About · Frequently asked questions

Celebplanes FAQ

Quick answers about how we track private jets, why it's legal, and how we calculate emissions. For the long version see /methodology.

Is celebrity jet tracking legal?

Yes. ADS-B is an unencrypted public broadcast that every transponder-equipped aircraft is required to emit. Re-publishing public broadcasts is protected speech in the United States and most jurisdictions. Multiple public-interest organisations and journalists do the same.

How do you know which plane belongs to which celebrity?

Hand-curated register from FAA records, secondary state registries, corporate disclosures, court filings, and reporting from Bloomberg / Forbes / NYP / Variety. Each entry pairs an ICAO hex with an owner. Entries land when the public record lands; we do not speculate.

Where is the data from?

ADSB Exchange, ADSB.fi, FlightRadar24, airplanes.live. Same public sources used by other open trackers. See /methodology for full details.

How accurate are the emissions numbers?

Directional, not audited. We multiply flight duration by aircraft fuel-burn rate by 9.57 kg CO₂ per gallon (EPA standard for Jet-A). Actual fuel use varies ±10-15% with payload, weather, routing.

What is FAA LADD?

The FAA Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed program asks operator-facing services to suppress an aircraft from their public listings. It does not affect the ADS-B broadcast itself; several open sources (ADSB Exchange, airplanes.live) do not honour LADD. Aircraft enrolled in LADD are still trackable from public sources.

Why is there a 24-hour delay on Twitter and Instagram?

Platform terms. X and Meta both restrict real-time location sharing. Bluesky and LinkedIn have no such restrictions, so flights are filed there immediately. The map at celebplanes.com/map is real-time regardless.

How can I get my jet removed?

Email [email protected]. We don't accept removal requests for aircraft owned by public figures who entered public life — but we will correct factual errors in seconds, and we don't publish live position for aircraft we know are on emergency medical, search-and-rescue, or specifically identified safety-sensitive missions.

Who runs Celebplanes?

A small editorial team. Public flights, public planes — that is the philosophy. Press inquiries: [email protected].