London Gatwick TCG

London Gatwick Trading Card Game

Accomplishments that we're proud of:

Built a real-time aircraft “catching” mechanic powered by live transponder data from OpenSky Network.
Successfully fused smartphone GPS + compass heading to create a directional scanning mechanic that feels interactive and immersive.
Designed a dynamic “deck” system that turns real aircraft into collectible cards with stats, descriptions, and historical encounter data.
Integrated a playable flight simulator, where users can simulate flying aircraft they’ve collected.
Local multiplayer of battling and racing two planes against one another.

Delivered a full end-to-end pipeline: smartphone sensor input → geofence query → aircraft metadata → collectible card → playable simulation.

What we learned

Working with live aviation data requires handling incomplete, delayed, or inconsistent JSON responses gracefully.
Compass heading + geospatial math is harder than expected, especially when translating direction into a realistic “scan cone.”
Rate limits and intermittent API failures from real-time data sources demand caching, retries, and fallback logic.
Gamifying real-world infrastructure data (ADS-B transponders, geofencing, lat/long bounding boxes) makes technical systems feel magical and accessible.
Tight iteration during a hackathon is about building a lovable core mechanic first, polish comes second! (Or not at all)

What's next for London Gatwick TCG

Add rarity tiers based on aircraft type (commercial, cargo, private jet, military).
Introduce trading and multiplayer encounters so users can compare decks.
Add airport-based achievements tied to major hubs like VINCI airports to encourage loyalty.
Expand the simulator with deeper aircraft physics modeling and mission-based challenges.
Build a global leaderboard for “Master Spotters.”

London Gatwick CTG turns the sky into a living, breathing collectible universe, where every flight overhead is a chance to catch something rare. ✈️✈️✈️