Track an aircraft or a ship
Aircraft and ships broadcast their own position, by ADS-B for the former and AIS for the latter. These signals are picked up by networks of volunteer receivers, and that is where the tracking sites get their data. Understanding that chain explains the gaps : an aircraft out of receiver range vanishes from the map without having switched anything off.
The tools, in order
- 01Flightradar24.comfreemium
The widest coverage and the most readable interface for a first look
Global real-time flight tracking platform built on ADS-B and radar feeds with airport and route intelligence views.
- 02ADS-B Exchangefreemium
Does not filter aircraft on privacy block lists, unlike the commercial services
Large community-driven unfiltered ADS-B flight tracking network with broad global aircraft coverage.
- 03OpenSky Networkfree
Gives access to the raw history through an API, for reproducible work
Academic air traffic network with an open historical database and a research API. Unfiltered, unlike commercial trackers that hide some aircraft.
- 04MarineTrafficfreemium
The reference for AIS, with port calls and vessel identities
AIS-based global ship tracking with port calls, vessel particulars and historical voyage data.
- 05Vessel Finderfreemium
Covers a different receiver set, useful when a ship is missing elsewhere
Global AIS vessel tracking service for ship positions, voyage progress, and historical movement review.
The pitfall to avoid
No signal does not mean the transponder was switched off. The three ordinary causes are leaving receiver range, flying too low, and commercial filtering of certain registrations. A track that stops over the ocean is the rule, not the anomaly.
🧭 The full plan
The copilot orders every step from your starting point, with pre-filled queries.
📖 The guides
Detailed methods by investigation type.