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LiveTraffic

LiveTraffic displays real-world air traffic in X-Plane 11 and 12 by rendering ADS-B data from public and commercial sources in real time.

Background

  • Developer: TwinFan
  • Repository: github.com/TwinFan/LiveTraffic (open source, MIT license)
  • Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (native binaries)
  • Compatibility: X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12

LiveTraffic is actively maintained and uses the XPMP2 library for GPU instancing and Vulkan compatibility.

Features

  • Real-time air traffic: Real aircraft instead of AI traffic, based on ADS-B data
  • TCAS integration: Traffic appears on TCAS displays in the cockpit
  • 3D sound: Engines, landing gear, flaps, and taxiing via FMOD Core API
  • Landing/takeoff prediction: Calculates rotate, liftoff, and touchdown points
  • Contrails: Configurable altitude range for condensation trails
  • Map layer: Integration into the X-Plane internal map
  • Aircraft labels: Configurable flight information above aircraft
  • CSL model matching: Uses Bluebell OBJ8 and X-CSL packages for realistic aircraft models

Data Sources

Three channels work immediately without registration:

Channel Cost Notes
adsb.fi Free Works out of the box, anonymous, enabled by default
OpenSky Network Free Anonymous or registered, request limits apply
Open Glider Network Free Anonymous, unlimited

Additional channels (registration or subscription required):

Channel Cost Notes
RealTraffic Paid Most comprehensive source with parked aircraft and weather data
ADSBHub Free Only for registered data feeders
ADS-B Exchange Paid API key required
FSCharter v2 Free Virtual traffic network

Value in Flight Simulation

LiveTraffic replaces generic AI traffic with real flight movements — the current traffic volume at the airport, real callsigns, and actual routes. TCAS integration enables realistic separation and traffic awareness. With RealTraffic as the data source, parked aircraft and weather data are also injected.

Installation

Download: forums.x-plane.org

Extract the ZIP file to Resources/plugins/. CSL models (Bluebell recommended) are placed in the subdirectory Resources/plugins/LiveTraffic/Resources/CSL/.

Dependencies on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install libcurl4 xdg-utils

CURL_OPENSSL_4 Issue with Steam

Plugin fails to load with Steam installation

With X-Plane installations through Steam, the following error may occur:

libcurl.so.4: version 'CURL_OPENSSL_4' not found (required by .../LiveTraffic.xpl)

The Steam Runtime ships an older libcurl.so.4 that lacks the CURL_OPENSSL_4 symbol. LiveTraffic is built against the system version of libcurl which provides this symbol.

There is no universal workaround. In some cases, LD_PRELOAD of the system libcurl in Steam launch options helps, but results vary by distribution. Refer to the LiveTraffic documentation for guidance. The issue does not affect non-Steam X-Plane installations.

RealTraffic Ports (Firewall)

When using RealTraffic, the following ports must be open for inbound traffic:

Port Protocol Purpose
10747 TCP Direct connection
49004 UDP Weather data
49005 UDP Primary traffic data (RTTFC)

Sources