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Any way to keep your airplane off Flight Aware, or any of the internet tracking sites?
- Thread starter Steve Crewdog
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So you can do two things...one is to use the Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed option, available at https://www.faa.gov/pilots/ladd. This will mean the FAA will not send aircraft info to sites using the FAA feed. Details are on the website. The caveat here is that sites that *don't* use that, and instead rely on their own databases and ADS-B receivers, can still show personal info like owner, address, etc., using either N-number lookup at the FAA or saved data in their systems.
To combat that, the newest program allows you to tell the FAA to withhold registration info entirely. https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certif...ion/aircraft_registry/withhold_ownership_data. Sites which utilize ADS-B data and their own cached databases (or others') may still show you as the owner, the type of plane, etc., but it's not coming from the FAA and nobody can just go in and put in your N-number and get your personal data. Some flight tracking sites abide by this (flightradar24.com), but others don't and use saved data. Over time, there should be fewer and fewer aircraft owners with their personal info displayed as planes change hands, people move and change addresses, etc. (the saved data gets more and more stale).
It's not perfect, and it wouldn't be a problem if the FAA had followed state auto license privacy laws and *never* willy-nilly published owners' private data, but here we are.
Good luck!
To combat that, the newest program allows you to tell the FAA to withhold registration info entirely. https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certif...ion/aircraft_registry/withhold_ownership_data. Sites which utilize ADS-B data and their own cached databases (or others') may still show you as the owner, the type of plane, etc., but it's not coming from the FAA and nobody can just go in and put in your N-number and get your personal data. Some flight tracking sites abide by this (flightradar24.com), but others don't and use saved data. Over time, there should be fewer and fewer aircraft owners with their personal info displayed as planes change hands, people move and change addresses, etc. (the saved data gets more and more stale).
It's not perfect, and it wouldn't be a problem if the FAA had followed state auto license privacy laws and *never* willy-nilly published owners' private data, but here we are.
Good luck!
If you're not already using UAT and want to throw some AMUs at a a solution, you can use it vice 1090ES for your ADS-B Out solution then use Anonymous mode wherever possible. You'd still have to broadcast your N-number when receiving ATC services so it's not 100 percent privacy.
HTH
Dave
HTH
Dave
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I'm running a Dynon Skyview System, I'll have to do some research.
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When an airplane flies over, I always go to FlightRadar 24 to see what kind of plane it is and where it came from. Is it creepy? Maybe. I like airplanes.
We had a C172 on Wednesday nite about 1145PM doing landings to full stop then take offs. Unusual for 3J1 at midnite. Yeah, woke me up, so I went and checked ADSB exchange to find out. We do get some Army CH47s from Ft Stewart to come ove in early evenings just after dark to train, but not at midnite.
The ‘stock’ Dynon panel has a clone of a Trig TT22 transponder. This is a mode S-ES transponder, suitable for adsb-out use. Of course it might have the adsb part disabled, and a UAT installed, but imho that would be rare, as it costs more. And the non-ADSB mode S still broadcasts your N number.
So it looks like I can keep my personal information private, but the airplane will still show up. Still wish I could stop that, and I'm surprised not as many people are upset about it. F'r instance, someone could watch your airplane and see that you were out of town, and using that information infer that your home is unoccupied and safe to break into.
I understand about airplane spotting, but I had my bank account hacked a couple years ago, and I generally keep my personal information private. Zuckerberg said there's no such thing as privacy anymore, I'm not on his site, and it's an idle hobby of mine to keep as much off the web as possible (and Yes, I see the contradiction by posting in an open forum.
) I used to be gone a lot for the airline and for the safety of my wife I set up an Arlo camera system so if something went *bump* while I was gone we both could see if it was a raccoon or an attempted break-in. Kinda fun to be overseas and get a message asking me to take a look at the back porch, or something like that.Received from the FAA yesterday:
Hello Stephen,
The CARES Dashboard is not designed to show currently registered aircraft or have a method for linking your registered aircraft. This area is reserved for submitted Aircraft Registrations to show the progression through completion. Your registered aircraft can be viewed by clicking the ‘Get Started’ button under your name > Aircraft Services > Search/Request Aircraft Records if you have not elected to have your personal information removed from public view.
While verifying your account information you may have been receiving CARES account deactivation emails. On August 4th CARES transitioned external user authentication from MyAccess to Login.gov. Your existing CARES MyAccess account is currently active showing a Last Login date of June 26, 2025 which is the source of the account deactivation emails. Your existing Login.gov account can be linked with your MyAccess account by going to https://cares.faa.gov, click the Sign In/Register link, click the ‘Customer’ button and you should see a one-time option to login with your MyAccess account to merge your MyAccess and Login.gov accounts. This action will link your MyAccess account to your Login.gov account and stop the account deactivation emails.
The process to request Personal withholding ownership data is below. This procedure will be replaced with a software solution at a later date but this workaround will allow you to submit your request today.
