Out Of Sight help #
Out Of Sight is a situational-awareness tool that shows tracked public-safety aircraft using public ADS-B observations.
Choose a state #
Use the state selector on the Map or Alerts screen. The selected state controls which aircraft appear and which takeoff notifications the device receives. There are no sub-state notification groups.
Map and flight paths #
The Map refreshes aircraft data every 30 seconds. A line connects each retained coordinate for the active flight. When landing is confirmed, the flight and its coordinates are cleared from the active view.
Aircraft catalog #
The Aircraft page lists every tracked aircraft by home state, including its tail, operator, model, and estimated endurance. Open an aircraft profile for its role, base, current status, latest track, and retained flight details.
Notifications #
Enable alerts in Settings → Alerts. The subscription follows the state selected on that screen. When a tracked aircraft in that state has a confirmed takeoff, the notification worker queues one delivery for the device.
In the iPhone app, enable notifications from that screen and accept the iPhone permission prompt. If permission was denied, open iPhone Settings → Notifications → Out Of Sight, allow notifications, then return to the app and try again.
If you use the website in Safari instead, Web Push requires installing the site to the Home Screen and opening it from there before granting permission.
Ride Mode and location #
Location places you on the map and supplies distances and speed in Ride Mode. If you decline location access, your position and location-based distances are unavailable. You can still browse aircraft information and choose a state.
Use Settings → Ride mode & display to change distance bands or turn “Keep the screen awake” on or off. Wake mode applies while Ride Mode is open. Use Show speedometer in these settings to show or hide your MPH speedometer in Ride Mode. End Ride restores normal screen sleep. Screen-wake support varies by browser and device.
Live tracking on iPhone #
On Home, tap the small Live button in the top-left corner to show the nearest tracked airborne aircraft, distance in nautical miles, and ride state on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on supported iPhones. It uses your selected state's aircraft and the Stop, Warning, Watch, and Clear distance settings from Ride Mode.
Location access continues during this session while you use other apps or lock the phone. Distances are calculated on your device; aircraft-data requests do not include your coordinates. Tap Live again on Home to stop the session. Live tracking continues when you leave or end Ride Mode. Tap the Live Activity to reopen Home.
Live tracking requires iOS 16.2 or later, location permission, and Live Activities enabled for OOS in iPhone Settings. The Live Activity appears after the first known aircraft state. Its color follows your distance settings: green for Clear, blue for Watch, amber for Warning, and red for Stop. If updates pause, it keeps the last available state, aircraft, and distance; the Updated time shows when that result was recorded. Connectivity, location availability, and iOS background limits affect updates. Force-quitting OOS stops updating; reopen it to start a new session. Apple ends a Live Activity after at most eight hours. This feature is separate from takeoff notifications.
Flight time and fuel #
Out Of Sight creates an active flight session after two consistent airborne observations. A precise takeoff time and endurance countdown are shown only when a recent grounded observation provides a reliable transition boundary. If tracking begins while the aircraft is already airborne, the takeoff time and countdown remain unavailable. After two grounded observations confirm landing, the active-flight track is cleared and the session is finalized.
The displayed endurance is a catalog upper bound minus exact elapsed flight time. It assumes the published maximum-duration profile; it is not remaining fuel, fuel quantity, reserve planning, or telemetry from the aircraft.
Privacy and limitations #
The server stores aircraft observations, catalog data, state-level push subscriptions, and notification delivery history. It does not store a rider's continuous live location. Location used for map positioning and Ride Mode is processed on the device. Map providers receive requests for the area you view. If no state has been selected, the map sends one location fix through our server to the U.S. Census geocoder to identify the state. Read Legal & privacy for details about alerts, provider requests, retention, and deletion.
ADS-B reception can be delayed, incomplete, blocked, or absent. Do not use the site for navigation, collision avoidance, emergency response, or evading law enforcement.
Contact support #
For help, bug reports, or feature requests, email localbusinessforms@outlook.com. Include your device model, app version if available, and the steps that led to the issue. For privacy or deletion requests, use the same address and see Legal & privacy.