Customising the Aircraft Data Block

Summary: Choose what the label under each aircraft shows, spread it over one to four lines, and put it above or below the aircraft.

With Labels switched on in Live Flights, each aircraft on the map carries a data block: by default its callsign, type, flight level and squawk on one line, for example KLM604 • B78X • FL390 • SQ 6255. You can change what it shows, how it is laid out and where it sits. This came from a member who prefers a two-line block, like a controller’s display.

Where to find it

Open the Customise panel button, the sliders icon at the top of the Layers panel. The Aircraft data block section has three settings:

• Items — tick any of Callsign, Aircraft type, Flight level and Squawk. They always appear in that order, whatever order you tick them in. At least one stays ticked.
• Spread over — 1, 2, 3 or 4 lines. The items are shared out as evenly as they go, with the first lines taking any extra, so two lines gives the callsign and type over the flight level and squawk.
• Placed — above the aircraft, as before, or below it.

Every label on the map changes the moment you change a setting. An item the aircraft is not sending is simply left out rather than left blank, and a block never has more lines than items.

Saved with your settings

Your choice is saved with the rest of your panel settings, so it is there next time and follows you to any device you log in on, including switching between your two profiles. It also carries over to the Radar map style, where the blocks are drawn as bare yellow-green text.

When labels show

Labels appear from zoom level 8 and closer; further out there are too many aircraft to read them. The Labels chip stays on when you zoom out, and the labels come back when you zoom in again. See Live Flights.