Plane Spotters / Flight Radar Thread

Those A400s like to drop in from 5000 feet and come in over my area at 250-300 feet makes an incredible noise, for some reason they like doing it late at night.
 
petridish said:
Question for you more knowledgeable FRers. I'm fairly close to an airport and have wondered about setting up a receiver, mostly as a bit of fun. I'm sure there's good coverage already - there are plenty of people closer to the airport than I am and enough aviation industry at the site that there's got to be hobbyists around. Is there a way to see if I'd be adding anything in terms of coverage?

The only thing that makes me think it's worth contributing is we get the odd helicopter flying low which when I take a look at doesn't show in FR. Even at times things like the air ambulance for example that must surely have an active transponder on board. Any thoughts/comments from those who've dabbled before?
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The ADSB sites including FR24 have a contribution section with coverage maps. If something doesn't appear on flight radar in this country chance are it isn't broadcasting for whatever reason.
 
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Rroff said:
The ADSB sites including FR24 have a contribution section with coverage maps. If something doesn't appear on flight radar in this country chance are it isn't broadcasting for whatever reason.
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Although the use of a transponder is not technically required in parts of UK airspace I'd be very surprised if anything bigger than a microlight was flying around without one, and I suspect many microlights do have them fitted. An air ambulance would not be operating without one that's for sure.

It could be that nothing is interrogating a transponder at a given time - particularly in the case of low flying aircraft, where it is below the horizon of the secondary radar receiver. Which is why it doesn't show up.
 
esmozz said:
Although the use of a transponder is not technically required in parts of UK airspace I'd be very surprised if anything bigger than a microlight was flying around without one, and I suspect many microlights do have them fitted. An air ambulance would not be operating without one that's for sure.

It could be that nothing is interrogating a transponder at a given time - particularly in the case of low flying aircraft, where it is below the horizon of the secondary radar receiver. Which is why it doesn't show up.
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There is loads of stuff which doesn't appear on sites like FR24, or only for parts of the flight - when whatever US unit it was that was flying F-18s in the UK about a year or so ago was out they almost never showed just occasionally on returning to base, etc.
 
esmozz said:
Although the use of a transponder is not technically required in parts of UK airspace I'd be very surprised if anything bigger than a microlight was flying around without one, and I suspect many microlights do have them fitted. An air ambulance would not be operating without one that's for sure.

It could be that nothing is interrogating a transponder at a given time - particularly in the case of low flying aircraft, where it is below the horizon of the secondary radar receiver. Which is why it doesn't show up.
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Spot on. The rules of the air require electronic conspicuity functionality to be operated to the maximum extent of its equipped capability if serviceable. I.e if you have a transponder fitted and it is working, it must be turned on at all times and all functions (Alt reporting, Mode S downlink etc) must be enabled. Some people do turn it off, usually when up to no good, but that is rare. The only routine exemption is for military.

Multilateration requires an interrogation, but ADS-B does not, so it’s most likely a coverage issue. There is also the possibility that certain operators have asked the major platforms to exclude their aircraft from being displayed.
 
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Scuzi said:
The only routine exemption is for military.
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When I was on holiday in the Brecon - Hereford area there were multiple blue and yellow Dauphin helis flying about which never showed on FR24 - I believe operated by the SAS/SF (not sure if they have any agreements but no platform had any active data on them).

There is a fair bit of military stuff which uses Yeovilton and sometimes Henstridge near me which don't show up but I've also seen private flights, there are a few rich and/or famous who come and go from Henstridge, which never show on FR24 or only show up sporadically.
 
henry hoov3r said:
I’m thinking of making the pilgrimage next year. Is it case of go there and just wait and see?
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Diddums said:
I'd also like to know this. Whilst I could sit there for hours chilling and waiting, my wife won't. I'd need a small window to know when to show up.
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Basically, yes - aircraft don’t ’book in’ as such, you just announce your intentions over the radio for anyone else in the area and deconglict yourselves, so you never know what will happen. A single day could have loads coming through or none. You might get a bit of notice if you follow everything on flight radar and see what’s in the area, but probably not enough to get from a local hotel and up the hill.

Also, DM incoming.
 
Penfold101 said:
Basically, yes - aircraft don’t ’book in’ as such, you just announce your intentions over the radio for anyone else in the area and deconglict yourselves, so you never know what will happen. A single day could have loads coming through or none. You might get a bit of notice if you follow everything on flight radar and see what’s in the area, but probably not enough to get from a local hotel and up the hill.

Also, DM incoming.
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I would be traveling up from the big smoke so I would be prepared to sit around for a few days.
 
Had a weird one at work not long back. A random, non-descript helo landed at our helipad. No warning was given, Resus. didn't know anything about a trauma being called so cue a few confused Emergency Medicine Consultants walking around wondering what was going on. I'd got the trolley out, got all the gases ready and was stood there waiting to offload a trauma. This non-descript helo (a blue Dauphin II) touched down, sat there with it's rotors going for about 5 minutes and then just left. After a bit of to and fro betwixt the pilot and one of the consultants it turned out to be an AAC training flight that had requested to touch down.

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We currently have a US Army Lockheed C5-M at our local air force base here at Whenuapai, NZ, 2 minutes from my house. It flew in last night, it looked so imposing! I went and got a couple of pics just now on my way home from work.

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