We have launched a new API endpoint designed to provide easy access to the status of a specified aircraft in the Limiting Aircraft Displayed program of the Federal Aviation Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation (FAA LADD). This endpoint allows quickly check if an aircraft is currently blocked by the FAA LADD program using a simple HTTP REST API call.
Please feel free to subscribe and try it out. This is now the part of our “Industry API”.
What is FAA LADD?
The FAA LADD program allows aircraft operators to block their flight information from public display when sourced from FAA data services to protect privacy. As an aircraft owner you need to register your aircraft tail number and call-sign, so that the FAA adds it to a blocking LADD-list.
All website or other publicly facing application owners that source flight data from the FAA SWIM Data Services are obligated, as per the SCDS Service Access Agreements, to block (hide) any past, current or future flight activity data of all aircraft listed in the LADD list from public display.
Why API for FAA LADD?
It turned out that ensuring compliance with the FAA LADD program is not that straightforward. Even if you subscribe to the FAA data services, there is little transparency as to where and how to get the actual LADD filter list of the aircraft you need to block. When you manage to find the right contact to reach out at the FAA you will then find out that the LADD list updates are currently distributed by the FAA via weekly emails, making it inconvenient to integrate the into modern applications.
In AeroDataBox we automated the process and exposed a new API that provides an easy way of checking the most current status of the aircraft, identified by its tail number or call-sign, in the FAA LADD program (blocked, not blocked). Feel free to subscribe and try it out.
Please note, that even though we use the official data distributed weekly by the FAA, we’re not affiliated with the FAA and therefore we may not be considered an official source of this data. For the official source, you should always contact the FAA directly.
Should FAA LADD Aircraft Always be Hidden from Public?
THIS SECTION REPRESENTS OUR OPINION ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A LEGAL ADVISE!
We know for a fact that some private jet owners and operators are literally running around the Internet and threatening the owners of flight tracking websites with lawsuits, to force the latter into blocking their aircraft’s flight data from the public access. Some do so under the excuse of the aircraft being listed in the FAA lists (PIA, LADD, or its predecessor, BARR) while failing to demonstrate any interest as to whether the data about the aircraft being displayed on the intimidated website was actually retrieved from the FAA. Perhaps it is done so in hopes to exploit the alleged unawareness of the website owners.
We will refrain from giving any further ethical assessments here and will concentrate on providing our practical opinion on the implications of the FAA LADD for flight tracking applications and web-sites instead.
Applies to the FAA data Only
As it has been said already, compliance with the FAA’s LADD program is mandatory for anyone consuming the FAA SWIM data services and displaying it publicly. Under the FAA’s user agreements, subscribers must block the flights of aircraft listed in the LADD program from public display.
But if you’re not using FAA data services, neither the FAA’s user agreement nor the LADD list affects you, and there’s no requirement to block anything. The same holds true even if you’ve obtained data about a flight of a blocked aircraft from other sources, like terrestrial ADS-B receivers, even if it’s identical to the FAA data.
You may hear about HR 3935 FAA Reauthorization Act 2024 or HR 302 FAA Reauthorization Act 2018. These bills contain obligations for the FAA to address privacy concerns, but these obligations do not seem to extend beyond the FAA themselves.
However, when combining data from multiple sources, the situation becomes more complex. In such cases, it’s wise to follow the terms of the most restrictive source. If one of your sources is the FAA data services, then you should comply with FAA requirements and block the relevant aircraft data accordingly.
Breach of Contract, Not of Law
Even if you receive data from an FAA source, failing to block a LADD-listed flight would violate the FAA’s user agreement, but it does not necessarily constitute a violation of any specific laws. Once again, these obligations set forth by the FAA Reauthorization Acts mentioned above do not seem to extend beyond the FAA themselves.
Against Public Display Only
The restrictions of the FAA LADD seem to only concern the public display or dissemination of the their flight data. There are no apparent restrictions against using and storing this data for non-public purposes, including but not limited to: using data in private setting, for research purposes or for disclosing the data to the aircraft owners themselves.
No Silver Bullet for the Flight Privacy
It is important to understand that the FAA’s privacy initiatives, like the LADD program, are unique but they still have extremely limited reach. Naturally, these efforts are geographically restricted to the U.S. and clash with the very nature of aircraft surveillance technologies, which are designed to broadcast flight information openly. Enforcing privacy in this context is like trying to contain water in a sieve—while the FAA can block certain data on its own feeds, the information still flows freely through other channels like ADS-B, rendering true flight privacy nearly impossible to achieve at this point.
In fact, a number of well-know flight tracking web-sites (example) that continue displaying all flight tracking data, including aircraft from the LADD list, because they do not receive their data from the FAA, hence have no obligation to block any flights.
Further reads:
- https://www.faa.gov/pilots/ladd
- https://www.flyingmag.com/voices-of-flying/thoughts-on-faa-reauthorization-act-of-2024-and-data-privacy
- https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operations/security/privacy/limiting-aircraft-data-displayed-ladd/
- https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/private-jet-tracking.html
Is AeroDataBox API Compliant?
Yes, we are. Flight activity data of the aircraft listed in the FAA LADD program is currently hidden from AeroDataBox API by default.
Of course, it is highly arguable as to whether the distribution of this data via a subscription-based API interface behind the authorization wall falls under the definition of the “public display”, many of our customers are unsuspecting developers of flight tracker applications and web-sites who might be displaying flights very much publicly. Although it remains an ultimate responsibility of these developers to ensure the compliance of their applications with the regulatory part, we still try to shield our users from any unnecessary risks whenever practical.
If you are the operator or the owner of the aircraft blocked in the FAA LADD list and if you want to use AeroDataBox API to gain access to the data about your aircraft, please contact us to remove the restriction for your account.