Sancho

An interesting site. You can zoom in on Vienna, say, and see what's happening in real time

http://www.flightradar24.com

Planefinder's good too. It's got pictures - http://planefinder.net

FAB001 just come into sight west-south-west of Vienna, I see. FAB = Bolivian Air Force.

linseed oil

god I love it what a brilliant site it will keep me amused for ages

Isakat

I did not know about flight radar, but my son uses plane finder often, especially when he want to know where his dad's plane is at one moment.

Sancho

With Flightradar, try searching for FAB1 (search box top left of screen) then, when you've found the plane (now just south of Canaries), clicking on Cockpit View (bottom of the vertical left hand panel), then once that's loaded clicking on "Rotate View" (under the main middle panel) a few times. Looks like the Western Sahara off to port, and the Cape Verde Islands on the horizon ahead. Far out or what ?

Isakat

I can not get ROTATE VIEW to work!?

Sancho

Not quite sure what it's supposed to do, actually, but it does something - for me at least.

When you're in the Cockpit View mode, and you've brought up the main central cockpit view horizontal subscreen, try clicking on the other Cockpit View button at the bottom of that subscreen (next to Rotate View), then on different parts of the different three dials. Fascinating.

linseed oil

hi duffer I am am duffer when it comes to pcs I have downloaded the program so I can have cockpit views but a message comes to say its sucesfully downloaded but to view I must restrart my browser tried restart computer but no luck could you tell me in dumbo mode how to resolve this issue as we are within site of Pescara air port and iam a bit of a plane spotter tia

Sancho

Restart browser doesn't mean restart computer. It means close Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox or Safari or Chrome or whatever programme you use to surf the net, then start it again.

But shutting down your computer then starting it again will do the job too - it's just a bit overdramatic, like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut

Incidentally, they don't recommend using the programme with Internet Explorer. See http://www.flightradar24.com/faq ("What web browser should I use to watch Flightradar24.com?")

Then

1. Open the programme and find Pescara on the map

2. Find an aeroplane near Pescara and click on it. A narrowish vertical panel should slide open to the left of your screen. (If it doesn't it may be because that particular plane hasn't got a "transponder" or something.)

3. At the bottom of the narrow panel you'll see a long blue button with "Cockpit View". Click on that button. A biggish horizontal subscreen should open in the middle of your screen

4. On the left of that screen you'll see three dials and below them five buttons. Click on the middle one of the five buttons, also called "Cockpit View". It'll change to "Aircraft View" and a plane will appear

5. The three dials indicate a) what direction the aeroplane nose is pointing in - e.g. just west of north, b) its airspeed, and c) its altitude

Experiment with the other buttons - they're pretty obvious.

I'm not sure what "rotate view" is supposed to mean, but it you click it it seems to show the plane from different angles - from the west, from the side, etc.

Domino

have been using FlightRadar24.com for a couple of years now, you get some interesting movements just in the Med area.
Look for the Singapore Airlines flight from Brazil to Singapore via Barcelona at about 0900 (med time)

have even followed a military plane from Rota to a place in a landlocked country just to the east of Italy.

if you want to go the whole hog then go for the full PRO version and get it on your smart phone. If you want to contribute to it then you can buy a dongle that plugs in to your computer for around £150 IIRC, which will pick up the aircraft in your area and report their movements to the system - which will give you free access.

but watch out, it can be addictive.........

linseed oil

sused it can get cockpit view with firfox this is like a drug I can follow my guests and family and leave at the last minuet to pick them up

Sancho

http://www.flightradar24.com/47.46,30.97/6

Watch the planes avoiding the Crimea