How many planes are currently in the sky?
Have you ever wondered how many planes are currently in the sky? Or how many are flying over you?
It's not difficult to find the answer to these questions; just type www.flightradar24.com or www.radarvirtuel.com into your browser.
These websites allow you to track the location of aircraft worldwide. In addition, you can find out which airline owns the plane, the flight number, flight direction, altitude, and speed of the aircraft. Search can also be performed using these same parameters.
How does it work?
These services operate thanks to ADS-B technology (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) — which allows pilots, air traffic controllers, and any owner of an ADS-B receiver to "see" aircraft traffic and receive aeronautical information. Previously, radar was widely used, but ADS-B technology is more accurate; it transmits its location, course, ascent or descent, as well as altitude and speed data via radio channel every second.
The ADS-B operational scheme is shown below:
ADS-B determines the aircraft's coordinates using the GPS system, and then transmits them and other flight data (altitude, speed, flight, etc.) to ground control centers for air traffic controllers, as well as to other aircraft.
ADS-B technology is highly developed in the USA and Europe, but not all aircraft in Russia are yet equipped with it. Currently, all Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as well as some new models of Il-96, Tu-204, and Sukhoi SuperJet 100, are equipped with the ADS-B system.
Data to www.flightradar24.com or www.radarvirtuel.com is broadcast by radio amateurs who have installed a special receiver - ADS-B receiver. You can also join them by purchasing such a receiver, thereby contributing to enhancing flight safety.
Do the websites always show accurate data?
No, not always. It all depends on the density of receiver coverage. If you visit any of the websites mentioned above, you will see that the Asian part of Russia and Africa are practically not covered, even though a plane might be flying there at that very moment.
The most complete coverage is over Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America.
