SkyWatch renders nearby aircraft directly in your field of view — real-time, color-coded, and always oriented to your position. Supplemental situational awareness, reimagined in mixed reality.
SkyWatch is a portable supplemental traffic-awareness display for general aviation pilots. Running on Meta Quest 3, it overlays nearby aircraft as 3D markers in your real-world field of view — positioned correctly by bearing, distance, and altitude relative to your aircraft.
No panel modification. No installation. Strap on the headset, and your airspace comes alive around you.
Built for the realities of a GA cockpit — quick to put on, easy to read, and designed around the way pilots actually scan for traffic.
Aircraft markers are positioned in true 3D space relative to your ownship — correct bearing, range, and vertical separation rendered directly in mixed reality. Look toward traffic to see it.
Green, amber, and red markers instantly communicate threat level — configurable thresholds based on range, altitude separation, convergence rate, and data freshness.
Each aircraft shows callsign, altitude, relative altitude, distance, ground speed, heading, and route info. Point your controller to expand the full 6-line detail panel.
Use Quest controllers to fly freely through a compressed 3D replica of your airspace. Climb above the traffic layer, orbit targets, and understand the full picture spatially.
A real-time 3D terrain and satellite imagery layer — powered by Cesium — keeps you oriented geographically while traffic markers float at their correct altitudes above the terrain.
A persistent heading readout keeps you oriented at all times. The 20 nm visibility ring gives you an instant sense of your traffic radius in the mixed-reality scene.
"LHR LONDON → JFK NEW YORK" — SkyWatch queries route data for identified aircraft, so you immediately know where traffic is going and why it's crossing your path.
A dual-layer glowing laser pointer extends from your right controller. Aim at any aircraft marker to lock on — the full 6-line detail panel opens in place, floating next to the target, showing callsign, altitude, vertical rate, route, squawk, and ICAO hex. Point away to dismiss.
No configuration hassle. SkyWatch is designed to be ready when you are.
SkyWatch runs in passthrough mode — you see the real cockpit and sky around you, with traffic overlaid on top. No visual isolation.
SkyWatch queries the OpenSky Network (or your preferred data source) over WiFi for live ADS-B traffic data within a 20 nautical mile radius.
Nearby aircraft are rendered as 3D markers at their correct bearing and relative altitude. Each target updates every 15 seconds — color-coded by threat level.
Aim your controller at any marker to see the full detail panel — callsign, altitude, vertical rate, speed, route, and more. Everything you need to build your mental model.
SkyWatch is built on an open provider architecture — swap in live data, hardware receivers, or run offline for testing.
Open-access ADS-B network with global coverage. Anonymous access included. Optional credentials for higher rate limits.
Connect to a Stratux ADS-B receiver over WiFi for cockpit-sourced traffic data — independent of internet connectivity.
Stream your GPS position from a companion app or bridge utility over WiFi — accurate ownship for correct marker placement.
Eight carefully designed traffic scenarios available offline — great for familiarization, demos, and pre-flight review.
Each traffic marker shows a rich set of information — without cluttering the view. Point your controller to see the full panel.
SkyWatch is a non-certified, supplemental advisory tool. It is not a substitute for see-and-avoid vigilance, ATC traffic advisories, certified traffic alerting systems (TCAS, TAS, ADS-B In), or any required installed equipment. It does not meet certification standards under FAA, EASA, or any equivalent authority.
SkyWatch provides supplemental situational awareness only. The pilot in command retains full responsibility for traffic separation and safe flight operations at all times. Do not rely on SkyWatch for collision avoidance.
SkyWatch is in active development. Join the waitlist to get early access, provide feedback, and help shape a product built by pilots, for pilots.