Taylor Swift Sells Private Jet After Being Trolled Over '13-minute Flight' Tracked By Student

Taylor Swift has recently offloaded one of her prized private jets for a cool “$40 million (330 Crores INR),” as per fresh intel. The Federal Aviation Authority’s website has given the green light to the separation of the singer from her Dassault Falcon 900LX on January 30, handing over the reins to a Missouri-based car insurance company, Car Shield.

But this news isn’t just about glamourous goodbyes—it’s amidst a storm of drama surrounding private jet tracking, with a student seemingly at the controls, while Taylor and her legal team endeavour to navigate this turbulent airspace and land safely!

But What is Taylor’s ‘Jet’ Story All About?

Being a celebrity isn’t just about having paparazzi track your every move on land; it extends to the skies as well. Taylor Swift, in all her ‘luck’ (or perhaps, as she might put it, ‘misfortune’), finds herself embroiled in hot water after a keen-eyed student from the University of Central Florida decided to play air traffic controller, revealing every minute detail about her travels—whether it’s a leisurely cross-country flight or a mere 13-minute airborne jaunt!

Yes, the American songstress is facing flak for her carbon footprint and environmental indifference, all thanks to Jack Sweeney, her private jet tracker, who’s been broadcasting her flight plans loud and clear across social media.

“Just a disgusting human being like why,” one blunt commentator on ‘X’ remarked. And if that wasn’t enough, another quipped, “I sat in traffic for 40 mins yesterday lol.”

But wait, the trolling is merely scratching the surface. Taylor Swift has been under the radar for years for her private jet antics. Now, amid the relentless trolling and criticism, her legal entourage finds themselves entangled in a public showdown with Sweeney, the whistleblower who’s been keeping tabs on her air travels.

According to The Washington Post, which initially broke the story, Swift’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sweeney in December. They alleged that by tracking and sharing the movement of her private jet, Sweeney was providing a roadmap for individuals with harmful or nefarious intentions. Sweeney shared the cease-and-desist letter with The Post this week. He is also accused of “disregarding the personal safety of others”; “willful and repeated harassment”; and “intentional, offensive, and outrageous conduct and consistent violations of our client’s privacy.”

The letter from Swift’s lawyers asserts that there is “no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control.”

In response, Sweeney clarified that he never intended any harm with his actions, stating that he is compiling “public information.” “I actually think Swift has some good songs,” the college student remarked. “I believe in transparency and public information,” he added.

Also Read: Bengaluru Vlogger’s Movement to Bring Taylor Swift to India Draws Ire Over ‘Unwanted’ Disturbance

But what is to understand here is that Taylor’s attorneys are threatening legal action against Sweeney for all the repercussions of tracking her planes, because the ‘act of tracking’ itself isn’t illegal.

So, What Lies Behind Tracking Planes?

While experts note that there isn’t a single government registry of such data, it involves piecing together separate information to create tracking accounts, a skill Sweeney seems to possess. (He was also behind Elon Musk’s private jet tracking.)

Sweeney’s tracking capabilities are made possible by a technology called Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B), akin to GPS but more advanced. ADS-B equipment on a plane sends out real-time data about its location, altitude, velocity, and other critical elements of its journey every three seconds. This technology is mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration to avoid midair collisions and enable ground tracking of airplanes.

However, ADS-B technology also allows airplanes to be easily tracked by anyone with a compatible receiver. By collecting additional information about an airplane, like its tail number and previous locations, one can deduce who is likely using the plane—Sweeney’s specialty, as he shares these details on social media.

Thus, as he disseminates information through his ‘X’ account, Taylor Swift Jets (Tracking), keeping users, especially Swifties (Taylor Swift fans) informed about her whereabouts and her contributions to increasing carbon footprint, a recent post detailing her shortest flight yet— “Flew from Cahokia/St Louis, Illinois, US to St Louis, Missouri, US 24 hours ago. Apx. flt. time 13 Mins”—didn’t go unnoticed.

And Taylor isn’t one to sit idly by, not when her reputation’s on the line. After all, who wants to be stuck on the wrong side of history, especially when you’re ‘Wish[ing] on a Plane’? Her legal beagles are on high alert to ensure just that.

While Taylor may not be the only one soaring through the skies in private luxury, she might just be doing it more frequently than most. According to a 2022 report by data and marketing agency Yard, humourously titled “Just Plane Wrong: Celebs With the Worst Private Jet CO2 Emissions,” Taylor topped the charts with a staggering 170 flights in the first seven months of 2022.

End Game – By and ‘Of’ Taylor

In response to the ensuing legal furore, Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, revealed that Taylor mitigates her carbon footprint by purchasing carbon credits. However, climate experts criticise this practice as a mere band-aid solution.

And yet, don’t blink—this legal dogfight over Swift’s travels couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment. With Taylor set to grace the stage in Tokyo the night before the Super Bowl, all eyes are on whether she’ll whisk off to Las Vegas the next day to cheer on her beau, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in the final game of the season. If she does, the roundtrip journey could unleash a carbon footprint 14 times the size of the average American household’s annual emissions, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as reported by the Associated Press.

Now, while Taylor herself remains tight-lipped, our inner voice might just whisper, “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.”