Teen jet tracker launches account to follow Russian oligarchs planes
Jack Sweeney first gained notoriety for his account that keeps tabs on Elon Musk’s private jet. Jack Sweeney, the 19-year-old who ran afoul of Elon Musk for tracking his private jet on Twitter, has launched another account to monitor planes belonging to Russian oligarchs amid the invasion of Ukraine.
The tech-savvy college student told Bloomberg News that he launched Russian Oligarch Jets — @RUOligarchJets — after receiving requests as Washington and US allies announced crippling sanctions on Moscow and its elite.
“The aircrafts these oligarchs have are absolutely crazy,” Sweeney told the news outlet, saying that Russia’s wealthy travel in commercial-sized planes like the Airbus A319 and Boeing 737.
“Their planes are huge compared to other jets,” he added.
Among the notables tracked by the University of Central Florida student are Vladimir Potanin, who is Russia’s wealthiest person, Chelsea soccer team owner Roman Abramovich and steel magnate Alexander Abramov, Bloomberg reported.
“The aircrafts these oligarchs have are absolutely crazy,” Sweeney said.
The president of Paragon Intel — which provides corporate aviation intelligence through its product JetTrack — said Sweeney’s accounts are the “People Magazine version” of corporate aviation intelligence.
“People are obsessed with wealth more than ever. It’s almost a form of paparazzi, that’s why this is popular,” Colby Howard told Bloomberg.
He noted, however, that the student’s account doesn’t reveal who may actually be on the flights and other information that would be needed by intelligence agencies or investors to make critical decisions.
Sweeney’s new account has reportedly amassed more than 53,000 followers in just a few days.
“One jet flying through Miami holding who knows who doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t tell you what information matters and what context do you need to make an decision,” Howard told Bloomberg.
Sweeney’s new account has reportedly amassed more than 53,000 followers in just a few days.
Sweeney had previously turned down the Tesla chief’s offer of $5,000 to delete his @ElonJet Twitter account and was then blocked by the mogul after stating a counter-offer of $50,000.
Sweeney also has been tracking the private jets of other A-list celebrities and billionaires, including Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
After @ElonJet account went viral, he snagged a job offer from Stratos Jet Charters, an Orlando-based private charter flight firm, The Post has reported. nypost.com