ADS-B
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast is a system through which equipped aircraft broadcast identification, position and movement information that compatible receivers can collect.
Understand what you see on a live flight radar
A simple reference for the most common aircraft-tracking fields shown across Sanum.store Flight Tracker.
Callsign
The operational identifier used for a flight or aircraft. Airline callsigns often correspond to a flight, but the displayed value can differ from the public flight number.
ICAO hex
A 24-bit aircraft address normally displayed as six hexadecimal characters. It identifies the transponder address, not a route or flight number.
Registration
The civil registration carried by an aircraft, such as PH-ABC or N123AB. Availability depends on the aircraft record supplied with the live feed.
Altitude
Live feeds can contain barometric and geometric altitude. Sanum.store Flight Tracker normally prefers barometric altitude when it is available.
Ground speed
The aircraft’s speed relative to the ground. Aviation feeds commonly express this value in knots.
Track / heading
The direction of travel is expressed in degrees around the compass. Track and aircraft heading are not always exactly the same, especially with crosswind.
Squawk
A four-digit transponder code assigned for air traffic control purposes. Some special codes have specific operational meanings.
Flight level
At higher altitudes, aviation commonly refers to standardized pressure levels. For example, FL350 represents a pressure altitude of roughly 35,000 feet.
Nautical mile
A nautical mile is 1.852 kilometres. Aviation uses nautical miles for many distance measurements.
Knot
One knot is one nautical mile per hour, equal to 1.852 km/h.
Coverage
An aircraft missing from the map does not necessarily mean it is not flying. Receiver coverage, aircraft equipment, signal reception and feed availability all affect visibility.
Informational use only
Sanum.store Flight Tracker is an enthusiast and information platform. Live data can be delayed or incomplete and should never be used for navigation or operational safety decisions.
Want to explore?
Open the live flight board or return to the world radar and use these terms while inspecting aircraft.