Official civil aviation registries (such as the FAA Civil Aviation Registry in the United States, Transport Canada CCAR, and the UK CAA G-INFO database) serve as legal records of ownership, liens, and national registration marks.
However, a registry listing does not reveal whether an aircraft is actively flying revenue passenger flights today, parked in long-term storage, undergoing maintenance, or operating on a wet lease for another carrier.
The Lag of Official Registries
National civil aviation databases are updated periodically, often weekly or monthly. When an airline transfers an airframe to a lessor or places an aircraft into desert storage, the paperwork can lag weeks behind physical reality.
Conversely, ADS-B observation captures the physical movements of aircraft in real time.
Key Differences
| Dimension | Civil Registry Record | Observed Fleet State |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Legal title, nationality, and airworthiness authority | Actual flight operations, utilization, and route network |
| Update Frequency | Weekly or monthly batch releases | Continuous daily ADS-B radio observation |
| Inactive Airframes | Remains listed until formal deregistration | Flagged as idle (7+ days) or stored (30+ days) |
| Leased Operations | Often shows bank trustee or lessor as registrant | Maps to operational callsign and active route operator |
The Philosophy of “As Observed”
Because physical ADS-B receivers can miss aircraft due to geographic coverage gaps or technical outages, this site never states that an airframe is definitively retired or grounded as an absolute fact.
Instead, every metric is clearly labeled as observed within a stated time window. This distinction preserves data integrity and transparency for analysts, spotters, and industry researchers.