Guides — How Flight Tracking Works

Plain-language explanations of the technology behind the live map — no engineering degree required.

What Is ADS-B? How Live Flight Tracking Works The radio broadcast every airliner makes — and how receivers on the ground turn it into a live map. ADS-B vs MLAT vs FLARM vs TIS-B Four different technologies locate aircraft. What the colored rings mean and why tracks jitter. How to Read a Live Flight Tracker Map Icons, trails, altitude colors, callsigns, squawk codes and airport boards — decoded. Live Ship Tracking with AIS The maritime cousin of ADS-B — how the same map shows every ship in the English Channel. Frequently Asked Questions Why aircraft disappear, how accurate positions are, where the data comes from, and more.

Also see: airport directory — live traffic links for major airports worldwide.