You, too, can turn your old NES into a flight tracker that receives internet data in real time

Credit: Levi's Digital Voyage Published Sep 6, 2026, 12:14 AM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary This project turns an NES into a live flight radar—type in the ICAO and watch nearby aircraft move on your TV. Requires a PC server and a 5V FTDI USB serial cable to stream live flight data to the NES. Full build guide on GitHub; works worldwide—track any airport's ICAO and watch approaches. If you've got an NES collecting dust and you're looking for a way to track flights on your TV screen, then boy, do I have the project for you. Someone has figured out a way to track flights using a Nintendo Entertainment System, and yes, it requires data from the internet to function. Fortunately, the person who made this tracker found a pretty ingenious way to get data from the World Wide Web onto the NES, meaning it can track flights in real time. NES Radar turns your classic console into a flight tracker It needs a little help to get online data, though As spotted by Hackster.io, the NES Radar is a very creative way to give your old console a new lease on life. All you need to do is enter what flight you want to track, and your NES will show you all the details in real time. Here's how its creator describes it: NES Radar turns a real Nintendo Entertainment System into a live air traffic scope. Type any airport's four-letter ICAO code on the NES controller, press Start, and the aircraft actually flying near that airport right now appear as moving targets on your TV. It works for airports worldwide. Point it at your local field and watch the approach traffic line up, or at KLAX and watch it get busy. So, how does an NES connect to the internet to get the flight data? Well, the NES piggybacks off your computer, which is running a small server. When the flight details come in, your computer sends data down the controller via a 5 V FTDI USB serial cable. There's a lot of cool technical details that went into making this flight-tracking NES come to life, so if you want to read all the details (and perhaps even make your own, head over to the NES Radar GitHub repository for the full guide.