Flightaware tracking, How does it work?

[flyboynextdoor]

I make alot of IFR trips to controlled and FSS airports. I use flightaware to track the other crew to know when I go on call. It works too good sometimes! Today I landed in a small strip next to the mountains and walked into the unmanned terminal building. I looked at my Phone to call NavCan with my arrival time after calling dispatch. Flightaware sent a message to my Phone with the arrival of my callsign and the time. I thought "someone must have notified NavCan cause I sure hadn't, maybe dispatch?" but fifty minutes later the FIC called me and asked if I was down and at what time. I said that's really weird since Flightaware already had me as arrived..??? How does the system work? I just assumed that flightaware got it's info from NavCan's servers or piggybacked somehow. But the fellow at the Edmonton FIC said no way. Does anybody know?

[howard40]

If you cancel in the air for sure it stops your flight a few mins before it ends. I know that from experience... on good vfr days I often cancel 30 miles from home and when nav can cancel me out it stops flightaware. I have no idea on how the other way works but it might consider you done when your radar signal drops off, mind you I have seen planes that crashed shown as still in flight, 2 hours to go... with no radar track?
hmmm

[Pratt X 3]

Really, you thought that a text message from some company in Houston that said you arrived was all you needed to satisfy a Canadian Aviation Regulation? CAR 602.77 Really? Guess you didn't look too closely at the Flightaware Terms of Use then either. i.e. Your Obligations To FlightAware 6. You will not use the FlightAware web site for any aviation, commercial, operational, law enforcement, or judicial activity that relies on the availability, validity, or accuracy of FlightAware data.
Hey, I like Flightaware for advisory information but I wouldn't stake my licence on it. Good luck with Enforcement!

[flyboynextdoor]

I understand the requirement to close the flight plan. I don't think that seeing my arrival on flightaware means I don't have to close. I WAS under the impression that flightawaregot it's info FROM Nav Canada. So seeing my arrival on flightaware means that either tower, an FSS, myself, or maybe dispatch had closed it. Then flightaware got the arrival report and marked the flight as arrived. Obviously I was mistaken, found that out just today. Just wondering if anyone knows how it actually makes the assumption that the flight has landed? As far as Enforcement goes, lesson learned. I'm not the only guy who forgot to close this week I'm sure. Deal with it if I have to.

[ditar]

From FlightAware's website:

FlightAware compiles, aggregates, and processes data from a variety of government sources, airlines, commercial data providers, as well as FlightAware's proprietary flight tracking network. FlightAware's proprietary algorithms calculate delay and arrival time estimates to offer the most up-to-date and reliable flight tracking data on the Internet.