Airport Retro Board
A retro Solari split-flap airport board for iPhone and iPad.
Support
Questions, bugs or feature ideas? Get in touch:
reiner@klohn.info
Frequently asked
- Do I need an account? No. The board runs on simulated flights right out of the box — nothing to set up.
- How do I get real flights? In Settings, turn on “Live flight data” and paste your own free AeroDataBox key from RapidAPI — step-by-step guide below. Your key stays on your device.
- Why landscape only? The split-flap board is designed for a wide display, like the real thing.
- No sound? The clatter respects the iPhone’s silent switch. Toggle the speaker icon, or check the mute switch.
Getting a free key for live flights
The board works fully without a key (simulated flights). For real departures and arrivals it uses
AeroDataBox, a flight-data service offered through the RapidAPI marketplace.
You bring your own free key — that way there is no account with us and no middleman. Takes about five minutes:
- Create a RapidAPI account. Go to rapidapi.com
and sign up (free; e-mail or Google/GitHub sign-in).
- Find AeroDataBox. Use the search bar at the top and search for
AeroDataBox, then open the API page.
- Subscribe to the free plan. Open the Pricing tab and choose
BASIC (free). It includes roughly 600 units per month with a hard limit —
so it simply stops rather than charging you. RapidAPI may ask for a payment card at sign-up;
the BASIC plan itself costs nothing.
- Copy your key. On the API page, open any endpoint and look at the request
parameters on the right: the value next to
X-RapidAPI-Key (a long string of letters
and digits) is your personal key. You can also find it under Apps → your app → Authorization.
- Paste it into the app. Open Airport Retro Board → gear icon →
turn on Live flight data → tap Paste next to the key field. The status dot
next to the clock turns green on the next update — you’re live.
How far does the free plan go? One board update costs 2 units. At the default
5-minute refresh, the free 600 units give you around 25 hours of live board time per month —
plenty for a desk display you switch on now and then. If you want more, AeroDataBox offers
paid tiers (from ~US$5/month) on the same Pricing tab; the app needs no change, the key stays the same.
Your key is stored only on your device and is sent exclusively to AeroDataBox to fetch flights.
If the dot turns red, check that the plan is subscribed and the key was pasted completely.
Privacy
The app collects no data. See the Privacy Policy.