IFT-01 Development Update: From Prototype to Production Platform

IFT-01 has made substantial progress since our first Orange Pi engineering prototype. The essential receiver system is working, real aircraft and GPS data have been demonstrated in compatible electronic flight bags, and development is now moving toward purpose-built production hardware.

What IFT-01 is designed to do

IFT-01 is a focused, portable dual-band ADS-B In receiver built around the functions pilots regularly use:

• 978 UAT traffic

• 1090 ES traffic

• Available FIS-B weather

• Built-in GPS

• GDL 90 delivery over Wi-Fi

• Compatibility with existing EFB applications

• Simple external USB-C power

There is no internal battery, AHRS, proprietary application or receiver subscription. The goal remains simple: plug it in, connect your tablet or phone, open your EFB and fly.

Real traffic and GPS validation

IFT-01 has operated with both receiver bands and the GNSS receiver working simultaneously.

During physical testing, it demonstrated:

• Real 978 UAT aircraft reception

• Real 1090 ES aircraft reception

• Continuous moving GPS operation

• Ownship position delivered to an EFB

• Live aircraft displayed in Avare and iFly

• Two EFB devices operating from one receiver simultaneously

• GDL 90 traffic and GPS delivery over the IFT-01 Wi-Fi network

Five aircraft observed by IFT-01 were independently compared with a separate flight-tracking source. All five ICAO/Mode-S identities matched, including aircraft received over both 978 UAT and 1090 ES.

Aircraft without usable position information were retained without inventing a distance or bearing.

Moving to the CM0 platform

The first engineering prototypes used an Orange Pi Zero 3. That platform helped validate the complete receiver architecture, but thermal testing showed that it was not the best foundation for the production design.

Development subsequently moved to a Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero evaluation platform. The CM0 has demonstrated substantially better thermal behavior under the IFT-01 workload while retaining enough processing and memory capacity for both receivers, GPS, Wi-Fi, GDL 90 and the customer interface.

The CM0 evaluation assembly has now demonstrated:

• Simultaneous 978, 1090 and GNSS operation

• Stable receiver assignment

• Standalone Wi-Fi operation

• Automatic boot and recovery

• Read-only system operation

• No customer login or shutdown procedure

• Successful operation during demanding outdoor thermal testing

The production direction is a custom IFT-01 carrier board built around the CM0, an internal USB hub, two proven SDR receiver modules and a USB GNSS receiver. Carrier-board design and final production-hardware qualification remain ahead.

100 abrupt-power cycles completed

IFT-01 is intended to operate as an appliance. Pilots should not need Linux knowledge, a terminal, a shutdown command or a special power button.

To test that behavior, the CM0 evaluation assembly was subjected to 100 externally switched abrupt-power cycles.

The result was:

• 100 accepted power interruptions

• 100 successful automatic recoveries

• 100 unique boot sessions

• No customer intervention required

• Receiver services restored automatically

• Wi-Fi restored automatically

• Both SDRs and GNSS recovered

• No throttling or undervoltage flags recorded

• Final offline filesystem inspection passed

This does not replace qualification of the final production carrier and storage configuration, but it is an important validation of the IFT-01 software and power-loss architecture.

A new IFT-01 traffic display

The local IFT-01 interface now includes a lightweight offline traffic radar.

Pilots can switch between radar and detailed traffic-list views. The radar provides selectable 2, 5, 10, 20 and 40 nautical-mile ranges and displays live aircraft relative to the receiver’s GPS position.

The interface requires no Internet service, map download or subscription. Targets without valid position information remain available in the traffic list without displaying a false range or bearing.

This display is supplemental and is not intended to replace a full aviation navigation application. IFT-01 continues to send its data to compatible EFBs through GDL 90.

FIS-B weather status

IFT-01 has received an actual FIS-B ground station during mobile testing, establishing that the basic 978 MHz FIS-B reception path works.

Formal validation of standard weather products—including METARs, TAFs, NEXRAD, NOTAMs, PIREPs and SIGMETs—is still pending suitable reception conditions. We will not claim complete FIS-B weather validation until those products have been physically received and documented.

What remains

IFT-01 is still in development and is not yet available to order.

The next major steps include:

• Completing the Rev A carrier-board design

• Building production-intent carrier prototypes

• Integrating the final antennas and enclosure

• Qualifying production power and thermal performance

• Repeating core receiver and power testing on production-intent hardware

• Expanding EFB and FIS-B validation

• Completing manufacturing, regulatory and final quality-control work

Testing comes before promises. We will continue publishing results as IFT-01 moves from a working engineering receiver toward a dependable, affordable product for pilots.

To receive testing and launch updates, join the development list at inflighttraffic.com.

IFT-01 is supplemental situational-awareness equipment only. It is not FAA-certified or FAA-approved avionics, ADS-B Out, collision avoidance, or a primary navigation, traffic or weather source.