The Planes.FYI Blog
Field notes from 40,000 feet.
Guides, explainers, and deep dives for people who look up when they hear a jet overhead. Written by pilots and aviation nerds who also happen to build flight trackers.
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Guides
The Best Projector Setup for a Live Plane Ceiling Display
A practical guide to choosing and positioning a projector for an ambient, live airplane ceiling display — from $60 mini units to home-theater rigs.
May 28, 2026
Guides
What Plane Is Flying Over Me? How to Identify Aircraft Overhead
A jet just passed over your house — what was it? Here is the fastest way to identify the plane flying over you right now, plus how to read the sky without an app.
May 22, 2026
Guides
The Best Airplane Apple TV Apps in 2026 (Live Flight Tracking on the Big Screen)
A ranked roundup of the best aviation apps for Apple TV in 2026 — live flight tracking, 3D radar, and plane spotting on the big screen.
Apr 18, 2026
Explainers
What Is ADS-B? A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Flight Tracking
How ADS-B powers the live flight data you see in Planes.FYI, Flightradar24, and every modern flight tracker — explained without the jargon.
Apr 15, 2026
Guides
How to Start Plane Spotting: A Beginner’s Guide
A friendly introduction to plane spotting — how to start, what to bring, where to go, and how to make sense of what you see overhead.
Apr 12, 2026
Explainers
Squawk Codes Explained: 7500, 7600, 7700 and What They Really Mean
What squawk codes actually are, how air traffic control uses them, and the three codes that make every controller sit up straight.
Apr 8, 2026
Explainers
Why Do Planes Leave Contrails? The Science, Explained
A clear, non-conspiratorial guide to what contrails actually are, why some planes leave them and others do not, and what it all means.
Apr 5, 2026
Travel
The World’s Best Airports for Plane Spotting
The airports every aviation enthusiast should visit at least once — from iconic beaches to mountain runways.
Apr 1, 2026
Updates
We Launched Planes.FYI on Apple TV — And the Internet Noticed
How a small Apple TV flight tracker hit the front page of r/appletv, crashed half our servers, and taught us what people actually want from aviation apps on the big screen.
Mar 18, 2026
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Planes.FYI is a free 3D flight tracker for web, iOS, Android, and Apple TV.