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In 2018, it became possible to continuously monitor aircraft anywhere in the world

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This is a great article about the future of flight tracking. Definitely worth a read if you speak Russian and worth a Google translate if you do not. (geektimes.ru) More...

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shrudini
shrudini 14
(in english)

A year ago, FlightAware announced the launch of the deployment of a satellite air traffic monitoring system using ADS-B equipment located on Iridium NEXT telecommunication satellites.

About this on the GT was the publication For the first time it will be possible to continuously monitor aircraft anywhere in the world . In 2017, the Falcon 9 rocket launched most of the satellite constellation into orbit.

FlightAware is headquartered in Houston, USA. In the Russian segment, the company is so little known that sometimes in the media you can see news based on FlightAware data, signed by journalists as data from the Swedish company Flightradar24. Like Flightradar24, the company collects, processes and sells data that allows airlines and transport companies to optimize the cost of operating aircraft, for example, to save fuel.

FlightAware has its own network of terrestrial ADS-B receivers, which in 2017 increased by 51%, which allowed it to provide surveillance for aircraft flying in some of the most remote corners of the world. With the help of the new 4000 ground receivers, FlightAware can monitor the movement of aircraft in 200 airports around the world.

ADS-B is a surveillance technology whereby an aircraft automatically determines its position in space by GPS and transmits it over the radio, allowing air traffic organizations to track the location of the aircraft more accurately than with conventional radars.

It is about receiving signals from the most common in the world of air traffic control technology - the American ADS-B, in this case the 1090 ES (Extended Squitter) system, which contains the coordinates of the location of the aircraft.

Most civil aircraft in the RF and all foreign aircraft use this system and they can be "seen" by amateurs with simple and cheap equipment. Domestic military aircraft are not available for observation, with the exception of certain transport or passenger aircraft of the Ministry of Defense operating in international airspace.

The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States obliged all aircraft flying over the United States airspace at altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet (3048 meters) to be equipped with 1,090ES equipment by January 1, 2020. This requirement also applies to aircraft that fly in the immediate vicinity of the busiest US airports at lower altitudes. Perhaps these requirements will apply to multicopters, and they will also be required to have such equipment in the near future.

Thanks to its FlightFeeder program , FlightAware manufactures and distributes ADS-B receivers free of charge to volunteers around the world. Predominantly in the areas of the uncertain radio reception of the FlightAware network.


FlightFeeder receivers track aircraft that emit signals of ADS-B 1090ES for more than 450 kilometers (assuming direct visibility between the receiver and the aircraft) and can track aircraft that are not yet equipped with ADS-B 1090ES equipment through a cooperative surveillance process An aircraft called multilateration (MLAT). To improve the tracking of aircraft FlightAware has created a community that brings together people from more than 170 countries.


The transition to ADS-B technology is the first major achievement in the field of aircraft tracking since the invention of the first radar in the 1930s. ADS-B ground stations improve the quality and accuracy of flight tracking, but like radars, they are limited in their ability to track aircraft over 70% of the Earth's surface covered with water.

To solve this problem, FlightAware receives data from ADS-B receivers located on new Iridium NEXT satellites.

The joint project FlightAware and Aireon, which combined "space" ADS-B with ground station data, allowed to provide global coverage with an unprecedented opportunity to track the flight of the aircraft "from gate to gate" on the entire flight route. Nevertheless, this space system does not solve the issue of how to track aircraft that are not yet equipped with ADS-B 1090ES equipment. This is possible through the process of cooperative aircraft surveillance - multilateration (MLAT). This will be in the next article. For now, KDPV:
shrudini
shrudini 11
I think this was the longest comment ever.
mikeharbour
Mike Harbour 4
Right?...seems like a cut and past job, huh? Of course, my next goal here at work is use "multilateration" in a sentence. Should be easy since I'm in corporate aviation!

dodger4
dodger4 2
Thanks. I was about to comment that the link was all in Russian, then saw your post.
shrudini
shrudini 2
Thanks. I love google translate!
leonkay
Leon Kay 5
This system would help solve problems like the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 four years ago.
Export Development Canada (EDC) is also currently trying in vain to trace a Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet for which they provided $40 million finance. Soon after delivery the customers stopped payment and switched off the on- board tracking system.
deingy
David Ingram 2
I can feel their pain but this is funny.
SamSawatzky
SamSawatzky 1
Curious to see the source story on this, Leon
yr2012
matt jensen 1
I reported here six days ago
https://flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/unset/user/66019/Missing_jet_if_you_see_it_call_Canada
leonkay
Leon Kay 1
It was reported in our South African Mail & Guardian newspaper on Mar 9, 2018 under the topic "Canadian bank's court bid to ground Gupta jet postponed"
henlara
Henry Lara 2
Por mi parte, estoy muy feliz por ser parte del trabajo de flightAware. ver en el mapa de cobertura de mi antena y que su ubicación la hace la ultima en la llanura Colombiana mirando hacia el suroriente, y que luego hacia esa zona de sudamérica encontrar la antena del señor Jack Wendel en Brasil, me hace sentir como lo dije, parte del éxito de FlightAware.
Barth44
Jose Barth 2
Just as subsonic velocity is still without progress in commercial air transport, the instant location of the geographical position of civilian aircraft has no practical and efficient coverage.
By example all IFR flights under Regulation FAR 121, 135, 91 should have a WWT – World Wide Transponder for independent location of the ATC sources as an additional form of mechanical integrity, added to Flight Recorder or not.
The integration of this Data coverage can happen with resources from ICAO member countries, IATA and those issuing permission from overflight in addition of a actual Commercial Air Law.
Obviously, the costs of this level achieved with Economic coverage by the aeronautical industry, aircraft manufacturers, and airlines, countries that issue Airworthiness Certificates, owners and passengers.
Always complemented by Aeronautical Authorities in the approvals of Certications, MEL, Operations Specifications and Training Programs.
pvenumenon
Why did Air India Delhi / San Francisco flight 173 on Monday March 05, 2018 land in Japan. And the flight was delayed over 9 hours ????
calmsteveo
Nice

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