. The radar operates 24 hours a day. The data received by the system is displayed on a map and allows you to see aircraft online all over the world - a map of aircraft flights.

When you select an aircraft on the map, the system displays a list of its data, including:

type of aircraft and its photograph,
tail number and airline affiliation,
place of departure and landing,
altitude and speed at the moment,
geographical position in degrees,
distance traveled from the departure airport and other data.

The system also supports aircraft search by flight number.

The database is updated every few seconds, and the positions of all aircraft on the map are updated. The collected data is stored in the system’s memory for 28 days, allowing you to track not only current flights, but also those that have already completed. This Flytradar24 has become very popular in our time. People use it for certain tasks - to track a flight, or they are simply interested in watching planes online on the radar.

How Flytradar works

Almost all aircraft last generations use a method of receiving flight information from an aircraft using an ADS-B transponder. This allows you to track the movement of cargo and passenger aircraft in different parts of the globe. However, the system does not track aircraft that are not equipped with this transmitter.

On this moment no more than 60% of aircraft in the world (less than 30% in the USA, but more than 70% in Europe) are equipped with this device, but their number is constantly increasing.

What is the coverage area of the Fly Radar system?
Aircraft Map - The Flytradar system uses more than 500 transceiver stations that communicate with the ADS-B transponder. They collect information from all aircraft in the air equipped with ADS-B transponders and transmit it to the system's central server, which, after processing the data, displays the position of these aircraft on a map in real time.

Of course, aircraft without ADS-B transponders, or those outside the coverage area of the station network, are not displayed on the service map. More than 90% of Europe is covered by a network of stations, and coverage is also present in the Northern and South America, Australia, Japan and some other regions of the Earth.

Displayed aircraft types on Flyradar
All aircraft types displayed by the system (having an ADS-B transponder) are listed below:

All Airbus (Airbus A300 – A380)
BAe ATP
BAe Avro RJ70-85-100
The most popular modifications of Boeings (Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787)
Newest Embraer E190
Fokker 70 – 100
Gulfstream V, Gulfstream G500/550
McDonnell Douglas MD10–MD11
Sukhoi SuperJet 100
The latest models Ilov and Tu (IL-96 and Tu-204)

Aircraft types not displayed on Flightradar24 (not having an ADS-B sensor)

An-225 "Mriya"
ATR-42 – 72
Boeing 707, 717, 727, 737-200, 747-100, 747-200, 747SP
CASA all models
Bombardier all models
Dornier 328
Embraer legacy models
Jetstream 32
Fokker 50
McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-8x, MD-9x
Saab 340 – 2000
Airplanes of Presidents (“Air Force One”)
Outdated aircraft models
The vast majority of military aircraft of all countries

There are also a huge number of exceptions. Some aircraft from various companies or popular private Cessna aircraft are visible on Flyradar, while some Boeing and Airbus aircraft that are not equipped with ADS-B transmitters are not visible on the service's map. The online aircraft map is one of the most interesting inventions that is being improved every day - stay tuned for changes.

Wide coverage of Flytradar provides the service successful work throughout Europe and the United States of America. The functionality of the tracker was highly appreciated by clients from Ukraine, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, South Africa, and in Asian countries it generally occupies a leading position among similar services.

Flytradar24 covers almost every country in the world, tracking 960 airlines and 32,505 aircraft. The service also provides detailed information on the operation of 8,675 airports located in 190 countries. Flytradar monitors their condition, weather conditions in the region, and keeps records of the number of departing and arriving aircraft. Those airports that are under radar control are marked in blue.

The quality of coverage is determined not only by the number of installed ADS-B receivers, but by their technical characteristics and antenna placement. One ground station is capable of receiving aircraft signals within a radius of 200 to 400 km.

Visibility air transport depends not only on the capabilities of the receiving station, but also on other factors, such as the type of aircraft and transponder. Indicators such as flight altitude and terrain are also important - it is obvious that on the plain the equipment will show the best results.