A Note on Open-Source Projects
At MakerPlane, we know firsthand that most open-source aviation projects—including our own—are community-driven and volunteer-run. That means progress can sometimes be slow, resources limited, and development uneven. But it also means these projects are built with real passion, collaboration, and a shared goal of making aviation more accessible.
Revisiting the Projects
A few years ago, we put together a two-part article series highlighting a range of these projects. With that in mind, we thought it was time to check back in and see what kind of progress has been made since then.
This recap is based on the projects featured in our original “Highlighting Open Source Aviation Projects” series (Part 1). If you’re looking for more background or detail, we encourage you to check out the earlier article. In the meantime, here’s a quick look at where things stand today.
Projects:
FlyOnSpeed
Aim: FlyOnSpeed seeks to bolster aviation safety and precision through its innovative ONSPEED device. Venturing beyond traditional airspeed indicators, ONSPEED’s mission is to equip pilots with consistently accurate readings, unswayed by typical flight variables such as bank angles and aircraft weight.
Update: In early 2025, FlyOnSpeed began transitioning away from its now-unavailable Teensy 3.6 hardware to a new ESP32-based V4B system. This update has required a significant code rewrite and introduces a drop-in replacement board for RV-4 and RV-8 test aircraft, preserving compatibility with previous wiring and hardware. The new design also enables off-board sound processing and retains existing data integration features.
Flight testing of the new system is targeted for spring. The team remains
huVVer
Disclaimer: MakerPlane proudly distributes huVVer AVI and the huVVer TBX.
Aim: huVVer designs purpose-built avionics displays for experimental aircraft. The devices are designed to show key flight data such as airspeed, altitude, and attitude. While the hardware itself is proprietary, the instrument code is open-source and built on the popular Arduino platform—ensuring long-term support. The product line includes the huVVer AVI instrument and the huVVer TBX controller for configuring the uAvionix TailBeaconX.
Update: The huVVer-AVI lineup continues to improve with new features under active development. A touchscreen version is in progress for the huVVer TBX app, adding an alternative input method. Other recent updates include group dimming over the CAN bus for multi-display setups and voice annunciation support for functions like “IDENT” when tied into the intercom.
Note: At this time, the MakerPlane Store is out of stock of huVVer-AVI and TBX devices we hope to be restocking soon, so keep an eye out.
Stratux
Aim: Stratux aims to make flight data more accessible by giving builders the tools to create their own ADS-B receivers—offering an affordable alternative to traditional equipment. Stepping away from the constraints of expensive equipment, Stratux champions the DIY ethos by empowering enthusiasts to craft their own ADS-B receivers. This fusion of software and hardware is tailored to ensure real-time flight data is within everyone’s grasp, regardless of budget constraints.
Update: While the Stratux website itself hasn’t seen many updates recently, development of the project continues on GitHub, with regular commits. The b3nn0 branch on GitHub remained active through mid-2024, with key updates like improved OGN tracker support, COT target parsing, and onboard voice alert tools being added. The Europe Edition (v1.6r1-eu032), released in September 2024, introduced enhanced FLARM and OGN compatibility.
Recent changes include building the image for Raspberry Pi Bookworm, adding Pico‑TTS text-to-speech for future voice alerts, and making the AHRS sensor setup more robust. A notable improvement in 2024 was the addition of UDP output for COT (Cursor-on-Target) data, expanding interoperability.
Most of the ongoing activity—commits, discussions, and support—happens in GitHub, Reddit, and Discord, reinforcing the community-focused nature of the project.
Avare
Aim: Avare aims to be the go-to open-source aviation app for Android users. Beyond being just another GPS navigator, Avare envisions itself as a pilot’s digital co-pilot. It aims to integrate everything from nuanced hazard alerts to detailed charts and critical weather data, ensuring that pilots have a holistic tool at their fingertips. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and is completely free.
Update: Avare is still under active development — the latest release (v11.0.4) dropped in January 2025. It continues to provide comprehensive offline FAA charts, ADS‑B‑In traffic support via companion apps, and access to METAR/TAF, NOTAMs, and PIREPs—all without ads or subscriptions.
Recent builds released through F‑Droid, Uptodown, and Play Store show no major interface changes, indicating a focus on stability and reliability. The Apps4Av Google Groups forum remains active—recent June 2025 threads cover issues like weather downloads, radar display bugs, and ADS‑B connectivity, showing steady community involvement.
Experimental Avionics
Aim: Experimental Avionics is an online resource that is dedicated to Open Source avionics for experimental aviation. At its core, Experimental Avionics seeks to light up the path of exploration and innovation by advocating DIY avionics endeavors, with Arduino controllers as the chosen medium.
Update: Since our last look at Experimental Avionics, there haven’t been many updates to the projects, and their online store is down, displaying the message “The store is expected to be operational again mid-late December 2023.” Being well into 2025 now, a sign that things may be on hold.
Despite that, the website and GitHub still offer a solid collection of open-source avionics projects, including LCD-based instrumentation like an EFIS, AHRS, EMS, AoA, and even a Flight Data Recorder. While things have been fairly quiet, the site and GitHub remain a useful reference for experimental avionics builders.
MakerPlane
Aim: We’re an open-source aviation organization focused on developing open avionics and software that enable modern digital flight instruments—accessible to experimental builders everywhere.
Update: As a volunteer-run group, we understand firsthand the pace and challenges of open-source development. That’s why we wanted to shine a light on some of the other community-led projects out there and share what they’ve been up to. You might discover something new—or even feel inspired to dive in and explore a project yourself.
On our side, we’ve been steadily making improvements:
- Updating our website to fix outdated content and improve navigation
- Continuing development on our pyEFIS project, thanks to ongoing contributions from Eric (Ulbuilder), one of our core community developers
- Continuing to build out the store to help pay for hosting the site. Definitely not our main focus, but it helps pay the bills to keep the lights on.
Stay Connected: We’re working on launching a MakerPlane newsletter to share updates on our own projects, highlight other open-source efforts, and keep everyone in the loop. If that sounds interesting to you, you can subscribe now to be ready when the first issue goes out.
Get Involved: One thing we’d really like to improve is community engagement. We have a few spaces where the MakerPlane community can connect—like our forums and Facebook group—but we know they’re only useful if people are active.
If you’re working on a project, curious about how something works, or just exploring open-source aviation, we encourage you to jump in. You can:
- Share your builds or ideas
- Suggest features or improvements
- Report bugs or help troubleshoot
- Contribute to code, documentation, or UI
- Connect with other builders and developers
If another platform would work better—like Discord or Reddit—we’re open to setting one up. Just let us know what would make it easier to participate.
Your input—big or small—shapes the MakerPlane project and helps strengthen the wider open-source aviation community.
Whether you want to contribute code, post in the forums, or simply stay informed, we’d love to have you involved.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! If we missed a project—or if you’ve got updates from your own build—let us know. We’d love to include more voices in the next update.
Open-source aviation depends on shared knowledge and community input. Whether you’re a builder, developer, or enthusiast, there’s always a place to contribute.
We’ll continue to track these projects and share future updates. In the meantime, check them out, get involved, and help keep the open-source aviation community growing.