Tracking Private Jets

The Sky is Open Source

By RecOsint | Dec 4, 2025

You Can't Hide in the Sky. Celebrities and Billionaires try to keep their travel plans secret. But every time their jet takes off, it broadcasts a signal. You don't need a radar to see it. You just need a laptop.

Aircraft use a system called ADS-B to tell Air Traffic Control where they are. The Catch: These signals are Unencrypted. Result: Anyone with a cheap $20 antenna (or a website) can intercept these signals and plot them on a map.

What is ADS-B?

Forget FlightRadar24 (they block some VIPs). Real investigators use ADS-B Exchange. Why: They do not censor data. Power: If a dictator's plane or a military drone turns on its transponder, this site shows it instantly.

ADS-B Exchange

How did a teenager track Elon Musk? He simply wrote a bot that watched specifically for the "Tail Number" (License Plate) of Elon's plane (N628TS) on these public maps. Lesson: Physical privacy is impossible in the air.

Elon's Jet

Next time you hear a loud plane, check the map. It might be a police helicopter or a rare military fighter jet. Tip: Explore the "Military" filter on tracking sites.

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