Flight Aware Tracking

PA28-161. N2515U

So, I’m really puzzled by this. I flew from 8D4 to YIP a few weeks ago for the Thunder Over Michigan airshow. Only a portion of my flight track shows on Flightaware. Also, when we got to YIP (at 10:28) ATC closed the airport while we were in the pattern to land. That caused a divert…where we sort of flew southwest until we figured out what we were going to do. We ended up landing at ARB…this leg is not shown either. And neither is the return track from YIP to 8d4.

So…the question is, how do some flights show up on flightaware but others don’t.

I’m flying a dog rescue mission tomorrow from Lansing, IL to Harbor Springs, MI. I’ve advised the receiving rescue shelter to monitor Flightaware, but I can’t be sure that my flight will actually show up, since I don’t know what triggers the tracking on the site.

What happens if an aircraft cancels an IFR flight plan en-route or prior to arrival? (Back to top)

The cancellation time will be marked as the arrival time for that flight. There is a chance that an aircraft could proceed VFR to another airport and confuse FlightAware, but the most likely scenario is that a pilot cancels IFR just moments prior to arrival, so assuming that the aircraft has arrived is the safest bet.

Or
What does “result unknown” mean? (Back to top)

It means that the estimated arrival time of the flight has passed without FlightAware marking the flight as “arrived.” There are the most likely reasons why this happened:
The aircraft left FlightAware’s coverage area and data is no longer available.
The controlling air traffic control facility did not send an arrival message for a flight, which is rare.

hope this helps.
Lots of answers in the FAQ.