OK , I admit it, I am a total aviation fanatic. I am an active member of the Experimental Aircraft Association. These are the same folks that host the world’s largest airshow every year in Oshkosh, WI.
One of the many great EAA programs is their Young Eagle’s program. The program provides free airplane rides to kids (ages 11-17) to get them interested in aviation. I am a Young Eagles coordinator in EAA Chapter 92.
I thought it would be really cool if the parents of a young eagle could follow their youngsters flight progress from the ground. As you probably know, aircraft in the US are required to broadcast their location data using an ADS-B transmitter.
I designed and created a portable ADS-B kiosk with a touch-screen monitor. This allows parents to interact with a real-time flight tracker that provides a map of all the aircraft overhead for a distance of up to 250 miles.
The system is self-contained, and can be setup anywhere. All of the system components except for the monitor and antenna are stored in a cheap plastic ammo box.
Due to the high interest in this project, I have created a datasheet that describes the components. I am in the process of writing a “How-To” document that walks through all the steps of building one.
Stay tuned!
73,
N1SPW