CYKZ picking up flights over Melbourne, Australia

[Kpin]

What is going on here? F-CYKZ-1 is probably not the correct receiver, but how does it happen?
CYKZ in AUS.JPG
I think there are multible other cases reported where a flight has been sticking with a radar/reveiver long after it would be plausible. In this case it never was.

[Mike]

The ID was originally intended to be for internal use only. Many years ago we made the mistake to published it on FR24 and now we can't remove it. We have 7000 ID's and we can't really spend our days commenting what every ID is doing, making changes to ID's or commenting why they are changing or not. Last years many server changes has been made and after all the server changes the ID shown on FR24 is not always correct and filtering by ID does not give the current coverage of a receiver. The ID is just a unique ID and nothing more. We show it on FR24 because of public demand not because is correct or give any extra value. FR24 team is monitoring the receivers and ID's 24/7.

[airnrail]

The ID was originally intended to be for internal use only. Many years ago we made the mistake to published it on FR24 and now we can't remove it. We have 7000 ID's and we can't really spend our days commenting what every ID is doing, making changes to ID's or commenting why they are changing or not. Last years many server changes has been made and after all the server changes the ID shown on FR24 is not always correct and filtering by ID does not give the current coverage of a receiver. The ID is just a unique ID and nothing more. We show it on FR24 because of public demand not because is correct or give any extra value. FR24 team is monitoring the receivers and ID's 24/7.

Mike I know this is a touchy subject, particularly here in Australia but your answer begs the questions: If that flight showed up on what would seem to be a Canadian feeder (impossible) does F-CYKZ1 actually exist and if so where is it located? Has it somehow been allocated in Australia with a Canadian airport code? Is this just a random computer glitch?

If these IDs are not going to be indicative of location why even bother to display them or why not just allocated every feeder some computer generated ID similar to a vehicle registration number?

[Mike]

As I wrote, it's just an unique ID (not a Canadian ID).

[airnrail]

As I wrote, it's just an unique ID (not a Canadian ID).

Mike, one day you might give a straight answer to a question or deputize someone who will. Try this one for size. Why did this "unique ID" that apparently is some sort of pretend or virtual or system testing ID suddenly become attached to a real aircraft flying between real places?

And by the way if CYKZ is not a Canadian ID but just a random jumble of letters (I find since my first post that it is in fact the code for a real airport in Toronto) it looks very much like one to me and probably to every other FR24 user who's ever tracked a plane over Canada.

[Mike]

Mike, one day you might give a straight answer to a question or deputize someone who will. Try this one for size. Why did this "unique ID" that apparently is some sort of pretend or virtual or system testing ID suddenly become attached to a real aircraft flying between real places?

And by the way if CYKZ is not a Canadian ID but just a random jumble of letters (I find since my first post that it is in fact the code for a real airport in Toronto) it looks very much like one to me and probably to every other FR24 user who's ever tracked a plane over Canada.

I gave a straight answer in my first answer

We have 7000 ID's and we can't really spend our days commenting what every ID is doing, making changes to ID's or commenting why they are changing or not.

If we would comment every time an ID changes or appears we would not do other things. It's a unique ID, nothing more, nothing less.