Port 1219: AeroFlight-Ret — The aviation mechanic's port

Port 1219 is officially registered with IANA for AeroFlight-Ret, a protocol used by aviation maintenance databases. It operates over both TCP and UDP.

What AeroFlight-Ret Does

AeroFlight-Ret is part of a specialized system for delivering aviation technical data to aircraft mechanics. The protocol was registered by AeroFlight Publications, a company based in Gruver, Texas that specializes in Minimum Equipment List (MEL) creation and aviation technical documentation.¹²

The service name "Ret" likely stands for "retrieval"—the companion to port 1218's "AeroFlight-ADs" (possibly "aviation data" or "airworthiness directives"). Together, these ports enabled mechanics to query and retrieve FAA-required documentation, airworthiness directives, and maintenance procedures over the Internet.

The Registered Ports

Ports 1218 and 1219 sit in the registered port range (1024-49151), assigned by IANA for specific services upon request. According to IANA records, both ports were registered to Eric Johnson at Gruver, Texas.³

The official description in the IANA registry simply states these are "for certain Internet databases that are only of interest to aircraft mechanics."⁴ Two ports in the entire Internet address space, reserved for this specific community.

Why This Matters

In the mid-1990s, when these ports were registered, aviation mechanics needed access to constantly updated technical data—airworthiness directives, service bulletins, type certificate data sheets. Before the modern web, specialized protocols on dedicated ports were how you delivered this kind of critical, frequently updated information.

AeroFlight Publications, founded in 1986, built systems to help aircraft operators maintain compliance with FAA regulations. Their MELs (Minimum Equipment Lists) determine which equipment failures ground an aircraft and which allow continued flight. Getting this data to mechanics quickly and reliably wasn't just convenient—it was about keeping aircraft safely in the air.¹

Current Status

Port 1219 remains officially registered to AeroFlight-Ret, though like many registered ports from the 1990s, it's unclear whether the original protocol is still actively used. Modern aviation data systems typically operate over HTTPS on standard web ports.

AeroFlight Publications still exists and continues to provide MEL services to Part 135 operators, but they likely deliver data through modern web interfaces rather than the original dedicated protocol.¹

Security Considerations

If you find port 1219 listening on a system that doesn't handle aviation maintenance data, investigate. The port should only be open on systems running legitimate AeroFlight services.

Check what's listening:

# On Linux/Mac
sudo lsof -i :1219
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 1219

# On Windows
netstat -ano | findstr :1219

Related Ports

• Port 1218 — AeroFlight-ADs, the companion service for aviation data queries⁵
• Port 443 — HTTPS, where most modern aviation data systems now operate