Unreliable Flight Radar Data

[Garry Russell]

When watching the various radar flight tracking sites that the information can be seriously flawed

Some data is transmitted by the aircraft...that can be wrong too if the wrong Hex code is set, but it's the database info that is often so suspect.

The departure and destination airports,type of aircraft, airline name, registration etc are all pulled from databases set up by enthusiasts.

This is how we get a Robin DR.400 2+2 on a BA flight and a Virgin A.340 that was showing as as Super King Air. G-OMYA was appearing as G-BYGA and so on

Here is a page from http://data.flight24.com

This shows Iberia flight IBE3180 has on several days recently, been operated by ex BA Boeing 737-236 AP-BKC that was destroyed in a crash in Pakistan last month



Just don't believe everything this tracker appear to tell you.

[DaveB]

Indeed mate

To back this up, I happened to be watching a Thomson flight last week making it's way toward Brum so I clicked on the contact and the detail said it was Gatwick to Venice (I think Venice.. it was a V anyway) What's he doing heading for Brum I thought? I zoomed out to follow it's track and he'd flown from Faro!

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

Yep...get a lot of that

[DaveB]

Whatelse did I stumble over that you confirmed?? Ah yes.. alpha-numeric callsigns/flight numbers.. the infamous 5TY in my case. These don't show on the arrivals board do they I had a look to see what was happening at Brum and the first flight due was an Air Berlin 738 (not sure if it had winglets Brian). The next flight after that was some way off.. an hour and 40mins I think so I selected 'Go to flight' and the little tinker was over the channel. I'd just set Brum up on my scanners so waited to see where the handoff was and/or how far I could get the incoming flight.
Anyways.. he turned at Northampton and I heard him come up on Brum appr shortly after. Also, I heard 5TY (a Thomson 757) come in 5by5 on appr and had a look for him. There he was, just turning at Northampton so I clicked on the aircraft and he was bound for Brum but not showing on the arrivals board

For all the good things you can say about FR24, there's an awful lot you can say bad about it too

ATB
DaveB

[Tomliner]

For all it's faults it is still almost real time.I was on the north Norfolk coast yesterday watching Flightradar on the IPad and listening to ATC from the nearby transmitter at Trimmingham and the short time between instruction and response could be seen.
Ps also looking at the beautiful scenery! EricT

[DaveB]

Yes.. I won't ask what sort of scenery it was you were looking at

I agree with that though.. it is as close to realtime as you can get and some of that delay, much of it I'd wager, is due to the arduous route it takes through the old interweb to get to us. Certainly better than a poke in the eye but as Garry said in the first post, a lot of what you get off it is unreliable. It's a bit of fun though and I still commend it to the house

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

It's in real time but depending where you are relative to the reporting station the position my not be correct

This is why you see them jump forwards or backward as they pass onto another tracker and the angle is different.

Sometime two of the same are visible

the error can be as much as 10-12 miles.

Where I am, if an aeroplane is overhead it is overhead on the radar

[DaveB]

Yes mate.. I've noticed them jump back before. Thought it was a case of in-flight vectoring.. hit the brakes and they'll fly right by

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

BA Harriers

Are the doubles common around you...they are on Biscay and the Channel where they start to get away from the stations.

[DaveB]

I couldn't put hand on heart and say yes mate but I've thought I've seen 2 aircraft close together before and one disappear. I've never been quick enough with the mouse to check the data

ATB
DaveB