Quick Airport Setup

Want to monitor traffic at your local airport? This script generates all the config files you need in one step. (But follow the installation instructions first)

Usage

source .venv/bin/activate
python3 src/tools/generate_airport_config.py KPAO 

Replace KPAO with your airport's ICAO code. The script will:

1. Download airport and runway data from OurAirports
2. Generate a KML file with four monitoring regions
3. Generate YAML config files for rules and stripview
4. Print ready-to-run command lines

Example Output

$ python3 src/tools/generate_airport_config.py KPAO --runway 31

Looking up KPAO...
  Palo Alto Airport
  Elevation: 4 ft MSL
  Location: 37.4611, -122.1150
  Runways: 1
  Using runway: 31 (length: 2443 ft)
  Approach end: 37.4585, -122.1120
  Departure end: 37.4638, -122.1180
  Heading: 322°

Generating files...
  examples/generated/kpao_regions.kml
  examples/generated/kpao_rules.yaml
  examples/generated/kpao_stripview.yaml

================================================================================
Generated files for KPAO (Palo Alto Airport, elev 4ft)
================================================================================

VIEW IN GOOGLE EARTH:
  Open examples/generated/kpao_regions.kml to verify regions look correct

RUN FLIGHT STRIP VIEW (no hardware required - uses airplanes.live API):
  python3 src/applications/stripview/controller.py \
    -- --api --rules examples/generated/kpao_stripview.yaml

RUN AIRPORT MONITOR / LOSS-OF-SEPARATION DETECTION (no hardware required - uses airplanes.live API):
  python3 src/applications/tcp_api_monitor/monitor.py \
    examples/generated/kpao_rules.yaml

How It Works

The script fetches data from OurAirports, which provides international airport and runway information including precise endpoint coordinates. This data is cached locally in src/tools/.cache/ so subsequent runs are faster.

The KML regions are ordered so that more specific regions (Departure, Approach) take precedence over general ones (Ground, Vicinity) when an aircraft is in multiple regions.

Customization

The generated files are a starting point. You can edit them to:

• Adjust region sizes by modifying the KML coordinates
• Add additional rules in the YAML files
• Change altitude thresholds
• Add Slack notifications or other actions

See RULE_SCHEMA.yaml for all available conditions and actions.

Options

# Use a specific runway instead of the default
python3 src/tools/generate_airport_config.py KPAO --runway 31

By default, the script picks the lower-numbered end of the longest runway (e.g., runway 13 instead of 31). Use --runway to override this.

Generated Regions

The script creates four regions based on your airport's longest runway:

Region	Description
Departure	3nm wedge extending from runway end, ±25° from runway heading
Approach	5nm wedge extending from runway end, ±30° from runway heading
Ground	1.5nm circle around the airport
Vicinity	10nm circle around the airport

Altitudes are automatically adjusted for your airport's field elevation.