FlightAware, the popular online aircraft flight tracking system, has made several upgrades to its services allowing world tracking and tracking of aircraft flying under visual flight rules.
World flight tracking has been improved. Over the last year, the company built a worldwide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver network with over 1,000 nodes in over 70 countries. The data provides real-time worldwide flight tracking as well as new data sources in Europe and three new Iridium datalink partnerships. The company is also releasing technology that allows tracking of flights without flight plans (that is, visual flight rules or aircraft outside the 50 countries where FlightAware receives data).
FlightAware has also released high-definition displays for aircraft and fixed base operators. They are full-screen, animated flight maps and flight status for display on a television set. Using a spare laptop and an HDTV, the software runs in a full-screen Web browser. The cost is $95 per month.
High-resolution satellite mapping is also available. Most of the improvements are available free on the FlightAware website. Users can now track multiple flights at once (that is, view all airplanes in the area), get live updates pushed to the browser, see high-resolution satellite maps, and view temporary flight restriction areas.
