Incorrect flight results

[TerryDuepner]

Something went crazy with the data this weekend. My husband and I left Galveston (GLS), TX and called for flight following for a VFR flight to Georgetown (GTU), TX. The data on this site has us leaving Baytown (close but not quite) and going to Georgetown, DE??? That long a flight isn’t even possible in our little single-engine Cardinal. How does this data get from ATC to Flightaware? Is this a case of a flight controller messing up the data or is it something in the transfer to Flightaware. By the way, this flight was also the first time we have been asked to change squawk code mid flight, which we thought was a little strange at the time.

Any ideas what could have gone wrong.

[JHEM]

More than likely a mistake by ATC. FA get its US flight info directly from the FAA and the info received from flight following, rather than from an IFR filing, is notoriously unreliable.

[mduell]

VFR isn’t intended to be included, per FAA policy, and generally isn’t. When it is, it often contains errors.

[porterjet]

@TerryDuepner

Something went crazy with the data this weekend. My husband and I left Galveston (GLS), TX and called for flight following for a VFR flight to Georgetown (GTU), TX.
Likely the controller entered the closest airport when you made the initial call.
The data on this site has us leaving Baytown (close but not quite) and going to Georgetown, DE???
The controller couldn’t remember the code for Georgetown Tx., looked it up and the computer came up with the one in Delaware. (GED vs. GTU) In the case of VFR or popup IFR flights you quite often see data that is “close enough for government work” being entered. The controller doesn’t have a lot of time to enter data for popup flights and sometimes will use their own personal shorthand.
That long a flight isn’t even possible in our little single-engine Cardinal. How does this data get from ATC to Flightaware? Is this a case of a flight controller messing up the data or is it something in the transfer to Flightaware. By the way, this flight was also the first time we have been asked to change squawk code mid flight, which we thought was a little strange at the time.

Any ideas what could have gone wrong.