#"acars"

2 articles tagged with ""acars""

ACARS: Reading the Secret Text Messages Planes Send While Flying Over Your House ✈️📡

Aircraft don't just broadcast their position — they send actual text messages to airlines, maintenance crews, and dispatchers in real-time. A $25 USB dongle lets you read every single one. I've been doing this for weeks and I have questions about flight UA447.

Mar 18, 2026

13 min read

"rf""sdr"

Airlines Are Texting Their Planes and You Can Read Every Message 📡✈️

ACARS is the SMS system airlines have been using since 1978 to communicate with their aircraft. It runs on VHF radio. It broadcasts in plain air. And with a $20 RTL-SDR and free software, I'm now reading actual operational messages between airlines and their planes in real time. Nobody told me this was possible. I'm mildly furious.

Feb 28, 2026

14 min read