Aerospace

Elon Musk started using a new program that blocks jet tracking after the man who follows his plane wouldn’t take his Twitter account down

Elon Musk found a way to avoid tracking a plane.

The college student who tracks Elon Musk’s private jet on Twitter rejected his $5,000 offer to delete the account, so it appears that Musk is attempting to fly incognito.

The student, Jack Sweeney, who runs the jet-tracking account @ElonJet, claims that the billionaire applied for a temporary aircraft registration number after talking with him about how to avoid being tracked. Almost 500,000 people follow the Twitter account right now.

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According to a screenshot from Sweeney, Musk messaged “What should I do?” in December. Sweeney advised Musk to investigate a new FAA programme at the time, saying the billionaire would “definitely need the programme” and that it would enable him to change his flight identification number.

The programme seems to have had few users up until recently. However, jet-tracking accounts like Sweeney’s could increase interest in the programme. At the National Business Aviation Association last week, business aviation executives discussed ways to reduce real-time tracking.

Owners of aircraft are permitted to change their registration number every 60 days under the PIA programme. However, Sweeney pointed out that it can be a tedious process. The manager of flight deck connectivity at Collins Aerospace, Christian Renneissen, previously told the trade magazine AV Buyer that while the PIA programme is essentially free, it is a hassle due to a significant amount of paperwork.

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Furthermore, Sweeney is still able to track the private plane using the public flight-tracking database ADS-B Exchange despite the incognito registration number. The ADS-B Exchange makes it simple to locate jets that are equipped with the temporary identification number.

Musk is also included in the LADD list, which is a free FAA programme for “Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed.” The list enables owners of aircraft to avoid being followed by websites that use FAA data. Although Sweeney’s jet-tracking accounts receive data from the ADS-B Exchange, which is not affected by the list.

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Aerospace

When Ratan Tata was denied entry to the airfield at the Aero India show, he waited

During our visit to Aero India 2019, we had the unexpected opportunity to see Ratan Tata at the event, which was a thrilling moment for us. However, there was a surprising hiccup when the security staff didn’t allow him to enter due to a lack of a security pass.

Despite this, he remained calm and patiently waited for about 20 minutes until a member of the Tata team brought him the required pass, after which he calmly proceeded inside. It was a humbling sight, showcasing his composed demeanor even in such situations.

Ratan Tata ji is not only a renowned industrialist but also a trained pilot, holding a pilot’s license. In 2007, he became the first Indian civilian to fly the F-16 Falcon during the Aero India show in Bangalore—a proud moment for the nation.

His passion for aviation extended beyond flying, as he played a key role in shaping India’s aerospace industry. Under his leadership, Tata ventured into manufacturing and maintaining aerospace components while upholding its legacy of quality. Notably, Tata’s collaboration with Airbus to develop and manufacture the C295 aircraft is a testament to its growing influence in the sector.