FlightAware
Encyclopedia
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
software and data services company. Based in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, it is best known for the flightaware.com web site, the first to offer free flight tracking of both private and commercial aircraft in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. FlightAware also provides online flight planning as well as aviation news and photos.
FlightAware primarily provides services and data to aircraft and airport operators as well as other aviation organizations to assist in their operations.
The company has its head office in Suite 1300 in Eight Greenway Plaza in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and another office in Suite 2200 of 500 Fifth Avenue
500 Fifth Avenue
500 Fifth Avenue is a 60-floor , 697-foot art deco office tower in Manhattan, New York City, standing at West 42nd Street. It is adjacent to Bryant Park....
in New York, NY.
Overview
The FlightAware.com web site provides free flight tracking of private and commercial flights as well as airport activity, flight and airport maps with weather, aviation statistics, flight planning and instrument flight rulesInstrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
procedures for airports in the United States. In addition, the site includes pilot services such as aviation news, photos, and an aviation discussion forum.
According to the company it serves over 100 million flight tracking pages to over two million users a month .
Live Flight Tracking
FlightAware has real-time information for most instrument flight rulesInstrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
flights in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. The web site allows users to search, organize, and view the information in many different ways. This information is particularly useful to airport operators and aircraft operators such as small airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
s, charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
companies, and pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
.
Users can enter an airport (by airport code or name) and see:
- A list of all aircraft inbound, outbound, or scheduled to be inbound/outbound
- A map of the area with radar weather overlay
- A graph of operations at that airport
- Links to airport information
Users can also search by airline flight number or the aircraft's registration if it is a non-commercial flight, or select a flight from an airport's status page. Information provided includes:
- Proposed departure and arrival times
- Actual departure and arrival times
- Proposed and actual altitude
- Proposed and actual airspeed
- Four month history of that flight or aircraft
- Time elapsed and time remaining
- Filed Route
A link is also provided that lists, minute by minute, the latitude and longitude, ground speed
Ground speed
Ground speed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the ground. Information displayed to passengers through the entertainment system often gives the aircraft groundspeed rather than airspeed....
, and altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
at that moment.
Registration
Users are given the chance to register with the site for free, which adds features and functionality as well as the ability to participate in community features such as photos. FlightAware reports 400,000 registered users.Pilot Resources
The web site also includes many aviation and pilot resources such as a page for every airport with location, runway information, airport utilization, and other information published by the FAA. FlightAware allows users to contribute additions and changes to a list of airport businesses (such as airport fuel facilities, flight schools, restaurants, etc).Users can also download airport diagrams and IFR procedures called "approach plates" or "charts."
Media attention
FlightAware is regarded by the media as an authority on aviation and breaking news stories; the company has been referenced, featured, or mentioned in the New York Times, BloombergBloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, San Diego Union-Tribune, Tampa Tribune, ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
, Washington Post, Boston Globe, as well as many local newspapers and television news affiliates.
History
FlightAware did over a million dollars in revenue in the first 18 months.Previous to the current location, FlightAware headquarters was in Suite 1150 at 8 Greenway, and originally the FlightAware headquarters were in the Midtown area of Houston.