# Aviator—Radar on your Phone! — Track Planes, Live in the Sky

> Live aircraft radar tracker with customizable retro display. (iPhone/iPad app by Jacob Bartlett.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aviatorradar-on-your-phone/id6469189335 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jacob Bartlett](https://appshunter.io/developer/1266240131)
- Category: Utilities, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 51 App Store ratings · 24 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2023-10-14
- Data updated: 2026-08-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aviatorradar-on-your-phone/id6469189335/reviews.md

## What is Aviator?

My 2-year-old daughter recently became obsessed with airplanes. 
Every day, she adorably asks me to find her planes in the sky, and she becomes delighted when I locate one for her.

Naturally, like all dads, I took it upon myself to do a bit of DIY. 

Aviator is the result:
- Live Aircraft Radar: Track nearby planes in real-time
- Map Overlay: Toggle between the radar view or a detailed local map
- Customisable Colours: Personalize your display with your kid's favourite
- Modern Retro: Marrying cutting-edge graphics shaders and haptics with old-school CRT display and radar beeps

This app uses the free OpenSky API - https://opensky-network.org/

## Key features

- Live aircraft radar
- Real-time plane tracking
- Map overlay view
- Customizable colors
- Modern retro graphics
- CRT display simulation

## Recent user reviews (10 of 24)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aviatorradar-on-your-phone/id6469189335/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Even better than v1

*2024-01-25, version 2.0.0*

Not much to say other that it is even better than the original. I love it. Now you can even use your own login. Perfect!

### 5/5 — My granddaughter loves it

*2024-01-22, version 2.0.0*

My son was the developer

### 1/5 — I love the idea, but the app is not working

*2024-01-13, version 1.0.0*

No planes - only parsing errors, retries and info that the api is overloaded.

### 1/5 — Dead app

*2024-01-04*

Not sure why Jacob dropped the ball on this, but it hasn’t worked in months. Sad, because it’s a super cute app

**Developer response:** Hey KnowWonder, really sorry about this. 

I have good news - the app is now back up and running, and improved in several ways! Please give it another try and see if your experience is better this time around :)

### 1/5 — Gut gemeint

*2023-12-20, version 1.0.0*

Server überlastet… Nicht zu gebrauchen.

### 1/5 — Egal wann und wo

*2023-12-17, version 1.0.0*

der Server ist immer overloaded und man soll es später versuchen.
Ein App die nicht funktioniert, das betrifft auch das Backend, ist flüssiger als Wasser, nämlich ÜBERFLÜSSIG. Wird gelöscht.

### 1/5 — Data error makes this unusable

*2023-12-11, version 1.0.0*

I’ve been trying over the course of the past week, at different times of the day. I always get a data error and it won’t show planes. I loved the blog post and app design, but unfortunately it doesn’t work. I’ll happily change to 5 stars if it’s fixed.

### 1/5 — Keine Funktion

*2023-12-11, version 1.0.0*

Nun, da die App nicht funktioniert, habe ich sie wieder gelöscht. Man sollte vielleicht keine App releasen, wenn das Backbone nicht dafür ausgelegt ist.

### 1/5 — Server overloaded

*2023-12-09, version 1.0.0*

App daher nicht nutzbar, wird gelöscht.

### 1/5 — Always get data error

*2023-12-06*

Seems like a cool app that my toddler would love. I have never got passed a data parsing /server busy error however.

**Developer response:** Hey wertrose,

The open-source API I depended on is working again now, so to celebrate I released v2.0! I'd love if you tried it out again :)

## Frequently asked questions about Aviator

### What does Aviator do?

Aviator provides a live aircraft radar that allows you to track nearby planes in real-time. It offers a detailed local map overlay and a unique retro display aesthetic combining modern graphics with old-school CRT visuals and sounds.

### What are the key features of Aviator?

Key features include a live aircraft radar for real-time tracking, a map overlay option, customizable colors to personalize the display, and a modern retro design that mimics vintage CRT radar screens with accompanying sound effects.

### Is Aviator free to use?

Yes, Aviator is a free application. It utilizes the free OpenSky API for its live aircraft data, and there are no in-app purchases or advertisements.

### Who is Aviator for?

This app is designed for anyone interested in tracking live planes, including aviation enthusiasts, hobbyists, and parents looking for an engaging way to entertain children by finding planes in the sky.

### How does the radar work?

The app uses the OpenSky API to access real-time flight data. This data is then displayed on an interactive radar interface, showing the location of aircraft around you on a map.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 3.0.0 — 2026-07-14

We've overhauled the UI so the controls live in a separate menu.

In addition, we've doubled the number of features, adding: 
- Zoom levels for the map 
- Origin country flag toggle
- Cloud cover mode to hide high-altitude aircraft
- Separate size class, helicopter, and satellite detection 
- OpenSky network login for your own account
- Tooltips explaining how to use the app

### 2.0.0 — 2024-01-22

We've overhauled the UI so the controls live in a separate menu.
In addition, we've doubled the number of features, adding: 
- Zoom levels for the map 
- Origin country flag toggle
- Cloud cover mode to hide high-altitude aircraft
- Separate size class, helicopter, and satellite detection 
- OpenSky network login for your own account

### 1.0.0 — 2023-10-14

No release notes.

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## More apps by Jacob Bartlett

- [Check 'em: The Based 2FA App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/check-em-the-based-2fa-app/id6477842236)
- [Core Image Toy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/core-image-toy/id6480135808)
- [Snap & Summon](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/snap-and-summon/id6746245832)

All apps by Jacob Bartlett: https://appshunter.io/developer/1266240131

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-10.*