It seems pretty wild that in a post 9/11 world something like Flight Radar 24 would exist, but the live air traffic website can tell you exactly who’s hovering above with just a quick click of the mouse.
Using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) technology – GPS navigation that links to the ADS-B transponder found on 60% of all US and European airplanes and data from the FAA, the site tracks where planes are flying in real time. Once the plane has been tracked, it registers on the map on the website where you can click on it for more details (i.e., where it started, where it’s headed, how high it’s flying, etc.).
Resting my mouse above Vermont, I was able to click on a yellow plane which was identified as United Airline flight 915 flying from Paris to Washington at an altitude of 38,000 feet. In the ocean off the coast of Nova Scotia was Ethiopian Airlines flight 501 flying from Washington to Addis Ababa.
Pretty crazy stuff!
Check it out for yourself at: www.flightradar24.com
