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I am currently working trial writing a program capable of determining where a given aircraft is based on ATFM timestamps. My aviation background is pretty limited as I am only a mere IT developer.

When is an aircraft on the runway? Of course when it lands, and when it's about to take off, but there do not seem to be timestamps that indicate this?

Well the first one, the landing on to a runway seem to be covered by ALDT. But when it's on the runway for taking off? ATOT? Is the aircraft not airborne at that point?

How do I using the ATFM timestamps determine when an aircraft is on the runway ready to take off?

Per a comment: AFTM is Air Traffic Flow Management, ALDT is aircraft landing time and ATOT is aircraft takeoff time.

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    $\begingroup$ I don't think that ATFM timestamps have the level of detail you'd need to determine when an airplane is on the runway. Why are you using this approach? $\endgroup$ – GdD Jan 4 at 14:25
  • $\begingroup$ @Carlton Banks There are yellow "stop" stripes at the end of the taxiway where it meets the runway, some distance short (like fifty or a hundred feet or so) and when you cross the stripes you are, legally speaking, on the runway. You would have to be able to resolve aircraft position at the point of the timestamp as being on one side or the other of the stop stripes. The only source I'd think you could find that sort of data would be archived Air Traffic Control Ground Radar data, if archived date is available. I would contact the FAA to find out if that sort of data exists. $\endgroup$ – John K Jan 4 at 15:41
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    $\begingroup$ Can you help us mere pilots by defining your acronyms? $\endgroup$ – Michael Hall Jan 4 at 19:12
  • $\begingroup$ AFTM is Air Traffic Flow Management, ALDT is aircraft landing time and ATOT is aircraft takeoff time. $\endgroup$ – John K Jan 4 at 22:33

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