Guides and Resources.

Heard or saw a plane overhead? Here is how to identify the exact aircraft, airline, altitude, route, and direction in seconds with What Plane.

A low plane overhead is almost always routine: landing, taking off, changing runway, or operating as a helicopter or military flight. Here is how to tell what it was and whether it was anything to worry about.

Learn how to identify aircraft flying overhead using engine count, wing shape, sound, altitude, contrails, and live tracking data.

Compare the best iPhone plane tracker apps for identifying aircraft overhead, tracking flights, using widgets, and exploring live ADS-B data.

Learn how to tell Boeing and Airbus aircraft apart using nose shape, cockpit windows, engines, winglets, landing gear, tail shape, and night lights. Most commercial jets come from two manufacturers — this guide shows you how to spot the difference in seconds.

If you've ever looked at a flight tracking app or listened to aviation radio, you may have heard references to "squawking" a code, or seen a four-digit number like 7700 associated with an aircraft. These are transponder codes — known informally as squawk codes — and they're a fundamental part of how aircraft are identified and managed in the sky.

Every time you open a flight tracking app and see a live aircraft moving across a map, you're looking at ADS-B data. But what exactly is ADS-B, how does it work, and why is it so much better than what came before? This guide breaks it all down.

If you're trying to decide between What Plane? and Flightradar24, the answer depends on what you're actually trying to do. Both are excellent apps, but they solve different problems.

Commercial jets cruise at altitudes that seem almost impossibly high — 35,000 feet is roughly 10.6 kilometres above the earth's surface, well above where weather happens, above where birds fly, above almost everything familiar. But there are very specific reasons why aircraft operate at these altitudes, and the physics behind it is fascinating.

If you've ever stepped outside and noticed a near-constant stream of aircraft overhead, you're not imagining it. Certain areas of the UK (and many other countries) sit directly beneath some of the busiest air corridors in the world. Here's why — and how to figure out exactly what's flying over you.

One of the most common questions people ask about aviation is deceptively simple: how does a plane land when the pilot can't see the runway? Dense fog, low cloud, driving rain, and blizzards all create conditions where visual approaches are impossible. Yet aircraft land safely in these conditions every single day. Here's how.

Want to see what plane is flying overhead without opening an app? Adding a flight tracking widget to your iPhone Home Screen is the fastest way to identify aircraft in real-time. Here's how to set it up with What Plane? in under a minute.

You've seen them on departure boards, on boarding passes, and on flight tracking apps. But what does a flight number like BA247 or EK001 actually tell you? More than you might think.

Military aircraft share the skies with commercial traffic every day, but identifying them is a different challenge entirely. They often don't broadcast ADS-B signals, rarely display callsigns on tracking apps, and can look nothing like anything in a civilian fleet. This guide covers the most commonly seen military aircraft types — from RAF fast jets over the UK to US Air Force heavies crossing the Atlantic.

Plane spotting has come a long way from a notebook at the perimeter fence. Today's aviation enthusiasts have powerful tools in their pockets that can identify an aircraft, reveal its full history, and show every flight in range — all before the jet has even cleared the threshold. Here's a guide to using apps effectively for plane spotting, whether you're at an airport or just in your back garden.

Plane spotting is one of aviation's great pleasures — watching aircraft arrive and depart, identifying types, logging registrations, and photographing liveries. The UK has some of the best spotting locations in the world, from purpose-built viewing areas to legendary fence-line spots. Here's where to go.

If you've ever looked up and wondered exactly which airline and aircraft is flying over you, this is the reference you need. Below is a comprehensive guide to the world's major airlines, the aircraft types they fly, and the key visual differences between them — so whether you're using an app or just your eyes, you'll know what you're looking at.

If you've ever used a flight tracking app and wondered how it knows where every plane is in real-time, the answer is ADS-B. This technology underpins all consumer aircraft tracking — and understanding it helps you get more out of every app you use.

 When we launched What Plane for iPhone, the response was immediate and clear: people love having a home screen widget that tells them exactly what's overhead without opening an app. But the second most common question followed just as quickly: "When is Android coming?"

When you open a flight tracking app and see thousands of planes moving across a map, you might wonder: how does this work? Where does the data come from? And why can't some planes be tracked?

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is Scotland's busiest airport, handling over 2,500 flights per week. If you live in Edinburgh, East Lothian, or the Lothians, you're likely under Edinburgh's flight paths.

Gatwick Airport (LGW) is the UK's second-busiest airport, handling over 4,000 flights per week. If you live in West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey, or south London, you're likely under Gatwick's flight paths.

Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the busiest airport in the UK and one of the busiest in the world. If you live in west London, Berkshire, or parts of the Home Counties, you're likely under Heathrow's flight paths — and wondering what all those planes are.

London City Airport (LCY) is the smallest commercial airport serving London, handling over 1,500 flights per week. If you live in East London, Canary Wharf, the Docklands, or parts of Essex and Kent, you're likely under London City's distinctive flight paths.

Manchester Airport (MAN) is the UK's third-busiest airport, handling over 3,500 flights per week. If you live in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire, or the Peak District, you're likely under Manchester's flight paths.

You hear a roar overhead. You look up. There's a plane — and it feels uncomfortably close. What is that low flying plane, and why is it so low?

You're climbing through the clouds, the aircraft is accelerating down the runway and then lifting off, and within minutes you feel it — a pressure in your ears, a muffled quality to sound, maybe a slight ache. Then, often with an audible pop or click, your ears "pop" and everything suddenly sounds clear again.

Planning a trip and not sure what you can bring on a plane? You're not alone. Airport security rules can be confusing — especially with different regulations for different airports, airlines, and destinations. This complete guide covers everything you need to know about what you can take on a plane in 2026, from liquids and electronics to food, medicines, and those awkward "what about this?" items.

You're settled into your seat, the seatbelt sign has just switched off, and then the aircraft gives a sudden jolt. The coffee in your cup ripples. Your stomach drops. You grip the armrest.

Most hobbies need gear, space, or money to get started. Plane spotting needs almost none of these things. You need a sky. You need some curiosity. And with your phone, you can go from complete beginner to identifying every aircraft type overhead within a single afternoon.

Search "plane tracking app" and you'll find the same handful of names repeated across every roundup: Flightradar24, Flighty, FlightAware, Plane Finder. They're reviewed, ranked, compared, and re-reviewed. Most of these articles are useful if you're trying to choose between them.

You're looking at a clear blue sky when you notice it — a thin white line stretching across the heavens behind a passing aircraft. Sometimes it fades almost instantly. Sometimes it lingers, spreading into a wispy cloud that stays for hours. You've probably wondered: what are contrails, and why do planes leave these white trails in the sky?

You're sitting in your seat as the aircraft accelerates down the runway, and within seconds you're lifting off the ground. Once you're airborne and climbing, you might wonder: how fast is this plane actually going? And the answer is more complicated than you might think.

You're looking out of the window at what seems like an endless expanse of blue sky, and you're wondering: how high is this plane actually flying? Or maybe you're on the ground, watching aircraft overhead, and you're trying to estimate their altitude.

When a plane crash or aviation incident appears in the news, one of the first questions people ask is: what aircraft was involved? The answer is rarely as simple as "a Boeing" or "an Airbus." Investigators, journalists, and aviation enthusiasts look at a specific set of details — aircraft type, registration, callsign, operator, route, altitude, and last known position — to piece together a complete picture.

Most flight tracker apps answer one question: where is my flight? That's useful if you're waiting at arrivals or checking whether your gate has changed. But a growing number of people open a flight tracker for a completely different reason — not to check on a specific flight, but to look up at the sky and wonder: what is that plane?