Mapping Broken Coffee Makers in the Sky: The ACARS Drama Project

ACARS Drama is a project that collects and shares snippets of real-time aircraft data (ACARS and VDLM2 messages), revealing everything from mundane equipment malfunctions to onboard passenger altercations. Using inexpensive equipment and open-source software, the author decodes these messages and shares the interesting bits via a social media bot. Contributing is easy; all you need is a low-cost SDR, an antenna, some software, and an internet connection to feed the drama engine.