Flight Tracker
2025
Summer
A custom-built LED board that tracks live flights arriving into San Diego. Designed as a permanent display, it brings real-time aviation data into the room in a simple, physical format.
The Idea
The project began with the view outside my window. Planes descend into San Diego every day, and I wanted a way to track them in real time without relying on a phone or laptop. Watching them overhead sparked the idea for a display that could bring that live data into my home.
The goal was to design a physical object that presents flight information in a simple and dedicated format. An LED panel became the platform for turning incoming flights into something immediately visible.
The Creation
The system is built around a Raspberry Pi connected to a 32 by 64 LED matrix and an Adafruit bonnet. Getting the display to run smoothly meant adjusting the refresh rate, managing power draw, and refining the way text appeared on the grid.
The process moved step by step from a loose prototype to a reliable build. Each decision, from wiring to mounting, shaped the piece into something stable enough to run on its own.
The Tools
The hardware brought together a Raspberry Pi, an Adafruit bonnet, and a high current power supply, all fitted inside a custom enclosure. The layout kept the wiring clean and made the board easy to mount and run reliably.
Fusion360 was used to model the case, which was then fabricated to in house to contain all the components. Basic Python scripts handled the link to flight and weather data, completing the system as a self contained display.
The Final Product
The finished board operates as a live arrivals tracker for San Diego. It updates automatically with callsigns, aircraft, and departure cities, and shows local weather when the airspace is quiet.
This board is more than another glowing screen. It is an object in the space, built to run continuously and blend into the environment. The information becomes part of the room rather than something hidden behind a device.