Can you track a blocked tail number?

FAA source blocking The aircraft's flight tracking data will not be broadcast from FAA to any vendor. You will not be able to track your own flights via an vendor once FAA Source Blocking is in place. Subscriber-level blocking Vendors will still receive the aircraft's flight tracking data from FAA.



In 2026, tracking a "blocked" aircraft tail number is possible but restricted for the general public. Under the FAA's LADD (Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed) program, aircraft owners can request that their flight data not be shared with public tracking websites like FlightAware or FlightRadar24. If an owner chooses "FAA Source Blocking," their plane will effectively disappear from these popular apps. However, websites like ADS-B Exchange utilize a decentralized network of hobbyist receivers to track aircraft directly from the signals they broadcast (ADS-B Out), which are required for safety and cannot be "turned off." These sites often show "unfiltered" data, including many blocked private jets. For 2026 enthusiasts, while the "big" commercial apps will honor the block to stay in the FAA's good graces, the physical radio signals are still in the air. For high-level security, some owners use the PIA (Privacy ICAO Address) program, which assigns a temporary, "scrambled" hex code to the plane that isn't tied to the tail number, making it nearly impossible to track without classified military-grade surveillance.

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Blocking Your Tail Number All blocking requests are handled by the FAA. All blocking requests must include the following: Aircraft owner/operator name and address. Email address the FAA can use to communicate with the aircraft owner/operator regarding the blocking request.

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Tracking the private jet in Flight Aware app Enter an aircraft's tail number and click “Track Flight.” You can now track the aircraft on the map, with flight data on the right.

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According to Similarweb data of monthly visits, flightaware.com's top competitor in August 2023 is flightstats.com with 9.4M visits.

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Trackers can use an aircraft system called ADS-B, which broadcasts information like GPS location, altitude, and speed from one aircraft to ground stations and other planes. Using this system, volunteers from around the world have set up radios that transfer flight data to a free public website called ADS-B Exchange.

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In accordance with the underlying statutory framework (49 USC Chapter 441) and as described in the applicable SORN, the information maintained in the aircraft record is available to the public upon request.

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If you don't have the flight number, the Flight Finder option can help locate the flight number (though you do need to know the aircraft's origin and destination airport).

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Flightradar24 has a rapidly growing network of 35,000 ground stations around the world to receive this data that then shows up as aircraft moving on a map in the app.

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