Read the radar with the right expectations.
Live aircraft data is powerful but incomplete. These answers explain what the interface shows, what its labels mean and where uncertainty remains.
Coverage and freshness
Aircraft availability changes with geography, equipment, coverage and upstream telemetry. The freshness control lets you decide how old a position may be before it is excluded from the visible picture.
Identity and route data
A callsign, registration, aircraft type, origin or destination may be unavailable for a contact. Route fields are reported metadata and can be incomplete. Airplane Mode does not infer a destination from heading alone.
Military classification
Military watch is a contextual filter based on known patterns and aircraft knowledge. It can miss military aircraft and can occasionally highlight ambiguous state or civil traffic. Confidence and evidence labels help communicate that uncertainty.
What to know before opening the radar
Is the map real time?+
It refreshes live snapshots adaptively. The displayed age shows how recently each contact was observed.
Why is the destination unknown?+
A destination is shown only when route metadata is available. Current heading is not enough to determine where a flight will land.
Can I search by registration or callsign?+
Yes. The radar search accepts identities, route values and supported field filters.
Does the site track me?+
No account is required. Basic privacy-conscious site analytics are used to understand aggregate usage, while feedback only sends the context you choose to include.
Can I report incorrect aircraft data?+
Yes. Use the Feedback button and choose Aircraft data so the current aircraft context can be included with your report.