Recently, my flights where I requested VFR flight following have been showing up on Flight Aware. Has something changed?
N number?
N2800Y
N351RS
N500TJ
OK – which legs were VFR?
N2800Y - 3/11/08 & 3/13/08
N351RS - 3/10/08
N500TJ - 3/10/08
Usually when you ask for VFR flight following ATC treats you like and IFR aicraft…USUALLY
Aside from the guarantee of terrain and traffic separation, altitude/route restrictions, implicit airspace clearances, and so forth – it’s the same. 
Agree, but just have not had them show up on FlightAware until those flights.
To supplement what Dbaker sez above,
For Bravo airspace, on flight following (FF), one has to request entrance and be cleared into Bravo airspace, with IFR, clearance is by virtual of the IFR flight plan clearance and one doesn’t have to hear those magic words.
Also, with FF, ATC can drop you like a hot potato during high workload situations where as you are the workload when on an IFR flight plan.
Allen
Something definitely changed about a week ago. All VFR (with flight following) flights into my airport (KAUN) started showing up, and this was never the case, previously. Other pilots around the USA are noticing it as well.
Check your airport. Track logs will display VFR altitudes, origin will be either an airport or some kind of sector identifier, route will be “n/a” and filed altitude “unspecified”.
Hey BCola,
Speed and altitude are also blank on VFR flights.
Anyone know if this has changed again? I haven’t been seeing any VFR tracks lately.
The last two flights I’ve made never showed up on FlightAware and both were flight following.
I used to see VFR FF flights show up on FA about 10-20% of the time around here, but haven’t seen it at all lately.
We’ve made some changes to improve our handling of IFR traffic that may come at the expense of VFR flights, but we’re still seeing plenty of VFR traffic that makes it through to the site; mostly out of SC3 and SC4 which appear to be a code for the coastal southern California region.
EUG is also showing VFR flight following in the local area as well as to other various destinations.
How does vfr flight following show up on here? How would I know if an aircraft is vfr vs ifr by looking at FA?
Wazzu,
First, you’ll see the VFR aircraft on the local screen ( altitude and airspeed only), but if you punch in the reg. number ( ie. N40R or CGHRT ) you will not find the current flight on FA and FA may not have any record of the aircraft ever flying.
Around CYOW or CYUL for example, Tower will track aviation out of local flight schools ( another example ) that are in the proximity of these airports just to keep a handle on local airspace.
i flew on Saturday VFR with FF and i showed up on Flightaware. The flight was based out of DTS enroute to GWO. ATC sounded pretty slow so i dont know if they treated me as IFR.
Heh heh, nothing moves fast in MS.
Did you have to ask for clearance to climb or descend? If not, you were treated as VFR. That’s how you can tell if you are treated as IFR or VFR.
Altitude changes IFR require a clearance, VFR, you can climb and descend at will, but **ADVISE ATC **before doing so! it’s not required, but a courtesy, since VFR traffic is workload permitting.
Allen