Point a phone in the air and get details on every aircraft in the sky

September 20, 2010 By 1 Comment

It appears to be the dream device for every plane spotter – a smartphone application that uses augmented reality to track and display details of aircraft as they pass overhead.

plane finder1

plane finder2

Plane Finder AR is the new sister app for the Plane and Ship Finder iPhone applications, using the existing positioning data alongside AR technology to pinpoint the location of aircraft in relation to the user of the handset.

In theory, whenever the app is switched on and the user points it to the sky, details of every aircraft will be displayed on the device, such as flight number, aircraft registration, speed, altitude and distance from the user.

Plane Finder says only aircraft with ADS-B equipment will feature on the AR service.

Early days but reaction is rather lukewarm so far – with some reviews complaining about lack of coverage and accuracy for what is clearly a “nice idea” but struggling on the execution.

NB: Hat-tip Hackneye.

Related posts:

  1. Airbus and the green aircraft of the future – possible, probably or just puff?
  2. iPad in-flight entertainment system coming to an aircraft near you
  3. Live aircraft movements – the best travel mashup of all time?
Filed Under: Mobile Tagged With: , , , , ,
Kevin May About Kevin May

Kevin May is editor of Tnooz. He joined as a co-founder in August 2009 after spending nearly four years as editor of UK-based business publication Travolution.

Passionate about the business of travel and the internet, Kevin played a major role in establishing Travolution in print, online, events and with an annual awards programme, as well as becoming a regular speaker and moderator at industry events.

Prior to Travolution, Kevin was web editor at Media Week (UK) and also worked in regional newspapers for two years at the Essex Enquirer. He started his career in journalism at the Police Gazette at New Scotland Yard in London.

Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Point a phone in the air and get details on every aircraft in the sky | Tnooz -- Topsy.com says:
    September 20, 2010 at 11:54 am

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Martin Couzins, Talib Rashna, Tnooz, Kevin May, Turisdata and others. Turisdata said: Point a phone in the air and get details on every aircraft in the sky: It appears to be the dream device for every… http://dlvr.it/5bQWm [...]

    Reply

Speak Your Mind

*