I made myself a device that tells me what plane flies above my home
Posted by Greystoke1337@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 163 comments
I live under the final leg of Sydney's airport, about 10km away, and I can't always tell what plane is flying overhead.
So I built this little tracker, that tell me what plane it is! Which a bunch of fun data from adsb.
It tells me the time and weather when the skies are clear too, pretty neat.
I made a little website that goes with it too, so I can check it out from anywhere. Not that different from flight radar, but custom tailored for that niche use case. I love it!
The device is a 20$ esp32 with a cheap display, and it gets its data from a raspberry pi that grabs from a bunch of free APIs, so I don't get rate limited. Had a blast making it.
Da1sgaard@reddit
Hey, loving the website version. I just put an old ipad on a stand with the website open. I'd love to be able to customise it a bit. Like make text bigger, or remove certain blocks. It's a bit hard to read from 6 feet away as it is now. Huge thanks for making it though, it's awesome and very easy to use.
tribat@reddit
Very cool. I just made one for a ESP32 based display (Cheap Yellow Display) https://github.com/iamneilroberts/adsb-cyd
I’m going to check yours out. Let me know what you think of mine.
hakulus@reddit
Hey Neil, very nice! Any chance you have a link to some pics of the output onscreen?
tribat@reddit
Yeah I meant to do that yesterday. I only have ones from where I was pasting debugging photos into Claude code. I’ll try to update the repo and this thread tonight.
freshndirt@reddit
Would also love to see that
spakkenkhrist@reddit
I've hit an issue building your code it seems that LedcAttach isn't in the current platform version.
tribat@reddit
Give it another whirl. Should have all the pieces now.
spakkenkhrist@reddit
Hi thanks for that I've got the code uploaded, it connects to my WiFi but sits on scanning. I've double checked my lat and long are correct (and that there are planes overhead).
tribat@reddit
Mine did that yesterday when I was trying to show it off. I left it powered on and meant to look at the issue today and now it seems to work fine. I’ll hook it back up to Claude code to monitor the port to see what it’s doing. Maybe add some more progress indicators. I’ll let you know.
spakkenkhrist@reddit
This just started working, looks great!
tribat@reddit
Glad to hear it! I’ll ping you if I make any other fixes.
tribat@reddit
OK, let me check that out. I'll let you know when I fix it.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Awesome! I have a spare esp32 I'll try yours too!
tribat@reddit
I made this one for a 7" esp32 touchscreen (waveshare and the like).
https://github.com/iamneilroberts/adsb
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
So cool! I love your design
tribat@reddit
Thanks! The design might be familiar if you do any work with Claude code. I have no experience coding in c++ so I just straight vibe coded this. After I got it working I remembered I had a couple of the CYD boards and had Claude code port to it. Maybe 20 hours in the first one and a Saturday morning on the smaller. Assuming I could have ever done it myself I don’t know how long it would have taken.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Well, I entirely vibe coded mine as well with claude code, so we are in the same boat. What a great tool, isn't it?
Aggravating_Bug7962@reddit
I was just Googling to see how I could make this, and I landed here. Lol. Are you sharing this for others to use like the software and STLs for the 3D print?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Haha, happened to me as well last week when I was trying to find something else, but that sounded similar (like abdb tracker).
Here's my repo: https://github.com/greystoke1337/localized-air-traffic-tracker
Send me a DM, i'll send you my STLs if you want them. You can find STLs online for the 4 inch cheap yellow display though.
FlamingDisaster_309@reddit
This is so cool, nice dude! You nailed the aesthetic too, it wouldn't look out of place on a desk in a control tower!
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much! I wanted to have this classic aviation tech feel to it, but not feel like a display found in a passenger terminal
FlamingDisaster_309@reddit
Yeah, no you absolutely got the inner-workings look, not the passenger-terminal look 😁
Such a neat little device, nice one!✈️
Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit
you can ask Siri or Google, too, anywhere on Earth.
"Hey Siri, what flight is that above me?" or the google equivalent
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Ah! I had no idea. Pretty neat
hakulus@reddit
Well THAT is fantastic. I was looking for a new ESP32 project and here it is, already tied into my love of aviation and simming, and I just moved to a house that looks directly at inbound traffic to our local airport! Have you put your code on Github? Can you?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
You're in luck! My stuff is opensource, so have a go at it! It's such a fun project.
https://github.com/greystoke1337/localized-air-traffic-tracker
slinkytheonly@reddit
Ty i just ordered the parts! I am also living below an air path.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
awesome! Let me know how you go!
slinkytheonly@reddit
The website you set up is not displaying planes in my area. If you need help in troubleshooting I can provide some screenshots if you PM me. :)
SquirrelMoney8389@reddit
A Qantas B463, wow... What is this 1993? I guess Pionair are now doing freight operations with them under Qantas flight numbers at times like 10:44pm...
