How this database is built
EMPTYJET Aviation is a knowledge graph: facts are stored structurally first, and every public page is generated from the graph. No page is hand-maintained, and every fact carries its source, date and a confidence signal.
Data sources & licensing
| Source | Kind | Priority | Redistribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAA Releasable Aircraft Database (US, N-) | registry | 1 | public_domain |
| ICAO DOC 8643 Aircraft Type Designators | registry | 1 | public_domain |
| Great-circle computation | open_data | 4 | public_domain |
| OurAirports | open_data | 4 | public_domain |
| Wikidata | open_data | 4 | cc0 |
| Curated airport operations profile | seed | 5 | unknown |
| Curated reference seed | seed | 5 | unknown |
| Wikimedia Commons | media | 5 | cc_by_sa |
| Wikipedia | encyclopedia | 5 | cc_by_sa |
| EMPTYJET computed estimate | open_data | 6 | public_domain |
Conflict resolution
When sources disagree, the value from the higher-priority source wins (national registry & ICAO > manufacturer > licensed database > open data > encyclopedia > positions feed > AI extraction). Conflicting records are retained and flagged, never silently overwritten.
Estimates
Route nonstop capability, block times and runway suitability are computed estimates derived from published range/speed and airport runway data. They are labelled as estimates and are never booking figures.
Individual aircraft & registries
Individual aircraft (tail numbers) are published only from registries whose terms permit public redistribution. Each candidate registry was assessed against its live terms of use; the single green source is the US FAA Releasable Aircraft Database (public domain, 17 U.S.C. §105). Non-US registers (UK, Canada, EASA states, offshore VP-/M-/2-/9H registries, and others) were reviewed and excluded — their terms restrict bulk redistribution, or the data could not be licensed. We publish owner/operator information at organisation level only; private-individual owner names and addresses are never published.
Aircraft positions
No public position data is shown. No ADS-B position feed (OpenSky, ADS-B Exchange, ADSB.fi, FlightAware, Flightradar24) permits free public redistribution, so every aircraft page states “no public position data” rather than presenting a stale or unlicensed track as current. Aircraft enrolled in owner-privacy programs (FAA LADD / Privacy ICAO Address) are never rendered. The full source-by-source verdict is in the project’s registry-licensing matrix.