I built a small web app that acts as a photo frame for aircraft currently flying near you, complete with a photo of that specific plane (the actual tail number's photo from Planespotters.net), flight number and telemetry.
How it works:
You choose if you want to see airplanes near you (with location permission) or near a list of big airports.
Flight data comes from adsb.lol's API based on the location chosen.
Your exact location is never sent to the server. I randomize it to a point ~10km away before making any request, since I only need rough proximity to find nearby aircraft, not your precise position.
The only exception is for the "distance to airplane" calculation which is done on the frontend with the exact location.
A photo and details of the plane are displayed like on a digital photo frame. Planespotters.net's API is used for the image library so the resolution is not the best (498x280px). It is better if you use it on a device with a smaller screen, like a phone.
It's a side project. I am an avgeek (in flight school) and saw online videos of similar tools, but without photos and only physical devices with telemetry. So I thought why not make an online version that includes photos.
It does seem to work! I will admit, I was skeptical to give my location so I used a big airport. It's more just how I deal with giving out location access because you never really know who is looking at it unless you deeply trust the people running the app.
ipsilo•2h ago
How it works:
You choose if you want to see airplanes near you (with location permission) or near a list of big airports.
Flight data comes from adsb.lol's API based on the location chosen.
Your exact location is never sent to the server. I randomize it to a point ~10km away before making any request, since I only need rough proximity to find nearby aircraft, not your precise position.
The only exception is for the "distance to airplane" calculation which is done on the frontend with the exact location.
A photo and details of the plane are displayed like on a digital photo frame. Planespotters.net's API is used for the image library so the resolution is not the best (498x280px). It is better if you use it on a device with a smaller screen, like a phone.
It's a side project. I am an avgeek (in flight school) and saw online videos of similar tools, but without photos and only physical devices with telemetry. So I thought why not make an online version that includes photos.
Feedback is welcomed!
https://aeroframe.app