TinkerFlight Drone Logbook (also works with RC planes)
After moving to private beta with our drone logbook, it’s time to tell you why we decided to create a new drone flight log app, how we’re different from other apps, and the ideas behind the whole project.
Why should I even log my flights?
That’s simple! It’s great to have a history of your flights, which helps you:
- Relive interesting moments from your flights,
- Track when it’s time to change a battery or check your drone,
- Showcase your flight portfolio to potential customers, or
- Comply with mandatory regulations in some countries.
However, a logbook should be as interactive and user-friendly as possible. It should:
- Avoid vendor lock-in,
- Support media like photos and videos,
- Allow notes, and
- Offer 3D visualization of flights on a map.
That’s why we decided to develop TinkerFlight — because, to be honest, there’s still no drone logbook like this on the market. From our experience, it’s also valuable to have a logbook for not just drones but for RC planes and gliders as well.
Interactive, Privacy-First, and Zero Vendor Lock-In
These three principles are the foundation of TinkerFlight:
- Interactive flight records that we don’t share with any third parties.
- Self-hosting on any server with Ubuntu for complete privacy.
- No vendor lock-in: If you use a service like Airdata and they increase pricing or shut down, you’re stuck with CSV exports that may not easily import into another service. With TinkerFlight, you can export all your flights as a static HTML website that you can run on your computer or upload to any service hosting static websites.
Logbook Features
We use TinkerFlight almost every day, and we’re adding new features weekly. Here are the core features in the first public version:
- Import flights from files or via API
- Embed flight data with photos and interactive maps into any website via iframe
- Unlimited flights (150 free; unlimited with a paid plan)
- Unlimited drones/aircraft
- Export to CSV
- Export to HTML
- Battery management
- Flight notes
- API access
- Live streaming (paid plan)
- Own profile/portfolio page (public or private) with a custom domain
- 3D map visualization including not just longitude and latitude, but also altitude
- Custom fields and data
Roadmap
The TinkerFlight logbook is just the first stage of the project. Once we’re confident it includes all the features we planned, we’ll begin working on our flight controller. We’re already using custom hardware and firmware in our flights, but it will take time to finalize. Naturally, the flight controller will integrate with the logbook, support flight streaming, and work out of the box — providing the DJI-like user experience combined with the flexibility of an open-source project.
That’s it for today! As always, feel free to contact us with any questions at hey@tinkerflight.com.