Weary_Perception594@reddit
Sick!
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Thanks!!
mimaikin-san@reddit
now you need to create a web app to find & load images of the aircraft via registration numbers on your internet TV
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
I kinda did that already, but through a web page. Have a gander!
https://www.overheadtracker.com/
(that's probably going to melt my raspberry pi, but what the hell!)
slinkytheonly@reddit
Kinda works kinda not. On my location the site not show planes. Instead on clicking the nearest plane it shows a plane what is not even on flightradar. I am living under a flight way. Planes nearly every 10minutes.
TobiasVdb@reddit
The visuals on your photo are nicer than this website version. But great work
sktyrhrtout@reddit
And some way you can input flights you've taken and it will tell you send an alert or special display if you've been on the plane that is overhead.
cheese135789@reddit
It will be actualy cool if you can make it into a website, so by enabling gps location you can turn your old phone into this neat device
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
I kinda already did that actually, check this out! https://www.overheadtracker.com/
cheese135789@reddit
Wow! Thank you very much. Only thing i need to do now, is to make my phone wake up everytime the plane flies over.
DoctorIsMyNick@reddit
Can you change the resolution/style of text?
I find that low res text so hard to read.
JimfromMayberry@reddit
Nice
wpisdu@reddit
Would you be able to share what APIs are you using to scrap the data?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Yes! I use mostly airplanes.live, there's also adsb.lol, adsb.fi...
They are free if you don't make a million queries basically. That's why I'm using a raspberry pi to do the queries, that I cache it and distribute that to my devices.
wpisdu@reddit
thanks for that, all 3 seem to be working fine!
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Glad to be of help!
wpisdu@reddit
One more thing, what service do you use to figure out flight details using flight number?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
That was difficult, so the simplest solution was to build a lookup table with that info pulled from the Web.
StockholmParkk@reddit
I think he said adsbexchange in another comment
tribat@reddit
Adsb.lol is free for this kind of project for me so far.
sourcefourmini@reddit
OP hasn't actually stated any APIs; someone else commented adsbexchange, which isn't free. I'm a little bit suspicious about the "free" claim personally, based on my attempts to find free options in the past.
markednl@reddit
Great work, my son would absolutely love this as we live next to Schiphol Airport.
jorisborisjoris@reddit
I actually built a dash for Schiphol a while back It centers around amstelveen where I live. You have to keep it open for a while because it doesn’t have memory other than the browser https://planes-above-me.fly.dev/
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Thank you! Really fun gadget to have if you like planes :D
Dangerous-Gain7117@reddit
live near Frankfurt Intl. airport. Love it!
coomzee@reddit
I used to do something similar with the air ambulance. Each time it flew over my town it would donate £5 to the air ambulance.
fwankfwort_turd@reddit
The fact that the air ambulance isn't government funded is an absolute disgrace seeing how much wilderness there is in the UK where a helicopter is often the only way to reach someone in trouble. I'm contrast, the Netherlands has no wilderness at all and yet the air ambulance is well funded and used all the time.
40percentCheese@reddit
The reason it isn't government funded is because they get more funding and more variety of funding by being a charity and being able to find their own donors.
Case in point, look at what NPAS flies these days, old, knackered and no one can decide what to do next.
ShuckingFambles@reddit
I had this discussion at a lifeboat station once, she said basically the boats would be shit and underfunded
fwankfwort_turd@reddit
Is that not just a chicken and egg situation though? Maybe it gets more funding from donations precisely because people know that it's not being funded and see how essential of a service it is? But you could say the same for the NHS as a whole, really.
LightningGeek@reddit
It is a bit, but it's because when people hear 'government funded' they think it's given a blank cheque to spend on what they want, so donations massively decrease.
The RNLI tried the same thing early on in their existence and they almost disappeared because funding dropped so much.
