Short · Sound
Can a plane's sound give away where a video was filmed?
As a plane passes, its hum drops in pitch: sound waves bunch up ahead of it and stretch out behind. The shape of that drop is a fingerprint. Right under a plane 300 m up at 70 m/s, half the drop takes about 5 seconds; 1.5 km to the side it takes about 25. Planes broadcast their position every second, so flight tracks are public: one flyover puts you on a line either side of its track, and a second crosses it. YouTuber Colsto says he used this to locate a video to within about 100 m.
Opens Flyover Doppler Lab. Change the same thing yourself.
Transcript
Can a plane's sound give away where a video was filmed? As a plane passes, its hum drops in pitch: sound waves bunch up ahead of it and stretch out behind. The shape of that drop is a fingerprint. Right under the plane, the drop takes seconds. Now move the listener away from the flight path. The drop stretches out, so its shape gives away your distance. Planes broadcast their position every second, so flight tracks are public. One flyover puts you on a line either side of its track. A second crosses them. YouTuber Colsto says this found one video's spot within a hundred metres. Follow for more explainers like this.
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Learn more about planes, sound and privacy
This model shows why the drop in a plane’s hum gives away your distance. The guide adds how public flight tracks turn that into a place, what Colsto says he did, and what it means for the videos you post.
- Topic guideCan a plane’s sound give away where a video was filmed?The Doppler drop, its shape, ADS-B tracks, Colsto’s claim and the privacy angle.
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JournalCan a plane's sound give away where a video was filmed?A passing plane’s hum drops in pitch, and the drop is quick right under it and slow far to the side. With public flight tracks, Colsto says that pinned a video to about 100 m.