Process to Request Withholding Ownership Data
If you would like to keep your registered owner information private under 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b), you can submit a request through the CARES system.
Instructions for submission:
- Prepare a request in PDF format that communicates you are voluntarily requesting the removal of your name and address from public dissemination.
- Upload the document via the CARES system to submit your request.
- If you have a CARES account, you can login and e-file your request.
- If you do not have a CARES account, you will need to create one. Go to the Getting Started link on the CARES homepage for instructions.
To upload miscellaneous documents in CARES start with the ‘Get Started’ button in your CARES Dashboard. Then click the ‘Aircraft Services’ button:
Then click the ‘Submit Other Aircraft Documents’ button:
Select ‘Other Supporting Documents’ in the Request Type picklist:
The Document Type is ‘Other’. Then click the +Upload File button, select the file and follow the prompts.
Any questions about your aircraft registration need to continue to be directed to the Aircraft Registry.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance and thank you for using CARES.
Best regards,
CARES T3 Help desk
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How many times was the advisory to check the back porch someone breaking in? There's a lot easier ways to break in to a house than cross referencing FAA data etcSo it looks like I can keep my personal information private, but the airplane will still show up. Still wish I could stop that, and I'm surprised not as many people are upset about it. F'r instance, someone could watch your airplane and see that you were out of town, and using that information infer that your home is unoccupied and safe to break into.
I understand about airplane spotting, but I had my bank account hacked a couple years ago, and I generally keep my personal information private. Zuckerberg said there's no such thing as privacy anymore, I'm not on his site, and it's an idle hobby of mine to keep as much off the web as possible (and Yes, I see the contradiction by posting in an open forum.
Received from the FAA yesterday:
Hello Stephen,
The CARES Dashboard is not designed to show currently registered aircraft or have a method for linking your registered aircraft. This area is reserved for submitted Aircraft Registrations to show the progression through completion. Your registered aircraft can be viewed by clicking the ‘Get Started’ button under your name > Aircraft Services > Search/Request Aircraft Records if you have not elected to have your personal information removed from public view.
While verifying your account information you may have been receiving CARES account deactivation emails. On August 4th CARES transitioned external user authentication from MyAccess to Login.gov. Your existing CARES MyAccess account is currently active showing a Last Login date of June 26, 2025 which is the source of the account deactivation emails. Your existing Login.gov account can be linked with your MyAccess account by going to https://cares.faa.gov, click the Sign In/Register link, click the ‘Customer’ button and you should see a one-time option to login with your MyAccess account to merge your MyAccess and Login.gov accounts. This action will link your MyAccess account to your Login.gov account and stop the account deactivation emails.
The process to request Personal withholding ownership data is below. This procedure will be replaced with a software solution at a later date but this workaround will allow you to submit your request today.
Process to Request Withholding Ownership Data
If you would like to keep your registered owner information private under 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b), you can submit a request through the CARES system.
Instructions for submission:
- Prepare a request in PDF format that communicates you are voluntarily requesting the removal of your name and address from public dissemination.
- Upload the document via the CARES system to submit your request.
- If you have a CARES account, you can login and e-file your request.
- If you do not have a CARES account, you will need to create one. Go to the Getting Started link on the CARES homepage for instructions.
To upload miscellaneous documents in CARES start with the ‘Get Started’ button in your CARES Dashboard. Then click the ‘Aircraft Services’ button:
Then click the ‘Submit Other Aircraft Documents’ button:
Select ‘Other Supporting Documents’ in the Request Type picklist:
The Document Type is ‘Other’. Then click the +Upload File button, select the file and follow the prompts.
Any questions about your aircraft registration need to continue to be directed to the Aircraft Registry.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance and thank you for using CARES.
Best regards,
CARES T3 Help desk
100% this. It's a lot more effective to watch your family load the car for a vacation and drive off than it is to track some random airplane online hoping it flies away for a while and that every household occupant is in it.
It's an interesting privacy debate, but since I have come here to chew bubble gum and learn to build airplanes, I'm not going to debate personal privacy.
Plus....
Plus....
Pilot135pd
Well Known Member
If Dynon bought Trig, why would they need to use a clone and not just use a regular Trig?
Pilot135pd
Well Known Member
I don't think anyone is debating the personal privacy aspects. I think it's more about thinking that an opportunist crook (those are the ones who do home break ins) see an airplane fly by, will load the app to see who it is, then drive to that person's house hoping that 2-4 person plane fits all the people who live there and they're all gone for enough time for them to break in. Usually home burglaries are because someone left the doors open, or the crooks live close by and see everyone leave.
It pretty much is a regular TT22. I think the software has been customized to run with, and be controlled by, the Dynon EFIS
More often times when I get to my car, Google knows where I am going. We have no privacy and most of us gladly give away much of it to organizations such as Google, Meta, etc.
OP got answer and DM'd me to please close, as skirting topics outside of RV.
v/r,dr
v/r,dr
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