Hello

It appears some of our "blocked tail number aircraft" (flightaware, etc) are indeed showing up on the various ADS-B hobbyist tracking sites.

Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker! being one of them

Has anyone had this issue and any ideas how to resolve this ? The aircraft showing up are G-1000 aircraft.

Thanks

 

I think the issue here is that the data is not coming from the FAA primary / secondary feed, which can be blocked.

Instead the feed comes from the hobby / enthusiast crowd with a receiver hooked up to a PC, much like the scanner crowd feeds ATC VHF or Rail radio traffic to the web.

If you have Mode S transponders with the ICAO 24-bit address it identifies the aircraft.

If I recall there is an out for GA with Mode S to get a pseudo 24 bit address. I don't know where the cutoff is, MTOW, Turbine..... etc. where this is not an option.

The ACARS feed is big in Europe, this won't go away.

ADS-B has a more aggressive rollout in Europe, this tracking hobby will grow.

 

We use the DCM airline code (FltPlan.com Flight Planning & Flight Tracking.) for all our aircraft (including my own). The DCM call sign goes in to the transponder and (so far) problem is solved.

 

none of our blocked aircraft show up

 

thanks guys

 

Remember, when you get a DCM call sign you have done nothing to actually block your N number. You are simply flying under a new name. If you're N number is fully blocked you will not be displayed on flightradar24.

Source - Flightradar24. I had this issue, called to complain and they said it's because N number not blocked. Now is, doesn't show up.

 

The way I understand it, only approved ASDI vendors get access to the FAA data stream. Apparently Flightrader24 is an approved vendor as they are indicating they show the 5-min delay FAA feed on their web site As such, these approved ASDI vendors are supposed to honor requests from the FAA to block tail numbers (blocked by ASDI option). If they do not, they are subject to an FAA audit and possible revocation of their authorized status. Under these circumstances should Flightradar24 be showing tail numbers from the feed, a complaint to the FAA would be in order.

Let's suppose for a minute that Flightrader24 is not an authorized ASDI vendor and is furnishing flight tracking solely as the result of their "volunteers" furnishing ADS-B data. If I am showing my DCM flight number in my mode S, all they will see is that data. Right?

I am pretty sure Flightrader24 can't track us by tail number but I've been wrong before.

 

Aircraft Situation Display to Industry


Question: What levels of blocking are available?
Answer—All requests should specify whether the owner or operator wants to block the aircraft’s identification: 1) at the FAA source prior to the FAA's release of the data feed; or 2) after the FAA’s release at the ASDI Subscriber or Industry level. Should a specific request not be made, the FAA will block the aircraft identification prior to the FAA’s release of the data to Industry subscribers.


At what level are you at?

 

I'm just guessing here.

If you are flying a small cabin corporate, strictly domestic, Mode C, and have blocked with the FAA, nothing shows up.

If you are a large cabin corporate and bigger, fly International, have Mode S, blocked with the FAA, you will still show up because of the ADS-B feed.

Just as the airplane spotters line up and take pictures as the GV lands in the UK, there is a network of people who keep up a database of Mode S indents.

That worldwide database is used by the ASDI types.

 

If I am operating in the US with mode C, yes I can remain a ghost flight and not be tracked via the FAA radar feed.

There are only two active FAA ADS-B sites so far, PHL and SDF, in the lower 48, without looking it up.

Same aircraft, upgraded now to Mode S, flying from TEB to LAX. No FAA ADS-B feed. FAA data blocked. However the Mode S has a unique worldwide 24 bit ICAO identifier. Along the route anyone with about $70 in equipment can pick up the ADS-B signal, feed it to the ASDI site, and you are identified, never having gone through any FAA feed.

When you go to Europe what do you enter in the FMS and transponder for the flight number?

With Mode S the transponder ATC entry has to match the ATC strip. We would have some jokers in the early days with Mode S put something in the transponder for the next crew, they would miss it, only change the squawk code, and then get gentle reminder from ATC to check the box.