There's also an element of government funding brining government decisions. By self funding, organisations can concentrate on their main job rather than having to please various government departments and politicians.
fwankfwort_turd@reddit
The UK is unusual in relying so heavily on charity for such frontline emergency services. In the Netherlands, for example, the helicopter emergency medical service is funded through the healthcare system at the government level, but operated by ANWB Medical Air Assistance under contract, with medical teams from trauma centres across the country. A lot of the elements to build a similar system already exist in the UK. The medical crews usually come from the NHS and are integrated into trauma networks, and many helicopters are already operated by contracted aviation companies. The main difference is that the aircraft and operating costs are largely covered by charities rather than being commissioned as a core NHS service. So it wouldn’t really require reinventing the system, rather it would mostly be a question of shifting who funds the baseline capability, with charities still supporting equipment, research, or additional capacity. But yeah, the NHS has enough funding and management problems of its own at the moment so I don't see it happening any time soon.
notaukrainian@reddit
Increasingly no longer the case: lots of HEMS charities now own their own aircraft - and operate it themselves, too
40percentCheese@reddit
Oh I agree. But these are governments that are wasting money tracking dinghies and buying non-existent face masks.
The fact is, the UK government couldn't even deploy one single boat to protect it's sovereign territory, let alone be trusted with a procurement within budget and on time.
I do agree though. The federal purchasing power within NL does work, even for the police air support too. (I am British but work and live on the Dutch border)
fwankfwort_turd@reddit
As much as I love that people are so willing to donate to services such as the Air Ambulance and RNLI, it pisses me off to no end that it's needed in the first place. I'm also a (former) Brit in NL so it's infuriating to see what could be if the political will was there, especially when the structure of the NL system is so similar. The only real difference being that the baseline funding comes from the ministry of health rather than from private donations. But yeah, for that to happen in the UK the Air Ambulance would need to come under control of the NHS Trust, but thats also been systematically mismanaged and underfunded for years and can barely get ground based ambulances where they need to be in a timely manner, so I don't see anything changing any time soon.
hedge36@reddit
Hey, it could be corporate, like here in the states.
PaddyMayonaise@reddit
We’re blessed it is. Can you imagine if something like emergency response was a government service? How slow and under funded it would be?
hedge36@reddit
"Blessed" is an odd way to look at it. You're paying top dollar for a service, nothing more.
coomzee@reddit
The service would be crap if it was 100% government funded. The government does help fund the service but the charity aspect does help the service spent on resources and planning for the area they serve and not run for profit. Same would be said about the RNLI life boat
fwankfwort_turd@reddit
Yeah, in an ideal world these organisations wouldn't be reliant on charitable donations to operate. But yeah, the NHS as a whole has been underfunded and mismanaged to the point that they can't even provide reliable ambulances, let alone helicopters so you're probably right that the service would be crap. Makes me sad.
Lancaster1983@reddit
If I did that it would cost me at $5-20 a day. lol
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
That's genius!! I have a couple of rescue helicopters flying overhead often, so cool to see
Mysterious-Engine166@reddit
Woah! That is next level man!
derekcz@reddit
You could plug in a cheap SDR stick directly into the Pi and have it grab the data directly off the air, so it can be completely off grid. ADS-B is stupid strong so it would probably work with a small whip antenna by a window indoors since you really only care about the nearest plane. But it's neat regardless, and it's probably more practical in some regard to not have to worry about antenna placement.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
I'm a little worried about my physical location, I'm ground floor, but there are 5 story buildings basically all around me.
Do you reckon I'd still get decent enough signal in such a scenario?
derekcz@reddit
I think it would work better than you expect but I suppose the reception could be a bit spotty. I have seen people successfully set up an adsb receiver using an antenna made from a beer can just sitting on a window of a residential block and it worked surprisingly well, but it would increase the complexity of this project so it might only be worth trying if it is something you're really interested in.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the explanation! I'll do some digging. I'd love to get the actual ADSB data instead of relying on a web service. I love the idea of having more fallback logic, just to be able to learn how to use it.
MrZemo@reddit
Here is another
https://theflightwall.com/
Far-Fill-4717@reddit
Honestly kind of a scam, it's much cheaper to make yours by yourself. It literally costs $165
Hot-Praline7204@reddit
Do you change your own oil? The flight wall is "scam" in the same way that getting an oil change is a scam. It's cheaper to do it yourself but 95% of the population will pay for someone else to do the labor.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
I tried to buy that specific one, and couldn't because they don't ship outside the US, that's what triggered the idea to make my own
-malcolm-tucker@reddit
That's fully sick mate
BigGrayBeast@reddit
Something new to vibe code tonight
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Let me know how you went!
