Use a live flight tracker to follow or recreate real flights in a simulator, including routes, timing, aircraft, weather and data gaps.
A live flight tracker can supply a real flight’s callsign, airports, aircraft type, timing, altitude, speed and flown track. In a general flight simulator, copy those details into a planner, build a compatible route, load it into the aircraft, then compare your progress with the live or recorded track.
This method works across general-purpose simulators such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX. A tracker does not normally transfer the route, weather or aircraft state into the simulator; it is a reference source unless a separate simulator connection exists.
What data should you copy from a live flight tracker?
A tracker shows what an aircraft was observed doing, not its complete airline dispatch release or cockpit flight plan.
| Tracker data | How to use it | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Flight number and callsign | Identify the service and label your simulator flight | The passenger flight number and ATC callsign may differ |
| Origin and destination | Set the departure and arrival airports | Diversions and airport changes may not appear immediately |
| Aircraft type and registration | Select the closest available aircraft and livery | The scheduled aircraft can be swapped before departure |
| Times | Recreate the departure window and flight duration | Gate departure, take-off, landing and gate arrival are different events; check whether times are local or UTC |
| Flown track | Identify the general route, fixes and runway direction | The map line is a breadcrumb trail, not necessarily the filed route |
| Altitude and speed | Compare progress during the flight | Trackers commonly show groundspeed and reported or derived altitude, not cockpit indicated airspeed |
Coverage can be delayed, intermittent or inferred, particularly over oceans and remote areas. Some aircraft are also blocked or anonymised. Record the useful details while the flight is visible if you plan to recreate it later.
How do you turn a tracked flight into a simulator flight plan?
The reliable approach is to rebuild a plausible operational route rather than converting every point on the tracker’s map into a waypoint.
- Record the flight identity. Note the date, flight number, callsign, airports, aircraft type, registration if shown, and actual rather than scheduled times.
- Choose the closest aircraft variant. Match the aircraft type before the livery. An exact paint scheme on the wrong engine or airframe variant will produce less realistic fuel burn, climb performance and range.
- Reconstruct the route. Use the tracker line to identify the airway corridor and visible fixes, then create a proper route between the two airports. A mistake we see constantly is treating radar vectors, shortcuts and holding patterns as if they were filed waypoints. For an airline-style dispatch plan, follow our practical SimBrief flight-plan workflow.
- Check navdata compatibility. A real flight may use procedures or fixes newer than those installed in the simulator or aircraft. Replace missing fixes, verify runway transitions and simplify an unavailable SID or STAR rather than accepting route discontinuities.
- Set time and weather. Use live weather when recreating a flight at the same time. For a later replay, live weather will represent the new conditions, not the weather from the original flight; use a suitable preset or historical-weather facility if your setup provides one.
- Load and verify the route. Import the appropriate flight-plan format or enter the route manually, then inspect every leg for discontinuities, duplicate waypoints and incorrect altitude constraints. Our explanation of GPS and FMS route loading covers how the plan connects to cockpit navigation.
- Compare milestones, not individual dots. Check departure runway, major fixes, cruise level, groundspeed and arrival time. Do not make constant heading or altitude changes merely to chase a delayed tracker symbol.
Trackers do not usually expose payload, fuel, cost index, thrust settings or the crew’s cleared route. Estimate mass and fuel with a planning tool, and let the chosen aircraft’s normal operating procedures determine the remaining settings.
Can you follow a real flight live inside the simulator?
A tracker alone cannot place the real aircraft in your simulator, but you can run it on a second screen and fly the same route while monitoring the aircraft’s progress.
If the simulator supports live traffic, it may inject a representation of that flight automatically. The displayed model, livery, callsign and position can still be substituted or delayed; our guide to how tracking feeds become live simulator traffic explains why aircraft sometimes disappear, jump position or use the wrong type.
Choose manual recreation when route accuracy and cockpit procedure matter most. Choose live traffic when the main aim is to see the service represented around the correct airport or airspace, accepting that it may not match the public tracker exactly.
Why does the recreated flight not match the tracker?
Small differences are normal because the simulator, tracker and real aircraft are working from different data and conditions.
- ATC changed the route: vectors, direct clearances, runway changes and holding can move the real aircraft away from its filed path.
- The tracker is delayed: do not attempt close visual formation or precise interception using a public tracking symbol.
- The winds differ: even a modest wind discrepancy changes groundspeed, fuel burn and arrival time.
- The aircraft setup differs: payload, fuel, engine variant and climb schedule all affect performance.
- The navigation databases differ: renamed fixes, changed runways or revised procedures can produce another path.
- The speed values are not equivalent: compare tracker groundspeed with simulator groundspeed, not indicated airspeed.
Can a public tracker follow my simulated aircraft?
Public flight trackers generally cannot see a simulated aircraft because the simulator is not transmitting real ADS-B data.
To monitor your own flight, use the simulator’s map, a flight logger or a simulator-connected moving map. Our comparison of public trackers and simulator-connected moving maps explains which type suits real-aircraft tracking and which can display your simulator position.