METARmotion
Live Aviation Weather Map & Display for iPadOS
Live Aviation Weather Map & Display for iPadOS
The DIY Raspberry Pi METARmap, reimagined for iPadOS
No frame. No drill. No soldering required.
METAR aviation weather observations from the NOAA/NWS Aviation Weather Center are fetched and displayed as color-coded LED indicators at active reporting stations across the US, with additional nearby reporting stations where available.
Inspired by the classic wall-mounted paper sectional chart displays embellished with RGB-LEDs marking airports with active METAR reporting stations across the country, METARmotion delivers the same intuitive aviation weather awareness in a fully interactive digital format.
Designed Around the Display
Every station indicator has been carefully rendered to preserve the visual language that makes physical METAR maps immediately recognizable — simulating a saturated RGB-LED core that gives way to a controlled luminous falloff, holding its presence against a darkened map the way a real LED board does, creating a display understood instinctively at-a-glance rather than studied.
Background Dimming gives the user the ability to optimize the display in any environment, allowing the station indicators to become the primary focus.
Choose from 13 US regional views spanning CONUS, Alaska, and Hawaii. Regions follow FAA sectional chart grouping, using dynamic Apple Maps overlays.
Switch regions instantly — the map recenters and refetches data automatically.
Follow Location
Centers the map on your current GPS position with a single tap, making it easy to monitor weather conditions wherever you are.
Cellular iPad with GPS hardware recommended. Initial position fixes may take up to 30 seconds outdoors, while Assisted GPS (A-GPS) over Wi-Fi can significantly reduce acquisition time.
Auto Follow
Select another region without losing your place. With Auto Follow on, changing regions temporarily steps aside from Follow Location, then restores it automatically after the switch.
Ideal for quick regional check-ins — keeps you anchored to your own location, letting the map return to tracking your position on its own.
Follow Zoom
Available whenever Follow Location is enabled, Follow Zoom sets the map scale from a tight 0.1° out to a wide 10.0° in fine 0.1° increments — zoom in for a close local view, or pull back for a broader regional perspective.
Optional aeronautical overlay displaying airspace boundaries (Class B/C/D/E), restricted areas, Military Operations Areas, and airport symbols.
Requires a free API key from openaip.net. Toggle on or off at any time.
Background Dim
Variable background dim control darkens the map contrast, allowing realistic simulated RGB-LED indicators to increase "focus" against the underlying chart.
A visual UI effect patterned after static physical LED maps in areas with reduced ambient lighting.
METAR Freshness
Choose how long a report remains fully illuminated. Once an observation passes the freshness threshold, it dims to a less prominent state — signaling its age while retaining the last-known report on the map.
Adjustable from 1 to 12 hours in Settings; last-known reports remain available for up to 24 hours.
An animated METAR Legend is always available in Settings for quick reference.
METAR reports encode observed airport weather conditions including wind, visibility, runway visual range, present weather, sky condition, temperature, dew point, altimeter setting, and remarks. METARmotion interprets these observations into color-coded simulated RGB-LED indicators, providing intuitive at-a-glance visualization of VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR flight categories. High winds and lightning conditions are animated for immediate visual recognition.
Flight Categories
Green — VFR — Visual Flight Rules, visibility greater than 5 miles, ceiling above 3,000 ft.
Blue — MVFR — Marginal VFR, visibility 3–5 miles, ceiling 1,000–3,000 ft.
Red — IFR — Instrument Flight Rules, visibility 1–3 miles, ceiling 500–1,000 ft.
Magenta — LIFR — Low IFR, visibility under 1 mile, ceiling under 500 ft.
Yellow (animated) — Sustained winds at or above 25 knots.
White (animated) — Active thunderstorm activity reported in the METAR.
Join our TestFlight beta — requires iPadOS 17 or later
Scan to install via TestFlight
METARmotion requires iPadOS 17+, looks best on the largest iPad Pro displays, and is equally at home whether mounted in an aircraft cabin, displayed in a hangar, flight school, or any aviation environment where a live weather map adds value.
METARmotion is intended for informational, educational, and visual display use only. It must not be used for flight planning, navigation, or any operational aviation decision-making.