Got a satellite tracker?
Nobody wants to be your emergency contact?
Join Syncing Pilots!
“I got my satellite tracker and started setting it up. Then I realized I didn’t have any friends or family who wanted to be notified if I was ever in trouble. That’s why I created Syncing Pilots.”
Syncing Pilots puts paraglider pilots on a live map. We pull GPS data from satellite trackers — Garmin inReach and SPOT devices — and display it in real time. Watch friends fly, plan a retrieve, or follow a group remotely. No cell coverage required.
In tribute
Inspired by XCFIND
Syncing Pilots was inspired by XCFIND. For years, David Wheeler has poured his time and care into xcfind.paraglide.us as a labor of love for the paragliding community.
His work was the spark that led to this project, and we’re grateful for everything he’s given the sport.
Thank you, David.
Visit XCFIND →Features
Live map
Watch pilots in real time. Positions, altitudes, and flight paths updated every 30 seconds.
Track playback
Full flight paths with altitude, speed, and course. Filter by time to replay a day’s flying.
Collections
Curate groups of pilots to track together. Share a link so others can watch the same flights.
Groups
Flying clubs, schools, and site communities. See members on the map and in your feed.
Following
Follow individual pilots for a personal feed. Just the flights you care about.
Activity feed
New flights, pilot claims, group updates. See what’s happening across the community.
Locations
Launch sites, LZs, and flying areas. See which sites are active right now.
Elevation & AGL
Every point includes height above ground. Know when a pilot is in the air vs. on the ground.
Bird name privacy
Pilots who haven’t claimed their profile may appear as bird names to keep their identity private.
Why bird names? Pilots who haven’t claimed their profile may appear with a bird-themed alias — like Spotted Redshank or Blue-footed Booby — to keep their identity private. Claim your profile to be listed under your real name.
How it works
Your tracker sends a ping
GPS coordinates are transmitted via satellite to Garmin or SPOT’s servers. Typical intervals: 2–10 minutes.
We pick it up
Our sync service checks feeds on a schedule. Pilots actively tracking are checked first.
Position appears on the map
Points are stored with altitude, speed, and course. We calculate height above ground to show flight state.
Your browser refreshes
The map and feed auto-update every 30 seconds. No need to reload.
Sync tiers
How quickly your position appears depends on how recently you’ve been flying.
Tracking
Checked every 10 minutes
Your device is actively sending data (sent within the last 2 hours)
Active
Checked every 30 minutes
You've flown in the last 10 days
Idle
Checked every 2 hours
No data in 10 days to 90 days
Dormant
Checked every 1 day
No data in 90 days+
Auto-promoted when your device starts sending. Manually boost in Settings before heading out.
Set up your device
Satellite trackers keep broadcasting your position even without cell service. Enable sharing and your device will be automatically discovered.
Supported models
Any Garmin device with inReach satellite communication: inReach Mini, Mini 2, Explorer+, SE+, GPSMAP 66i/67i, Montana 700i/750i.
Enable MapShare
Log in to explore.garmin.com
Go to the MapShare tab in your account settings
Toggle MapShare to "On" and set your MapShare address
Optionally set a password — you can share it with Syncing Pilots in your settings
Preset messages
Send with one button press. Configure in Garmin Explore under Messages.
Landed OK
I've landed safely.
Picked Up
I've been retrieved.
Need Assist
I need help (not SOS).
Once sharing is enabled, visit Settings after signing in to claim your pilot profile.
Sponsors
Organizations that support Syncing Pilots.
Northwest Paragliding
A leading paragliding school in the Pacific Northwest, offering instruction from beginner through advanced. Their experienced instructors and guides have introduced hundreds of pilots to free flight.
nwparagliding.school →Want to support Syncing Pilots?
Become a sponsorBuilt for the community
Syncing Pilots is built by paragliding pilots, for paragliding pilots. Safety and community are at the heart of everything we build.
We only access data that pilots have made public through their device’s own sharing settings. If your MapShare is private or your SPOT feed is disabled, we can’t see your data.
Support
We’re a small team — we read every message.
Contact us
support@syncingpilots.comClaim your profile
Visit Settings to link your pilot profile. Verify device ownership for a Verified badge.
Report a problem
Wrong data, incorrect claims, or bugs — email us with details.