If you want to track helicopters flying over Perth and Western Australia in general, there are three main services you can use. These include FlightRadar24, AirNavRadar, and ADS-B Exchange.
Each one of these displays live flight activity on interactive maps, as well as key information, such as aircraft type, speed, altitude, route, and flight path.
This guide discusses how these tools work, the data each displays, and how people in Australia can use these tools to follow helicopter activity near their home or favourite helicopter viewing area.
FlightRadar24.com
Your first option for tracking aircraft such as helicopters around Perth is FlightRadar24.com, This is a global service that shows thousands of flights in real time. It uses a live map that covers most of the country.
You can easily zoom into the Perth area, hit an icon, and instantly see facts such as an aircraft's current altitude, full flight path, aircraft type, and more.
People in Western Australia often open this app as they're watching the sky overhead, to quickly find out what kind of aircraft are flying overhead, as well as what airport it came from, and where it's heading.
Main Features
- Detailed view of aircraft movements - updated every few seconds.
- The map displays live route lines, current helicopter positions, and supporting weather layers.
- Every aircraft has an information card that shows a photo of the machine, registration, estimated arrival time, and the full log of recent activity.
- There is a free version to access, but with the premium version, you can get longer playback, a larger range of filters, and more historical data.
- For those interested in tour operator or emergency services, you can use alerts that send notifications when an aircraft of choice appears or takes off from an indicated airport (the plan can be easily upgraded online).
How it Works
FlightRadar24.com used signals from ADS-B receivers on the ground, air navigation service providers, and satellite feeds to build its global tracking system. Helicopters are equipped with ADS/B transponders that continuously broadcast data.
Tracking Helicopters with FlightRadar24.com
To track helicopters flying over Perth, just open the map, zoom into the Perth area, and start tapping on the helicopter icons. Use the filters to remove fixed-wing aircraft, so you only see helicopters. Being able to filter by both callsign and aircraft type is very useful. Enthusiasts can use this tool to track scenic flights, emergency incidents, and even VIP movements.
AirNavRadar.com
Next, we have AirNavRadar.com, another flight tracking service with real-time information on the aircraft flying in and around Perth. It features an interactive map with icons for every flight, along with a sidebar for technical details.
People in Australia like AirNavRadar.com for its user-friendly interface and useful features, such as fleet tracking, airport views, and live ATC. It's very handy for use cases like following a specific helicopter provider for more than a single day.
Main Features
- This service displays live flight data, including altitude, heading, speed, route, origin, and the destination airport.
- Some fixed-wing aircraft even display cockpit views.
- All aircraft have detailed cards you can open to review important information.
- The map features custom layers, so you can easily remove or add layers and filters.
- There is an airport panel that shows all outbound and inbound flights for the major airports around Perth - this helps understand overall air traffic.
- There are some tools that may require a premium upgrade, but the free version is generous enough.
How it Works
AirNavRadar uses a combination of ground-based feeds, satellite links, and ADS-B receivers. The system combines all three into a consistent log of aircraft positions - all of which is then published on the live map. The system is constantly updated, so it's a good way to see both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft in Australia.
Tracking Helicopters with AirNaVRadar.com
To track Perth helicopters, just zoom the map to the city and apply the right filters to focus on rotary aircraft. Then, click on the icon to see the aircraft's flight path, altitude, and other current flight details. For those interested in certain areas or operators, you can create an account and set alerts. Take note that some features will depend on what version you have, as well as the terms of use.
ADSBExchange.com
ADS-B Exchange is a community-driven platform for tracking aircraft. It aggregates raw ADS-B data from volunteer receivers. Its main goal is to display a more complete picture of aircraft activity, including flights that many other sites may filter out.
People who want to track everything that's out there often join this community.
Main Features
- This service features a global map with live flight tracks.
- It offers the ability to filter by aircraft type, callsign, altitude, and other factors.
- Often shows aircraft not visible on other sites - often due to security reasons.
- Replay older flights to find patterns.
- Enthusiasts can also join by hosting a receiver at home and feeding the data into the greater network - thus improving the system's range and coverage.
How it Works to Track Flight Path
ADS-B Exchange depends on ADS-B transponders. These broadcast information such as altitude, velocity, and position over radio waves.
Volunteer receivers capture this information on the ground and then send them to the servers. The data is then combined on a single live map. If you ever need information about how to use it, there are many forums and Facebook groups dedicated to ADS-B Exchange.
Tracking Helicopters Using ADS-B Exchange in Western Australia
To track helicopters in Perth, just open the map, zoom into Perth, and then apply the necessary filters. What is neat is that you can click at any point on the flight path for detailed information.
