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Aircraft data comes from community-operated ADS-B receivers. Coverage varies by region. Urban areas and major airports typically have excellent coverage, while remote or oceanic regions may have limited visibility. Try zooming in on a major airport to verify the app is working correctly.

Aircraft markers are color-coded by their vertical movement:

• Green — Climbing
• Orange — Descending
• Yellow — Level flight
• White (dimmed) — On the ground
• Red — Emergency squawk code

No. If you grant location permission, Contrail uses it only to center the map on your position. Your location is never stored, transmitted to our servers, or shared with third parties. Location access is completely optional; you can deny it and manually navigate the map instead.

Not all aircraft broadcast ADS-B signals, and some regions lack ground-based receivers. Military aircraft, some private jets, and older aircraft may not appear. Additionally, at lower zoom levels, the app thins out aircraft to maintain performance, so zoom in to see more planes in a specific area.

Tap the "My Flights" tab, then tap the "+" button. Enter your flight number (e.g., SK1474 or BA283) and select the date. Contrail will find the flight and add it to your monitoring list with live status updates.

Aircraft positions are updated every few seconds from the ADS-B network, and the app interpolates positions at 30 frames per second for smooth animation. There is typically a delay of 1-5 seconds from real-world position. Flight status data (gates, delays) may have slightly longer delays depending on the data source.

Contrail is free to use with all features available. The in-app purchases are a voluntary tip jar to support ongoing development and server costs. They do not unlock any additional features. Your generosity helps keep the app running and improving.

No. Contrail is designed for informational and entertainment purposes only. It must not be used for navigation, flight planning, or any safety-critical purpose. Always rely on official aviation authorities and certified systems for operational decisions.