airplane finder is a shining example of what happens when a small team grows with a platform.
Launched in 2009, airplane finder it did not grow over the years by adding staff, suppliers or complexity. Instead, founders Jodie and Lee Armstrong made a long-term bet on Apple’s ecosystem: stay native, stick to proprietary tools, and read platform signals ahead of time. And over time, an app that started as “planes on a map” evolved into a complete end-to-end flight tracking business (including a global network of physical hardware) built and operated by a team of just eight people.
We spoke to the married founders about their beginnings, the new design and Liquid Glass, and the challenges of managing a global flight tracking network.
airplane finder
- Available in: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
- Team size: 8
- Based in: United Kingdom
Download Plane Finder from the App Store >
Let’s go back to the year 2009. What triggered the idea of airplane finderAnd what were those first days like?
Leeward: We’ve been on the App Store for about a year after it opened. It feels like a lifetime. But the real spark was seeing the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. We were actually in the United States when it came out, so we bought one, not really knowing what we would do with it. There was no App Store yet and you couldn’t even use it as a phone in the UK. It was literally just holding and sliding back and forth. But that moment became a very important part of our trip. We still have that iPhone on display.
In those early days, did you aspire to become an end-to-end flight tracking platform?
jodie: You are welcome. We start just with the application. Today, we collect our own position information directly from aircraft, put it into apps, and sell our data commercially.
You are a small team of eight people. How is that?
Leeward: I don’t think we could have done it without Apple technologies. We are a small team and would not have the platform or methods to market on a global scale without the App Store: credit cards, StoreKit, localization. We really value the App Store as a platform.
airplane finder is known for adopting Apple technologies and features, such as ARKit, MapKit, and Liquid Glass, from the beginning. What tools have made the biggest difference?
Leeward: It all goes back to MapKit. We flippantly say the app is “planes on a map,” and MapKit is central to that. We are also big users of Metal for our 3D globe view. And we simply couldn’t manage subscriptions and monetization with promotional offers without StoreKit 2. We don’t use third parties or cross-platform frameworks. We all agree with Apple technologies because they provide everything we need.
What made you willing to be an early adopter?
jodie: I lead the company from the mindset of a quote I heard years ago: “When new technologies appear, you can be part of the steamroller or part of the road.” We always want to be part of the steamroller. We quickly evaluate new technologies and if we can leverage them in a way that makes sense for our products, we do so.
Can you talk about the process of adopting Liquid Glass?
jodie: We agreed on the concept immediately. From a leadership perspective, we said, “This is the future. We have to make sense of what we do.” The design and engineering teams worked incredibly hard to bring those two things together: staying current and leaning into technology while making sense of our world.
What does the developer community mean to you?
Leeward: It is the reinforcement piece. When you work in silos, the community gives you confidence that you are applying the technologies correctly. It’s great to see WWDC sessions with slides and sample code, but that’s very specific. Seeing how it works in the real world is invaluable.
jodie: Everyone I talk to within Apple has passion and opinions about our app. They are very committed and every comment is valuable. Over the years we’ve been asked questions like “Why are you doing this with your toolbar?” All that conversation is useful.
airplane finder It is not just an application. It has deployed thousands of flight tracking devices around the world. How has the Apple ecosystem enabled this?
jodie: There is a symbiotic relationship between people who enjoy the app and want to get involved by hosting receivers where we need coverage.
Leeward: When we started we had one receiver covering the south of the UK. People would download the app and say, “This is great, but I live in Scotland and I can’t see any planes.” Then we would send them a receiver. Before long, we heard that in Sweden, the United States, Africa and Asia.
jodie: Today we use the app to find people in places where we want to improve coverage. We are harnessing the power of the audience to grow the network even further.
What’s next?
jodie: We are not done with our journey with Liquid Glass. We are working on an internal project codenamed “Plane Finder Double Glazed,” the next iteration with broader UI changes that we initially delayed. We are also looking at how we can leverage machine learning and core models.
What don’t people know about running a global flight tracking network?
Leeward: We own and operate the network of receivers that feed it. Many people think that we buy that data like other companies do.
jodie: We have designed and manufactured receivers and antennas. There’s more to us than just being an app!
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