Traffic Notes

 

Based in Seaham (Co. Durham), all those listed have already flown over or are due. Generally there should be at least 15 minutes notice, but can occasionally be as much as 30 minutes. For Tyneside or Teesside, you will need to add or deduct around two minutes to the times expected.

This page is aimed at providing a heads up to seeing these trailing planes without giving accurate locations that could be mis-used. The algorithm for traffic detection has been perfected over the years but will still result in the odd false alarm but the routing information should hopefully reduce any wasted time.

However, several times a year, certain weather conditions result in traffic being detected far away. In June 2019, traffic was detected on final approach to Amsterdam airport under 2000ft which would have appeared to have been local.

Clearly, this site cannot be held responsible for any decisions made on the basis of information provided.

Do not use these pages as a means to estimate the arrival of a plane at an airport, as the time is solely calculated as the time it may pass abeam Seaham.

If you believe any information contained on this site is more specific in detail than, for instance, the Newcastle airport website please to express your concern.

v7 – 29/06/19:

  • ADSB sourcing now using a Raspberry Pi & PiAware for even better reception
  • Some code re-written to avoid aircraft ADSB errors, eg massive altitude changes, lat/log errors, etc.
  • OtNE now also feeds FR24.
  • Pages now contain revised links to each registration and callsigns.

 

v6 – 14/05/11:

  • Completely new website software
  • Replaced older system that was difficult to remain up to date and fully patched against hackers.
  • All pages reviewed and some completely re-written.
  • New system for archive files.
  • Pages now contain links to each registration and callsigns as well as decodes for controller codes.

 

v5 – 17/03/10:

  • All code now in one file.
  • No more copying to text, replacing files and lighter on PC resources.
  • Only data sourced from my PC.
  • Now contains some non-tracking aircraft with estimates eg C17s.
  • To include lighter feeds that will use less bandwidth.

 
v4 – 17/09/08:

  • New version written from scratch – no legacy code.
  • New more reliable method of sourcing flight data.
  • Replacement of Planeplotter for positional data.
  • ‘Live’ altitude & squawk information on non-tracking aircraft.
  • Even quicker transition from detected to published, data calculated every 20-30 seconds
  • Increased accuracy in algorithm for predicting traffic passing within 25nm.
  • Second accurate data.
  • One archive combining OtNE & ‘anywhere’.

 

v3 – 10/03/08:

  • Extended range of alerts to over 150nm.
  • Reduced detection parameters to any plane that is on a heading within 10 degrees relative to Seaham when range range exceeds 100nm
  • Quicker transition from detected to published.
  • More script stability and more error tollerant.
  • Lost altitude information on live non-tracking traffic. Height information added only after loosing contact which impacts on any traffic descending in to the area.
  • Increased and automated routing information.
  • Full automation of archive generation, file namimg and uploading to site.
  • Addition of the ‘unarchived’ providing for those seem over two hours ago until the day had been archived.

 

v2 – 18/09/07:

  • Separation of type to enable searchesRemoval of square brackets from registrations to enable complete searching.
  • Combination of same flight if with a callsign and no callsign.
  • Separation of flights with same callsign (including ‘none’) where it is a much later flight – eg where the crew haven’t changed it on a return flight.
  • More script stability.
  • Automatic continuation after midnight avoiding manual resetting.

 

v1 – 10/05/07:

  • Automated script that detects any plane that is on a heading within 20 degrees relative to Seaham.
  • The script will remove it from the list if it turns away before it is within 40nm, but retain the ETA if it comes within that 40nm radius.
  • The script will also detect anything working with the airports at North East, whether controlled by Newcastle, Durham Tees Valley, flying at less than 5000ft or trailing overhead.
  • This part should detect & list anything that flies in to the local airports of Newcastle & Durham Tees Valley as well as the airfields at Peterlee & Fishburn.
  • For any plane to be ‘detected’ it must at least be using a transponder and have a GPS built in for it to able to track.
  • In most cases that will exclude single engined light aviation, microlights and balloons.