How to Track Any Plane in Real Time with Your Phone

Have you ever looked up at a plane crossing the sky and wondered where it came from and where it is heading? Or waited at an airport for a friend's flight, refreshing the arrivals board every thirty seconds? Real-time plane tracking puts that information right in your pocket. In this guide, we explain the technology behind it and show you how to track any aircraft using FlightLog.

What Is ADS-B and How Does It Work?

ADS-B stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast. It is a system where aircraft continuously broadcast their GPS position, altitude, speed, heading, and identification to ground stations and other aircraft. Here is what each part means:

• Automatic: the aircraft transmits without any pilot action
• Dependent: it depends on the aircraft's own GPS for position data
• Surveillance: air traffic control and others can monitor the aircraft
• Broadcast: the signal is sent openly, anyone with a receiver can pick it up

Since 2020, ADS-B Out has been mandatory for most commercial aircraft in both European and US airspace. This means virtually every commercial flight you see in the sky is broadcasting its position in real time. Networks of ground-based receivers around the world (many operated by volunteers) collect these signals and feed them into databases that apps like FlightLog can access.

What Data Can You See?

When tracking an aircraft in real time via ADS-B, you typically get:

• Live position: latitude and longitude plotted on a map, updated every few seconds
• Altitude: current barometric or geometric altitude in feet
• Ground speed: how fast the aircraft is moving relative to the ground
• Heading: the direction the aircraft is flying
• Vertical rate: whether the plane is climbing, descending, or level
• Callsign: the flight identifier used by air traffic control (usually related to the flight number)
• ICAO24 hex code: a unique identifier for the aircraft itself (not the flight)
• On-ground status: whether the aircraft has landed

Tracking a Plane with FlightLog: Step by Step

Step 1: Open the Tracker Tab

FlightLog has a dedicated "Where is my plane?" tab. Open it and you will see all flights from your journal that have an aircraft registration number. The tracker also groups your flights by aircraft, so you can see every plane you have ever flown on.

Step 2: Select a Flight or Registration

Choose any flight from your journal, or search by registration number, route, or airline. FlightLog supports filtering by year, so you can quickly find recent flights. Tap on a flight and the tracker starts looking for the aircraft using the OpenSky Network.

Step 3: Watch It Live

If the aircraft is currently in the air, you will see it appear on an interactive map with its live position, speed, altitude, and heading. The map updates automatically, so you can follow the flight's progress in real time.

If the aircraft is on the ground, FlightLog shows you its last known flight, the airport where it is parked, and its recent flight history, including the last 7 or 30 days of operations.

The Aircraft Info Card

FlightLog goes beyond simple position tracking. For every aircraft you track, you get a comprehensive Aircraft Info Card with detailed specifications:

• Identity: manufacturer, exact model, operator, country of registration, first flight date, age, and MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number)
• Engines: engine type and manufacturer
• Performance: cruise speed, maximum speed (Mmo), cruise altitude, service ceiling, range, and passenger capacity
• Cabin configuration: seat counts by class (First, Business, Premium Economy, Economy) specific to the airline operating the aircraft
• Photo: high-quality photo of the specific aircraft from Planespotters, with photographer credit

This data is assembled from multiple sources: hexdb.io, OpenSky Network metadata, adsbdb, and AI enrichment, and cached locally so subsequent lookups are instant.

Route Resolution: Where Is It Going?

One challenge with ADS-B data is that it tells you where the plane is, but not always where it's going. The broadcast includes a callsign but not necessarily the destination airport. FlightLog solves this with a three-level route fusion system:

1. Your journal: if you logged this flight, FlightLog already knows the route
2. OpenSky Network: cross-references the callsign with known flight schedules
3. AI inference: as a fallback, GPT resolves the callsign to a route based on airline scheduling patterns

This means you almost always see the full route (e.g., CDG to JFK) rather than just a dot on a map.

Automatic Landing Detection

FlightLog monitors the ADS-B "on ground" flag to detect when your tracked aircraft has landed. When it does, the display automatically transitions from live tracking mode to a grounded view showing the last flight summary and landing airport. No need to keep checking: the app handles the transition smoothly.

Common Questions

Can I track any aircraft?

You can track any aircraft that is broadcasting ADS-B, which includes virtually all commercial airliners. Some military aircraft and private jets may not broadcast or may use filtered/anonymized identifiers.

How accurate is the position data?

ADS-B positions are GPS-based, so accuracy is typically within 10-50 meters. The update frequency depends on receiver coverage: over populated areas updates come every 1-5 seconds, while over oceans there may be gaps.

Does it work offline?

Real-time tracking requires an internet connection to receive ADS-B data. However, aircraft specifications and your flight history are cached locally, so you can browse that information offline.

Try It Yourself

FlightLog's "Where is my plane?" tracker is available for free. Log a flight with an aircraft registration, and you can start tracking that specific plane's movements across the globe. Explore detailed specs, see cabin configurations, and view real aircraft photos, all from your phone. Download FlightLog and give it a try on your next flight.