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Tracking Celebrity Planes With FlightAware

by Justin Glow (RSS feed) on Feb 13th 2007 at 1:20PM

We've talked about FlightAware before, the one-stop-shop for everything aviaton-related, and we've also discussed the jumbo jet-owning John Travolta a few times too. This post is a mashup of those two topics. Exciting, huh?

Actually, it is pretty cool. Travolta's 707 has the registration tag "N707JT" and if you put that into FlightAware's tracking system, you can see where the plane currently is. You can also see where it's been in the last four months with more data and visuals than anyone would ever possibly need. I'm not sure why you'd want to see all this, except so that the next time you're at dinner with friends you can say, "you know, John Travolta flew into LAX today from Oakland today. He was going about 480 knots at 31,000 feet. Awesome, huh?"

Previously: Flight Aware, Airparks, and the Death of Jumbolair? and Traveling Travolta

[via The Cranky Flier]

Filed under: Airlines

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Athena Feb 21st 2007 3:55PM

It's not that big of a deal to see John Travolta's plane. I've seen his plane and him dozens of times at the Reno/Tahoe airport. He flies his 707 here to Reno every year for the Reno Air Races in Stead. My fiance is a pilot and we have all access to the airport and the flight line. That's the only reason we see him every year as we fly the same day,same time he comes in every year. Looked over when his plane taxied in last year. He got off the plane, into a limo and was whisked off to Stead airport for the air races. No one ever gets to see him (or his plane) at the air races as he comes and goes without anyone knowing he's there (that's the way he likes it). No one can really see his plane unless they are on the flight line @ the Reno/Tahoe airport anyway. He's just a regular person who values his privacy. It's websites like "Flight Aware" that are truly an intrusion on ANYONE let alone anyone in the entertainment business.

James O Gwyn Feb 21st 2007 4:21PM

I used to work at a Resturant where actor Jack
Scalia would frequent when he came from ford modcel-
ing backin the day matter i would sit and talk,we
go way back. the resturant was owned by skitch Hen-
derson band leader of the old Jack Parr show. i just
wanted to know how he is doing. and say hello.

geoff groedner Feb 21st 2007 5:04PM

A close friend of mine owns a lawnmower repair shop in L.A. You'd be surprised how many stars and celebrities own mowers. Some own riding while other own and use electric and push mowers. Kevin Spacey has a real nice mower with a GPS device. His gardener doesn't own a mower, so he uses Kevin's. I met the gardener one day at the shop and he was buying a lubricant for the mower. He was just a regular guy like the rest of us. I think the lubricant was $7.99.

Kath Feb 21st 2007 6:26PM

Great. Now the psycho stalkers have yet another tool at their disposal.

I guess Princess Diana getting chased to her grisly death taught us nothing. This makes me sick to my stomach.

I wonder if people will EVER figure out something I've known for a while? Okay, I'll let you in on what it is I know, to make it easy:

CELEBRITIES ARE JUST PEOPLE. BEING A PUBLIC FIGURE DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE PUBLIC PROPERTY. LET THEM HAVE THEIR PRIVACY.

Perhaps EVERYONE ought to be stalked on a daily basis the way celebs do, in which case the anti-stalking laws would change a lot faster.

This is as stupid as "news journalism" shows that perpetuate new ideas in unscrupulous people by showing all the ways people rip off one another.

Justin Glow Feb 21st 2007 6:34PM

Just to clear up any misinformation: FlightAware uses public data that tracks every single domestic (U.S.), legal private and commercial plane in the skies -- including ones owned and/or operated by celebrities, save perhaps Air Force One.

The FAQ from their website asks, "isn't the accessibility of this information violating the privacy of people traveling on private aircraft?" And their answer this is:

1. The aircraft being displayed on FlightAware are operating in public airspace. They are arriving and departing from airports with their identification number painted on the aircraft. They are broadcasting their whereabouts and intentions on public radio frequencies. They are all using services provided by the United States federal government Accordingly, this information is completely public in many forms.
2. Aircraft owners have the option of blocking their identification from being released to the public.
3. Countless companies offer services and information identical to FlightAware for a subscription fee.

The assertion that knowing aircraft whereabouts, routing, or airport activity promotes terrorism or is a security risk is specious reasoning and baseless paranoia akin to suggesting that train or subway routes/schedules should not be published or perhaps that airport locations should be kept a secret.