One of the advantages of building software for a community rather than a corporate market is that I can actually ask the people who use it what they want. No focus groups, no market research firms, no quarterly roadmap locked in by a board of directors. Just me, you, and a conversation.
So here's the conversation.
What We're Thinking About
AirTrack currently runs as a web application on your own hardware — a Raspberry Pi, a Linux box, or a Windows machine running Docker Desktop. You access it from a browser on whatever device you're using. It works well on a desktop or laptop. On a phone, it's usable but not optimised.
We're considering building a proper mobile-friendly version of the AirTrack interface — something that works well on both phones and tablets, designed for use in the field. Not a replacement for the desktop experience, but a companion to it. Log a sighting at the fence, look up a registration, check your history — all from your phone, connecting back to your home AirTrack instance.
Before we commit to that work, we'd like to know if it's actually what spotters want.
Some Questions We're Sitting With
When you're out spotting, what device do you have with you? Phone only, tablet, laptop? Do you log sightings in the field or when you get back home? If you log in the field, what do you use right now — a notes app, a paper notebook, FlightRadar24, something else?
If AirTrack had a proper mobile interface, would you use it? Would you want it to be read-only like AirTrack Mobile currently is, or would you want to be able to add and edit sightings from your phone?
And more broadly — what's the one thing missing from AirTrack that would make the biggest difference to your spotting? Better reporting? Map integration? Something else entirely?
How to Reach Us
Drop us a line through the contact page. There's no form to fill in, no account to create — just a message. We read everything and we reply.
If you're on Reddit, you'll also find us in the usual aviation spotting communities. We're genuinely interested in what you think, not just in telling you what we're building.
AirTrack exists because I built the tool I wanted and couldn't find. The next version of it should be shaped by the people who use it every day. That's you.