The VATSIM network monitoring space has been well-served for years. Tools like VATSIM Radar and VATSpy have built loyal followings, and for good reason. So when something new shows up claiming to offer a fresh take, the natural first reaction from the community is a fair one: “Why?” That was literally one of the first responses on Reddit when simradar21 launched earlier this month. But the follow-up has been largely positive, with the community praising both the design and the features on offer.
Simradar21 is a new VATSIM network monitoring tool built by Sebastian Krüll, a self-described non-professional programmer who started the project as a side hobby toward the end of last year. Everything was self-taught, built step by step out of curiosity and a love for aviation and technology. It officially entered public beta earlier this month and has picked up a wave of positive reactions in just a few days.
It’s free, open-source, and it looks really good!
What it does that others don’t
simradar21 isn’t trying to replace the tools people already use, and Sebastian says as much himself on the project’s website. The goal was never to reinvent the wheel. But there are a handful of things here that the established options don’t currently offer, and those are the bits worth paying attention to.
The Navigraph integration goes a step beyond what you’d typically find in tools of this kind. You can view planned routes and blocked gates, but simradar21 also lets you edit your own SID and STAR procedures during an active flight. What’s different here is that those changes sync to the cloud and become visible to other users on the map, even when ATC is offline. For situational awareness on lightly staffed portions of the network, that’s a useful addition.
The real-world fleet matching is another feature that stands out. When a pilot files a Simbrief flight plan with a valid aircraft registration, simradar21 cross-references an open-source fleet database and matches it to the real-world aircraft. So instead of just seeing a filed type code, you see the actual aircraft data in the pilot panel. You can also search for flights by registration rather than just callsign, which opens up some interesting possibilities for planespotters on the network.
Flight replays are stored for up to seven days, with extended periods planned in future updates. And the multi-view mode, which lets you switch between single and split view with one click, has been well received for keeping an eye on multiple areas at once.
The latest update, which dropped just before publication, also added VATGlasses integration and planespotters.net support, two additions that are likely to resonate with regular VATSIM users.
What’s coming next
The roadmap through the end of April already looks busy. Still to come are Navigraph airport layouts with taxiway and runway detail, pending approval from Navigraph, a notification and user score system, a friends and favourites tracking feature, and community-voted additions. Fast position refresh is also on the list, contingent on VATSIM granting server access.
Worth bookmarking
If you’re a regular on the VATSIM network, simradar21 is definitely worth a look. It’s still in beta, and some features are still pending third-party approvals. But for a free, open-source project built by one person in their spare time, it’s already doing a few things the established tools don’t, and it’s moving at a solid pace with a very polished interface and good user experience.
You can try it at simradar21.com and explore the source code on GitHub.
