|
|
Post by dennisn on May 13, 2016 7:05:13 GMT
Ever since I found FLIGHTRADAR24, it has been a small pleasure to follow flights. It has been fairly fruitless over winter, so the start of the season is most welcome.
However I am finding it very frustrating. This year it seems that all the flights are not registering details at all early. In the past I have seen "our" flight on the ground in Birmingham, then watched it take off. But this year I don't seem able to pick it up until it is well into the flight. Not just our flight, but ALL flights.
I am beginning to wonder if Thomson are deliberately delaying putting out live flight information as a matter of policy, maybe a security thing.
Or is it my setup? Has anybody else found anything like this?
|
|
|
|
Post by Woody (Admin) on May 13, 2016 8:52:09 GMT
Dennis, a little explanation of how Flight Radar 24 and Planefinder work.
An aircraft has, as you probably already know a box known as a transponder. This box gets interrogated by the Air Traffic Control Radars as it is flying along. Flight information is then automatically sent to the Air Traffic Radars when it is interrogated.
These days the amount of flight data that it can send to ATC is huge. It used to be just Identification and Height, but know all sorts of aircraft parameters are transmitted to ATC.
Flight Radar 24 and Planfinder work by using the ATC Radar information they are getting from the transponders and depicting them on your PC/Laptop/Tablet/Phone.
Thompson will not have any say in what or when it is displayed on Flight Radar 24, unless they switch off their transponders (they will soon get two Typhoon Jets on their wingtips if they do that though). However, there are times when flight information doesn't seem to make it onto the screen, even if you know it is in the air. remote areas without ATC radar coverage will mean your flight depiction on Flight Radar 24 will disappear mid-flight.
|
|
|
|
Post by dennisn on May 13, 2016 9:14:04 GMT
Yes Woody, I had pretty much guessed all that.
My problem is MY flight - Birmingham 07:10 to Skiathos Thomsons flight TOM7534. If you're quick enough right now it should be somewhere en route. But searching for TOM7534 gets nothing. There is one TOM41T which left from Birmingham, but it doesn't say where it's going! I have known them in the past to have that sort of shorter identity, but always they've shown the destination.
I suspect it's Thomson flight crew simply not putting sufficient detail into their thingy on the plane. It seems to happen to several of their flights.
|
|
|
|
Post by Woody (Admin) on May 13, 2016 9:35:13 GMT
I think the aircraft callsign and the flight number can be different, so may not bring up the aircraft you want.
|
|
stella202
New Member
Posts: 9 
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
Accommodation Stayed At: Most recently The Alkyon, but over the years all over the island.
|
Post by stella202 on May 15, 2016 11:08:46 GMT
Woody is right about the call sign and flight number. The best way to find your flight is to go to the departure airport, click on the blue dot and when the list of flights comes up click on the little pointer to the right of your flight. You can then follow it as it flies.
|
|
|
|
Post by dennisn on May 15, 2016 16:47:01 GMT
Yes, I KNOW all that.
My problem is that my flight did NOT come up when I clicked to follow it.
|
|
troll
Junior Member
Posts: 39 
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
|
Post by troll on May 15, 2016 19:33:18 GMT
From a serious source:
Your flight Dennism has been categorised as: "with VIP onboard", so info will be very limited.
|
|
|
|
Post by dennisn on May 16, 2016 5:45:58 GMT
What? Do you mean to tell me Goldie goes on it? Oh what joy, my pleasure will be complete!
|
|
|
|
Post by cariad23 on May 16, 2016 6:50:37 GMT
WILL IT BE VIP ONBOARD WHEN YOU GO DENNIS ? HA HA
|
|
|
|
Post by cariad23 on May 16, 2016 6:54:47 GMT
i'm not far from east midland airport, so i get alot of planes and information when i look, it includes all planes flying over airspace not just taking off.
I enjoy watching incoming flights on there when in skiathos
|
|
|
|
Post by dennisn on May 16, 2016 19:08:49 GMT
We're on the approach run for Bristol Airport, about 10 miles away, planes down to a couple of thousand feet as they pass overhead. When we used to fly from there, we'd always wave at our house as we came in to land, homeward bound. Our kids fly from there, so we wave as they go out and again as they come back. A couple of weeks ago I rang Vera to quick go out the back door to watch and wave to Ian and Valerie's flight coming in.
We're also pretty much on the flight path for many planes coming from USA to Heathrow, so all in all, I can geek at them all day long if I fancy it.
|
|
|
|
Post by dennisn on May 16, 2016 19:47:40 GMT
WILL IT BE VIP ONBOARD WHEN YOU GO DENNIS ? HA HA Only if Goldie Hawn is on it - I should be so lucky! |
|
