Virtual Flights Map

Real-time virtual flight tracker aggregating VATSIM, IVAO, POSCON, and SayIntentions.AI/Skynet networks on a single interactive map. A self-contained HTML/CSS/JS application (no build tools, no framework) deployed on Cloudflare Pages.

Live at maps.pushstartsims.com

Features

Multi-Network Tracking

• Live aircraft tracking across VATSIM, IVAO, POSCON, and SayIntentions.AI/Skynet with unified data normalization
• Network badge indicators on non-VATSIM aircraft (IVAO amber, POSCON indigo, Skynet emerald green)
• Batch data endpoint for parallel multi-network fetching (VATSIM/IVAO/POSCON)
• Direct API integration with SayIntentions.AI tracker for Skynet multiplayer pilot positions
• CORS proxy worker on Cloudflare for APIs lacking browser CORS headers, with automatic fallback
• Network health monitoring with color-coded status (green for connected, red for failed) and dismissable alert banner when any network is unreachable

Aircraft Display

• Seven aircraft categories with distinct color coding: Heavy, Airliner, Biz Jet, Turboprop, GA, Helicopter, Military
• SVG aircraft icons that rotate with heading and scale with altitude/state
• Emergency squawk detection (7500/7600/7700) with red ring highlight
• Parked/ground aircraft rendered in gray; selected aircraft highlighted in yellow
• Fade effect on non-selected aircraft when one is selected
• Aircraft type filter dropdown to isolate a single category

ATC Coverage

• ATC coverage zones rendered as polygons (FSS/DEL/GND/TWR/APP/CTR)
• FIR/UIR boundary layer from VATSpy boundary data
• ATIS text display in the ATC info drawer tab

ATIS Voice (Text-to-Speech)

• SpeechSynthesis API integration for reading ATIS text aloud
• Regional voice selection based on ATC callsign/location
• Standalone toggle button and per-station voice button inside the ATC drawer
• Visual speaking indicator with orange glow

Flight Routes and Navaids

• Great-circle flight route rendering with arc segments for long-haul routes (>1200km)
• Prefiled flight plan display at departure airports
• Embedded AIRAC navaid database: VOR, NDB, VORDME worldwide
• Hundreds of embedded fixes/waypoints (NAT, European, US domestic, Middle East, Asian)
• Airways overlay: NAT tracks, European upper airways, US jet routes, Q routes, international routes
• Dynamic navaid lookup via OpenNav API with FlightPlanDatabase fallback
• CSV waypoint import from GitHub (Global Aviation Waypoints)

Weather

• RainViewer precipitation radar tiles on a 5-minute refresh cycle
• METAR airport markers color-coded by flight category: VFR (green), MVFR (blue), IFR (red), LIFR (magenta)
• SIGMET polygons from NOAA Aviation Weather with alert pulse animation

Search and Filtering

• Live search by callsign, ICAO code, departure, or arrival (limited to 8 results)
• Aircraft type filter dropdown
• Network filter indicators

UI and Map

• Leaflet.js (v1.9.4) interactive map with CartoDB basemap tiles (dark and light variants)
• Nine layer toggle buttons: ATC, Routes, Prefiles, Speed Vectors, FIR Boundaries, SIGMETs, Navaids, Airways, Weather
• Flight info drawer (bottom panel) with tabbed interface for pilot and ATC details
• Side panel with scrollable pilot and controller lists
• Header with live stats (pilot count, ATC count, live indicator)
• Footer with last-update timestamp, per-network health indicators, data source links, and cursor coordinates
• Legend panel showing aircraft category key with color-coded icons
• Welcome/onboarding overlay on first visit
• Loading screen with glow animation and fade-out on first data load
• Speed vector lines showing 4-minute projected positions

Theme System

• Day/night auto-detection based on time of day (6:30 AM to 6:30 PM)
• Manual theme toggle with localStorage persistence
• Flash-prevention via inline script applied before CSS paints
• CSS custom properties throughout for consistent theming

Performance and Reliability

• Resilient fetch engine (pfetch) with automatic retry, circuit breaker pattern, and request deduplication
• Adaptive polling: 30s active, 60s idle (>2 min no interaction), paused when tab hidden
• Smooth 60fps position interpolation between 30-second data polls for in-flight aircraft
• Debounced localStorage writes for navaid cache
• Responsive layout with mobile breakpoints at 799px, 640px, 479px, 380px

Airport Data

• OurAirports CSV import (~70,000+ airports worldwide)
• VATSIM airport API for search
• Airport activity layer on the map

Data Sources

• VATSIM Data API (primary, direct fetch)
• IVAO Whazzup v2 (via batch proxy)
• POSCON Online (via batch proxy)
• SayIntentions.AI Tracker (direct fetch, Skynet multiplayer pilots)
• VATSpy Boundaries (FIR/UIR GeoJSON)
• NOAA Aviation Weather (METAR, SIGMET)
• RainViewer (precipitation radar tiles)
• OpenNav / FlightPlanDatabase (navaid lookup)
• OurAirports (global airport database)
• CartoDB Basemaps (dark and light map tiles)

Tech Stack

• HTML5 / CSS3 / Vanilla JavaScript (single-file, ~4930 lines)
• Leaflet.js for mapping
• Google Fonts: Inter (UI), SF Mono (monospace/data)
• Cloudflare Pages deployment with Cloudflare Workers CORS proxy
• Wix iframe compatibility for embedded deployment

Companion Tool

PSS Tools Updater (pss_tools_updater.py): Adaptive CDN and API endpoint checker using a 3-tier escalating fetch strategy (stealth HTTP, cloudscraper, Playwright). Validates CDN library versions, API endpoint health, and feature presence in the HTML.

License

Proprietary - Pushstart LLC

Author

Pawan K Jajoo, Pushstart LLC