Flight tracking in Google Earth
 

This is pretty cool: http://www.lifehacker.com/software/g...ing-161162.php

It's a plugin for Google Earth that lets you track flights in real time.

Very, very cool!

An alternative (not as cool, but cool nonetheless) is to put in the flight number in Google (e.g., UA 500) and then click on the fboweb link that comes up for flight tracking -- it uses Google maps (two dimensional though) to track the flight.

Very cool. Thanks for posting this. ^

The trick from cblaisd did not work for me (LT 909)

I prefer to track my flights using my own GPS with a plugin to Google Earth. Beats any IFE tracking system.

My bad. You have to use the three letter code. E.g., UAL or NWA et al

And there's a link from there to track it in Google Earth now, too.

Uh. Yeah.

But this is a solution for people on the ground.

Plus; not all airlines allow GPS units, AND you need a pretty big cache to get decent detailed maps when working offline.

Indeed, like when you're wanting to track a family member's or friend's flight.

Sorry, I'm too stupid for this...!?

Where on that page can I start the download, can't find it....please help! :confused:


YEAH! BBI is coming!

That is awesome!

So, how do these websites work? Do the airlines update the info in real-time, or some kind of ATC feed?

I use this
 

I use this
http://flightaware.com/live/

I find flightaware to be about five minutes delayed from actual. I tested it by watching a MEM-HSV flight land in HSV (from my room at the Four Points). When I saw it touchdown on 18L, flightaware showed it was still at a few thousand feet. I kept refreshing until it showed landed - roughly five minutes later.

The NWA phone system seems up to the minute (or even second) as I have called seconds after touchdown and gotten the "flight has landed, but not arrived at the gate yet".

I tried that on a UAL flight to London ,
but the map stops registering at the Canadian border,

still pretty cool

Rally

I thought this was going to be really cool... until I discover its only for flights in the USA & Canada. I tried flightaware but the same applies there :td:

Does anyone know of a (ideally free) tool which works globally?