Contribute to the ADSBexchange.com Aircraft Database

While an aircraft broadcasts it’s ICAO hex code in ADS-B packets, data such as the aircraft type, military status, make, model, operator, etc. all come from database lookups.

ADSBexchange maintains a database from various public, open source, and government services. We also welcome accurate contributions to our database from the community to improve the experience for everyone.

Below are two tables. The top table is the currently active full database (always available for download at https://downloads.adsbexchange.com/downloads/basic-ac-db.json.gz) This is the database currently in use on the website, and it is rebuilt daily at 23:30 UTC, (incorporating the changes submitted in the second table) and goes live on globe.adsbexchange.com at 02:00 UTC Mon-Thu.

The second table incorporates the “edits” supplied by people like you for aircraft (hex codes) where government and other sources may be lacking or inaccurate. Note that the last line in the tables allows for filtering, and can be quite useful when searching.

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Data in the below table supplements government and other sources, and is provided by people like you.

Explanations of the fields follow. Click on “New Entry” to add a line, or “Edit” to change an existing one. Note, if you create a new line using only the ICAO hex code, the line will be pre-filled with the data we already have. This can be useful for data entry.

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  • ICAO – the ICAO hex code broadcast by the transponder. This is a six-digit hexadecimal [0-9,a-f] code. Code ranges are assigned to countries by the ICAO and listed here. Each country then assigns them to the tail numbers of planes registered in that country. In the US, there is a formula that decides the hex code which corresponds to each tail number (N-number). Other countries often just assign the next available code from their range. All records must have an accurate hex code, this is what everything is based off of. Note that if a hex code already exists in the table, a new entry for the same hex will NOT be saved. You should instead edit the existing entry.
  • REG – Aircraft Registration or “Tail Number”. This is similar to a “license plate” for an aircraft and is assigned by the country the aircraft is registered in. In the US, these start with “N”. These should be entered in all caps.
  • ICAOTYPE – This is the standard aircraft type code as published by the ICAO. For example, a Cessna 172 is “C172” and a Boeing 777-300 is “B773”. These are 4-digit type designators and standardized globally. The complete list can be found here. If there is any doubt which is correct, please look it up.
  • MIL – A yes/no field if the plane is owned by a government’s military. All civil aircraft should be “no”.
  • YEAR – Year of manufacture, if known – 4 digits (ie. 1995, 2007)
  • Manufacturer – self explanatory (i.e. “Airbus”, “Boeing”, “Cessna”, etc.)
  • Model – The model of aircraft, (i.e. “737 MAX 8”, “UH-60M Blackhawk”, “PC-12”)
  • OWNOP – The Owner/Operator if known (i.e. “United Airlines”, “NetJets”, “US Air Force”, etc.)
  • FAA PIA – A yes/no field automatically filled in – is the icao code on the list of codes used for the FAA’s PIA program.
  • FAA LADD – A yes/no field automatically filled in – is the aircraft’s registration listed on the FAA’s LADD (blocking request) list. Note that aircraft registration numbers as well as callsigns can be on the LADD list. Also, note that this only shows registrations blocked at the “Subscriber Level”, not “FAA Source” level.
  • Short Type – A 3 character code that identifies basic properties of the aircraft (sometimes referenced to draw the icons). For example, “L2J” is a “landplane” powered by 2 jet engines. “H1T” is a helicopter powered by one turbine engine. “S1P” is a seaplane powered by 1 piston engine, etc.
  • LASTEDIT_USER – Name or identifier of the user who created the record. If you edit a record, please update this field manually.
  • LASTEDIT_TIME – Last time the record was changed. Updated automatically.