01
Where you are
The place the display sits. That becomes the centre of the picture.
Your window, not the planet
Window detection. Only the aircraft you can see.
Window detection keeps the screen to the sky outside your house. You set where you are, which way you face, and how far to look, once. FlightAbove then shows the aircraft you could actually see.
The wider story of how planes announce themselves is on how aircraft tracking works. This page is the view from your window.
From £99.00 one-time · produced in the United Kingdom
Example
Looking out
EZY8KP
BAW247
Outside
You
- EZY8KP In the window
- BAW247 In the window
- Outside Filtered out
The idea
The aircraft is already talking. This keeps your bit of sky.
FlightAbove does not invent the traffic. It cuts the picture down to the view outside your window, then leaves that screen on so you are not unlocking a map for a speck that has already gone. Hardware is paid once. Cloud is the page in a browser if you already have a screen you like.
Live
Aircraft overhead
Your view
Not the whole planet
Worldwide
Wherever planes talk
Once
Set it and leave it
The view
Three things. You set each one.
After that the screen looks after itself, and updates as aircraft come into the view and leave it.
02
Which way you face
The direction of the window or the garden. FlightAbove keeps the view in front of you.
03
How far to look
Wider catches more traffic. Narrower keeps it to what is almost overhead. You can also set a height range.
Coverage
It works wherever the planes are talking
A city under a flight path, a house near an airport, or somewhere quieter. If aircraft fly over you and announce themselves, they can appear. Produced in the United Kingdom is the hardware. The sky is not limited to the UK.
- checkUnited Kingdom and Ireland
- checkEurope and the Middle East
- checkNorth and South America
- checkAsia and the Pacific
The picture is fullest over Europe and North America, where more people are listening. It keeps spreading as more airspace asks aircraft to announce themselves.
What flies over
Whatever is announcing itself
Airliners, private aircraft, helicopters, and military flights that choose to be seen. You can switch each group on or off.
Airliners
Scheduled jets from airlines around the world. Usually the fullest detail.
Military
When they choose to be seen. Many stay quiet.
Helicopters
Emergency, transport and private. Its own switch.
Private jets
Business aircraft. Detail varies with what they send.
Light aircraft
Smaller general aviation. Some older ones never got the radio.
Setup
You aim it, then you leave it
Match the view to the window you actually look out of. Under a flight path, aim it at those routes. Change it later from the dashboard, or from the screen on Mini, Horizon and Altitude.
- checkWhere you are, which way you face, how far, and a height range
- checkShow or hide commercial, private, military and helicopters
- checkActive Hours, so detection rests when you want quiet
- checkThe same settings in the dashboard on every model, including Connect and Cloud
Setting which way you face
What you see
A name, not a dot
An example of a commercial flight in the window. Airliners usually bring the route and the airline. Some military and private aircraft only send a position. That is their choice.
Example · BA287
In the window
Aircraft
Boeing 737-800
Registration
G-EUOB
United Kingdom
Airline
British Airways
BA
Flight
BA287
LHR to JFK
Altitude
34,000 ft
Cruising
Speed
487 kts
901 km/h
Heading
285°
West
Distance
12.4 km
From you
From the window
245°
Look that way
The detail
What can arrive with each aircraft
Not every flight sends every line. Commercial flights usually do. The screen shows what that aircraft actually sent, then fills in the airline, the type and the photo when it can.
badge
Identity
- Callsign
- The name the aircraft is using on the radio, such as BAW179 or EZY8KP.
- Flight number
- The scheduled flight, such as BA287, when the airline publishes it.
- Registration
- The tail number on the aircraft, such as G-XWBA.
- ICAO hex
- A fixed ID in the aircraft radio, useful when the flight name is missing.
- Airline
- The carrier, worked out from the callsign.
- Airline logo
- The carrier mark, matched from the airline list.
flight
Aircraft
- Aircraft type
- The model, such as Boeing 737-800 or Airbus A321neo.
- Manufacturer
- Who built the airframe: Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Bombardier and others.
- Aircraft image
- A photo or drawing of that type.
- Owner
- The registered owner or leasing company, when it is known.
- Owner country
- The country of registration, from the tail number.
location_on
Position
- Latitude and longitude
- Where the aircraft says it is.
- Altitude
- How high, in feet or metres. You choose the unit.
- Distance
- How far it is from the place you set.
- Bearing
- Which way to look from your window.
- Direction arrow
- A pointer on the display for where to glance.
speed
How it is flying
- Ground speed
- Speed over the ground, in knots, km/h or mph.
- Heading
- The direction the aircraft is flying.
- Vertical rate
- Climbing or descending, and how quickly.
- Squawk
- The four-digit code air traffic control gave the flight.
- Flight phase
- Climb, cruise or descent, from the height and the climb rate.
route
Route
- Origin
- Where it took off, when that is in the flight plan.
- Destination
- Where it is going, when that is in the flight plan.
- Route
- The pair, such as LHR to JFK.
- ETA
- Estimated arrival, when the plan includes it.
- Airport names
- The plain names, not only the three-letter codes.
desktop_windows
On the screen
- Nearest first
- Aircraft are ordered by distance, so the closest stays at the front.
- Your window
- Only the distance and the view you set.
- Active Hours
- Detection can run only in the hours you choose.
- Refresh
- The display checks again on a short cycle through the day.
Before you decide
Questions about window detection
How does window detection work?
You set where you are, which way you face, and how far to look, once. FlightAbove keeps the aircraft inside that view and leaves the rest off the screen.
What is ADS-B?
It is the name for a plane reporting its own position, instead of waiting for radar to find it. FlightAbove uses that live picture. The fuller explanation is on How aircraft tracking works.
Can I change the view later?
Yes. Distance, height range and the viewing arc are edited in the FlightAbove dashboard, in any browser. On Mini, Horizon and Altitude you can also set them from the screen. Living under a flight path, you can aim the view at those routes.
What shows for each aircraft?
The name, the type, where it is, how it is flying, and the route when the aircraft sends them. Commercial flights usually show the most. Military and some private aircraft may only show a basic position. That is the aircraft choosing what to send.
Does this work outside the UK?
Yes. If aircraft are flying over you and announcing themselves, they can appear. Coverage is fullest over Europe and North America. Produced in the United Kingdom is about the hardware, not a limit on the sky.
Is there a monthly fee?
Not on the hardware. Mini, Horizon, Altitude and Connect are one-time purchases with live data included. Cloud is the optional browser page if you already have a screen, from £3.99/month.
How long until a hardware order arrives?
Produced in the United Kingdom. Allow 5 to 7 business days before dispatch, then courier transit.
How do I set where I live?
Once, in the FlightAbove dashboard. Say where the display sits, which way you look out, and how far to include. Mini, Horizon and Altitude can also be set from the screen. Connect uses the dashboard. Connect is a Raspberry Pi 4 with FlightAbove already on it.
Can I hide some aircraft?
Yes. Commercial, private, military and helicopter each have their own switch. You can also set a height line, a cooldown so the same aircraft does not light the screen on every pass, and Active Hours so detection only runs when you want it.
On the desk
The window, already filtered.
Leave it on. Produced in the United Kingdom. Hardware paid for once.
From £99.00 one-time on hardware