Automated Flight Following

Automated Flight Following (AFF) is GPS aircraft tracking that is mandated by a government agency (or other governing body) for its contractors.^[1][2][3] The following criteria must be met:

• The GPS device must transmit position reports every two minutes;
• The position reports must be pushed into the third-party database (where they are automatically tracked by dispatchers^[4]).

A common use for AFF devices is to track planes flying for the USDA or utility companies during fire season.