Ever stared up at the sky and noticed a plane passing by, wanting to know what type it is and where it is going? Or maybe you’ve wanted to track the flight of a family member or friend? Well, good news for you! If you’re a new or longtime aviation enthusiast, the app Flightradar24 is essential to tracking flights of all sorts, and maybe even spotting rare aircraft.

First, you can easily download it from either the Apple App Store or Google Play store. As described by the Apple App Store, Flightradar24 lets you “Watch aircraft move around the world in real-time,” see “flight details such as route, estimated arrival, actual time of departure, aircraft type, speed, altitude…” and even learn about some “historical data”!

Once installed and opened you’ll be met with a bird’s-eye view map (which in the settings can be changed to a detailed satellite view), and from a phone perspective, with various settings both on top and bottom of the screen.

Something I especially enjoy about this app is the “AR Feature” on the top left of the screen, which opens a camera on the app and allows the user to point their phone up at the sky and identify aircraft from a small window that pops up and follows the plane as it flies.

On Nov.  21, I went on a school-sponsored field trip to my local airport and was able to learn about various careers in aviation. During a presentation with several speakers, one individual had asked us to raise our hands high if we enjoyed using any type of flight tracker/radar app. To my surprise, only I and about four other people had raised our hands. This further grew my desire to write an article about this app because I wanted to share the opportunity that is just a download away.

So, whether you’re thinking about pursuing a career in aviation or just wanting to learn for fun, there is so much information to dive into and you need to experience it! And who knows, maybe something inside you will click and you’ll realize you’ve caught “the bug.”