FlightsAboveMe is a read-only overhead flight display. It combines public ADS‑B / transponder broadcasts with aviation data networks to estimate nearby aircraft position and basic flight details.

Primary live data

• OpenSky Network — primary live “state vectors” (position, altitude, velocity, callsign when available)
• adsb.lol — fallback live aircraft state data if the primary feed is unavailable or incomplete

Enrichment (aircraft & route details)

When available, FlightsAboveMe may enrich the closest flight with aircraft/operator details using third-party aviation APIs. Enrichment is non-blocking: the main flight display renders first, then enrichment appears when it succeeds.

How “closest flight” is chosen

FlightsAboveMe calculates distance from your location (or the demo location) to nearby aircraft and selects the nearest one. To reduce flicker and incorrect matches, enrichment is gated behind stability checks (for example, requiring the same candidate across multiple update cycles) and distance limits.

Why flights can be missing

• Not all aircraft broadcast full position data, and not all messages are received or decoded
• Coverage varies by region, terrain, receiver density, and aircraft altitude
• Some identifiers (callsign/operator) may be missing, delayed, or incorrect
• Network latency can cause near-real-time delays

Caching & performance

To stay fast (especially on cellular), FlightsAboveMe uses caching for aircraft details. If enrichment is rate-limited, the app backs off and continues showing the live track without blocking.

Trademarks & logos

Airline names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. FlightsAboveMe is not affiliated with any airline. See Logos & Attribution.

Notice: Flight data is provided for informational purposes only and may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate. Not for operational or navigation use.