BigGrayBeast@reddit
Probably not tonight, but I'll add it to my list.
BigGrayBeast@reddit
This came from about 10 prompts :
Started with :
Create a professional looking Windows app, using Python that shows flight information for any aircraft within a one mile radius of 1 using publicly accessible, free apis.
Then I tweaked it to put the address in a text box so I could enter another address.
Still needs a lot of work, but this is a proof of concept.
I used Gemini Pro account and Anti-Gravity.
I_Has_A_Camera@reddit
Where are you sourcing the Departure and Destination info? I made something similar, but most of the free APIs I could find gatekeep that part.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
That was definitely the hardest part! I ended up building a look up table for it, and adding to it over time. Since it's for 1 airport, that works for me.
I_Has_A_Camera@reddit
Do you mind sharing your code so I can replicate for my area?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Yes! Have a look at it: https://github.com/greystoke1337/sydney-localized-air-traffic-tracker
Mediocre-Opposite225@reddit
Oh dang I also made a flight tracker and clock on a raspberry pi. Good work!
yetiflask@reddit
Impressed with the made in the USA sticker!
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Isn't it amazing nowadays to be able to do these kind of little projects at home? I love it!
InfaSyn@reddit
Any tips/guides on how to get started?
Im already running a small ADSB station and feeding to the usual suspects so I can feed it beast data trivially.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Absolutely! Have a look on tutorials about ESP32 or arduino to get a rough understanding of what they do and how to use them.
From there, using a tool like Claude Code, and asking it to run you through the step while explaining them will get you most of the way there.
You just need to be a little computer savvy to ask the right questions, and you'll be just fine
Big_Classroom_5884@reddit
Could you share with me? I’d love to make one here in the states, we have heavy traffic from aircraft 24/7.
Puzzled_Elephant_190@reddit
BA's was cooler
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
No doubt! Such a smart advert
SK77X@reddit
Is there a reason why this isn't an app yet?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Uhhh because I haven't made it? this is just a little home project :)
Lancaster1983@reddit
This is really neat. I have an ADSB receiver from FlightAware. The data is accessible over my network so I feed it to ADSB Exchange using a separate Pi. I would be interested in setting something like this up for my desk. Care to share the code?
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Absolutely, have a look: https://github.com/greystoke1337/localized-air-traffic-tracker
Fair warning, this is all vibe coded, so your mileage may vary! It's been solid though, which is fine for my home usage.
Lancaster1983@reddit
Thank you kindly!
mickstranahan@reddit
I'd love to add something like this to a Home Assistant Dashboard.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
I've got a couple of ideas to make a home dashboard, with commute time, weather, and a few bits of info too. Would be fun!
Internal_Explorer591@reddit
Cool! Is one of the APIs you're using capturing all the ADSB data from somewhere? I'm trying to understand, because I know you have to have a special type of receiver equipment to capture and read that data.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Yes! You can use airplanes.live for instance. You send them a location, and they'll send you back the ADSB data.
peepay@reddit
This is exactly what I wanted to do some time ago, but ended up not doing it because of the price of the APIs.
So I am very interested in the
part of your post. Do tell 😄
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
have a look at airplanes.live, adsb.lol, adsb.fi.
If it's for 1 device, it's usually free, as long as you don't spam them
whiskeytaco@reddit
I made a web based radar scope app to see what was around me that I run on a spare system.
RaymondLuxury-Yacht@reddit
If only I had the skill to know what the hell to do with this code to make it work for me...
That looks awesome, though. I was just wondering how the OP's display would work for someone that lives below multiple approach paths and frequently has aircraft going to multiple airports directly overhead, and your radar scope seems to address that better.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Mine just cycles through the flights every 10s, so if there's too many planes, you would definitely miss some flights.
In my case, it's fine, I think there's like 2mn of separation between each flights even during busy times, so it works.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
This is so cool mate! Love the interface you designed as well
Sea-Link8269@reddit
WOW !! This is absolutely amazing! I need something like this!🙌
the_friendly_one@reddit
Call it "Overhead BIN" (🅱️lane Identifying Node)
yetiflask@reddit
What did you use to write the UI?
