Statistics for the past 12 hours
Live updated every minute from my Mode-S receiver. If I have time I will create some posts about how I built this.
The data comes from a Software Defined Radio receiver with an antenna under my roof in Amsterdam. The receiver is connected to a Raspberry Pi which funnels the data via Virtual Radar server on a second Raspberry Pi to to my NAS with several Docker containers:
Node-Red splits the JSON feed, adds formatting and then inserts it into an Influxdb which then of course gets picked up by Grafana.
Interesting stuff, look at these lists
But let’s focus on the runways
The filtering power of the database makes it possible to look at traffic for each runway. It is quite easy to separate inbound from outbound by just filtering on vertical speed and altitude. Like this:
Traffic below 12000 feet by vertical speed:
Red = Inbound/Descending – Blue = Outbound/Climbing
Runway usage graphs
If you filter by ground track and altitude it is possible to get a good picture of the traffic per runway. Now we are getting close to my final goal: Data for the General Aviation Runway. De Schiphol-Oost baan, Runway 22. This is the one that passes along the windows of my home where the traffic is at 450 feet.
Checking out the General Aviation Traffic – The Business Jets and other traffic that is hiding in plain sight
Looking at the traffic for runway 22 never gets boring. Except of course when it is one of those days that ATC decide to use some of the noise quotum to bring in all the boring KLM Embraers and Easyjets.
But when it really becomes fun is during strong and gusty Westerly winds. Traffic is bouncing in the turbulence.
On a normal day it is much quieter here. Police helicopters, Learjets, Globals, Falcons. After a while you can hear the difference between a Cessna jet and a Bombardier jet. But if you know what to look for then all those unmarked business jets tell their own story. Now here is the fun part about Mode-S transponders and the data they transmit. There is no hiding from a well placed receiver and the internet. Unless of course you register your aircraft in a shell company (ever heard of Dictator alert?) or rent a charter jet here at Schiphol or from a company like Netjets.
Looking through the filter for Runway 22 – The Schiphol-Oost baan
Traffic again for the past 12 hours.
If you read all this and you are a pilot in business of trying trying to be discrete then this is hopefully old news to you and this is not even the scary stuff yet, like spoofing fake TCAS traffic on your display. But anyway, if you like what you read and want to know more about this digital stuff in (your) aircraft then do come back later! 🙂
En als je Nederlands verstaat, luister dan vooral ook eens naar Pilotenpraat, de Podcast van Bart en Jimmy!