[WaltGraham]

Neat site for aviation buffs.

 

[Kevin Gibson]

The same thing exists for ships, but I don't remember where that one is.

 

[Skeptic49]

Cool!
My sky is empty...sigh...
Geoff
Who notes there are usually military AC in the area. Navy Coast Guard and the ANG.

 

[Diamondback]

I find it curious that they don't show military aircraft, or General Aviation airfields... For some reason, Boeing Field is in but Renton Municipal (where the 737s are built) isn't.

 

[WaltGraham]

I find it curious that they don't show military aircraft...

I've noticed in my occasional look sees today that some of the aircraft i.d.'s show up as "blocked".

 

[Diamondback]

Walt, there's a thing called BARR: "Block Aircraft Registration Request". It basically puts a three-day hold on that flight's data being public record--you can see it moving, but you can't get the numbers or who's on it until three days after landing.

It's a privacy measure as corporate counterintelligence for sensitive situations like dispatching executives to another firm's HQ for negotiations, but it's also used by celebrities and others with stalker problems.

And if I ever get my certs and start flying, I intend to use it to the fullest at every opportunity.

 

[WaltGraham]

Walt, there's a thing called BARR: "Block Aircraft Registration Request". It basically puts a three-day hold on that flight's data being public record--you can see it moving, but you can't get the numbers or who's on it until three days after landing.

Well, that's something I didn't know.

That's one of the reasons I hang out here.

 

[Skeptic49]

I wonder if it's only airports with scheduled aircraft departures?
Geoff
Who is a curious fellow.

 

[CaptainGyro]

Nice find, Walt.

Here's an iPhone app that will let you point the phone at at aircraft in the sky overhead and then return the identification info.

http://planefinder.net/about/

 

[Charlie Petty]

Have they changed the code for US Air? Didn't see anything familiar... still like cactus but I 'spect that's out,

 

[CaptainGyro]

US Airways still shows up on radar screens with the AWE (inherited from America West) prefix. It should be changed over to AAL in about six months.

When America West's parent company provided the financing for US Airways to exit bankruptcy a few years ago, its management elected to adopt the US Airways name because of the greater brand recognition. In a nod to the America West heritage, however, they retained the "Cactus" call sign and the AWE code. It was a nice gesture, but it's caused a lot of confusion with ATC. No one in Europe, evidently, has any idea what a cactus is, and many controllers see "AWE" on their screens and confuse it with Air Wisconsin.

"USA" was pretty hard to misconstrue.

 

[Charlie Petty]

Thanks for the explanation. I saw lots of AWE just didn't know who it was. I knew cactus came from AWE , but didn't realize it went to ATC too.

 

[WaltGraham]

Here's an iPhone app that will let you point the phone at at aircraft in the sky overhead and then return the identification info.

Air Traffic Radar | Live Air Traffic | PlaneFinder Aviation App

Nice.

What kid hasn't laid on his back and looked up at those high flyers, wondering where they were headed...