TigerUSA20@reddit
I’ve been trying to figure out if there was a way to get a cheap 9” (or so) tablet and do something like this. Looks like this is real close if not there. 😀
imtourist@reddit
I love the blocky font.
oshunluvr@reddit
Wow, a REAL aviation geek! Nice work!
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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Recent_Force_5457@reddit
Mass produce please
Ok-Ad-7564@reddit
That’s clever!
ichfrissdich@reddit
What APIs did you use?
Dr__-__Beeper@reddit
I don't think he actually built it so he can't really show you anything, that's what I'm betting.
GiggsInDa303@reddit
Very awesome!
__EagleOne__@reddit
Can you tel how you did this, would like to do this too😊
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
It's pretty straight forward if you are a little tech savvy! All you need is one of these cheap yellow display with integrated esp32, then be aware of what online services can provide the data.
I knew websites like flight radar can provide their data through an API, so a quick google search showed me some free alternatives.
From there, I started to build my prototype using claude code for fast iterations, and added more functions. Simply asking the question of "wouldn't it be cool to know how for from our location the plane is" helped me develop the software.
The trickiest part was to become aware of all the different libraries that can help building this. Bit of debugging and here we are. Took me 1 day to build the first version, and about 1 week to refine it (I work full time, so just on the evenings)
I designed and 3d printed an enclosure for the screen too, so it would look good.
I you buy the same components I have (a cheap esp32 with 4inch tft display from freenove, and a raspberry pi 3b+), I can even share my software so you can make yourself one at home :)
ElGreenman@reddit
What free alternative to flight radar did you find?
Prestigious-Skin4391@reddit
Adsbexchange.com
hoppla1232@reddit
Their API isn't free though
Mackhey@reddit
well done! I was thinking about building exactly the same device on CYD, but then I heard that display can be tricky for absolute beginners, so I never started. You can share your code, maybe I or someone else will find it helpfull in the future. I like the aesthetics of the UI you have here. Great job!
Dr__-__Beeper@reddit
Sure thing Exlax.
nouskeys@reddit
Paging Dr. Beeper.
Dr__-__Beeper@reddit
Probably not, this is a repost,and he stole the content from someone else.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
What are you talking about lol! I made this haha
Dr__-__Beeper@reddit
You lie like a rug.
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Can you please point me to the repost? I literally just taken pics of my project with my phone 30mn ago.
Dr__-__Beeper@reddit
I can't find it, I looked, but I swear somebody posted the exact same thing within the last two months.
CptGo@reddit
This is embarrassing now
derekcz@reddit
just say you were wrong guy
Dr__-__Beeper@reddit
Welcome! u/Greystoke1337 likes to keep their posts hidden, but check out their stats to learn more about them
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Here's some proof you idiot:
skankhunt1738@reddit
Link or it didn’t happen.
WAR_T0RN1226@reddit
I like how someone can just claim that you reposted something, with no evidence, and you get downvoted and they get upvoted lol
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
I know! Isn't it wild?
I posted some proof down below, here it is again if someone doubt it -_-
__EagleOne__@reddit
Wel that sucks🤪
EMC644@reddit
Very cool! Love the pixelated style!
trustmeimalobbyist@reddit
I need this for DCA
why_tf_am_i_like_dat@reddit
That's amazing brother but be careful people can find you with these pictures lol
Livingforabluezone@reddit
Cool! I have an app that does the same thing.
Harha@reddit
You could also setup an SDR and parse the ADSB yourself. ;-)
Pretty1george@reddit
Very cool to see Qantas is still using them, albeit only in cargo.
PhoenixPhenomenonX@reddit
Flipping awesome. And thank you for sharing details on how to make it as well in the comments.
Usernamenotta@reddit
If I had the money, I would buy a proper ADS-B receiver and a small server
Scouse_Papi@reddit
That's very cool, well done!
Miraclefish@reddit
Reminds me of JetClock.io but with a very different and fun presentation of the data!
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
100%! The flight panel as well, but they didn't sell in my country, so I made my own
debuggingworlds@reddit
Why bother ripping from the API when you could have just bought an ADSB receiver and not had to rely on one. More fun to be had that way too
Greystoke1337@reddit (OP)
Well I did the first thing that came to mind and looked practical. I might add an actual adsb receiver as well, would be even more fun
Advanced_Shake_1295@reddit
B463?
wsh3dvector@reddit
Bae 146
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
BAe 146-300. Still used in Australia for late night cargo runs