Methods / Results
PIA ICAO → real ICAO mappings have been determined via:
- CP-SAT Graph Solver: 18 mappings
- Poor callsign OPSEC: 136 mappings, including aircraft broadcasting an N-number as the callsign or using the same flight number as the real plane
- Ground Control: 44 mappings
Credits
- Michel & Strohmeier (2021), Flying in Private Mode, for laying out the theoretical framework for the Graph Solver.
- GroundControl/Jack Sweeney for providing invaluable ground-truth data for algorithm development and the operator database.
- ADSB.lol, for ADS-B data.
Justification
Modifying a car’s license plate is illegal. With the introduction of the FAA Privacy ICAO Address Program (PIA) in 2019, modifying an aircraft’s equivalent of a license plate became legal, allowing aircraft to fly anonymously.
Identifying aircraft has value. Aircraft can be used for nefarious activities (see Lolita Express). Aircraft flying overhead can be intrusive and/or annoying. With the proliferation of delivery drones and eVTOL aircraft, knowing who is flying over your house will become increasingly important.
Examples:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ADSB/comments/bijgeq/i_need_a_favour_please/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/drones/comments/1vvsy6i/i_logged_every_delivery_drone_over_my_house_for/
General aviation, including private jets and the PIA program, is subsidized by fees paid by commercial airline passengers (United States GAO report; ChatGPT). It is not in the interest of the general public for a small number of aircraft to hide their identities.
Contributors
- Open a GitHub issue with evidence of a PIA mapping, or report any mapping you believe is incorrect.
- Looking for an Operations Research problem? Help improve the graph solver and/or the ADS-B → flights algorithm.
- Improve the UI, with the goal of eventually merging the ADS-B → flights algorithm and PIA functionality into tar1090/readsb.