planeandpilotmag.com 51network. It doesn’t keep your flight data from being
shared by all of the private ADS-B receivers around
the country.
- FLIGHT IDS
Another option available to pilots is the use of Flight IDs,
instead of using your N-Number. For between $250-$300/
year, companies such as FltPlan.com and ForeFlight have
services that allow you to use their company’s Flight
IDs for your aircraft. If you use this service, you would
get a flight ID before each flight through their websites,
program it into your ADS-B system, and use it over the
radio when flying. For example, FltPlan.com customers
are issued identifiers that begin with “DCM,” followed
by a four-digit number. On the radio, they use the name
“DOTCOM,” as in “Boston approach, DOTCOM 4425 is
an A36 Bonanza, VFR 5 miles north of 6B6 Minuteman
Airport at four thousand feet, requesting flight follow-
ing to Albany.”
Again, the weakness in the system is that your ADS-B
transmitter is still sending out your aircraft’s ICAO
code, which translates to who you are on the FAA pub-
lic registry. So, while you will be anonymous
on the radio and to some flight
tracking websites, most will still
be able to see your actual aircraft
registration number. - FAA PRIVATE
ICAO ADDRESS
(PIA) PROGRAM
PIA is another program offered
by the FAA that provides the
highest level of privacy currently
available. Essentially, the PIA
program allows aircraft owners
to get a special, non-published
ICAO address, which is linked
to their aircraft. Think of it as a
“Virtual Tail number” for your
aircraft that you program into
your ADS-B unit. It does not replace your aircraft’s tail
number; it’s an unpublished address that the FAA links to
the N-Number painted on your aircraft (and associated
ICAO number) in its private PIA database. You can still
use your public ICAO/N-Number anytime you want, as
long as you re-configure your ADS-B unit to send out the
public number. In fact, you’ll need to do that anytime that
you leave U.S. airspace because private ICAO addresses
may only be used in the U.S.
One catch of the PIA program is that it requires you
to use a Flight ID in order to participate. In theory, since
every ICAO address has an N-number equivalent, you
could easily use the PIA N-Number and not need a Flight
ID at all. But the FAA decided not to allow that, citing
confusion that could occur on the ground in emergencies
if people were using N-numbers that were different from
the ones painted on their aircraft. The theory is that if
you’re using a Flight ID, there is no confusion for first
responders because they don’t have an N-number to look
for on the ramp. Giving them a false N-number could
confuse things...although I’m guessing “Go to the aircraft
on fire” would overcome that confusion fairly easily.
So, the bottom line is that your best privacy option
is to use all three options available at all times: Register
your aircraft in the LADD program ( free), use a Flight
ID ($250-$300 per year), and enroll in the PIA program
(currently free, but that may change as the program
transitions to an outside program manager). Between all
these options, it becomes much more difficult for random
people to track your every move, with one exception.THE FREEDOM OF
INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)
It turns out that there’s one big loophole in the PIA program:
the Freedom of Information Act. All of this private data can
be had with a simple letter sent to the FAA
requesting it, and that’s exactly what people
and companies do. One company in particular
sends regular FOIA requests to the
FAA in order to sell competitive
data to other companies. It simply
asks the FAA regularly for a list of all
PIA addresses and who they belong
to. Then it sells elaborate reports
telling companies exactly what ALL
their competitors' aircraft are doing
at all times. It may be legal, but
let’s just say that the ethics of this
practice are questionable at best.
Unless you’re a high-tech com-
β-
dential edge on your competitors,
or a celebrity trying to avoid the
paparazzi, chances are that you
can protect most of your privacy
through the programs offered by
the FAA. And, perhaps with the help of organizations
such as AOPA, EAA and NBAA, we might also get some of
the regulations changed to make our pilots and aircraft
registration data private as well. While we’re at it, the
ability to use the PIA program without having to use
a Flight ID would be high on my list of requests. Until
ǡ
βǤ
After all, we still have the most vibrant general aviation
ǡβ
technology that ADS-B has brought to the cockpit has
made it safer than ever before. PPJeff Simon is an A&P mechanic, IA, pilot and aircraft owner, and is the
creator of SocialFlight, a free mobile aviation event listing app and website.
http://www.SocialFlight.com.“Since ADS-B is an open
technology, anyone with an
ADS-B receiver can listen
in on the transmissions
from aircraft flying
overhead, gather the
flight data, and share it
with others.”