Waterbomber Wildfire Tracker is an app powered by ADSB Exchange. This free aircraft tracking tool is for firefighters, plane enthusiasts, and US residents of wildfire-prone areas. It provides real-time updates in English and Dutch on wildfires and aircraft involved in US firefighting operations.

Developed by Ernst Mulders, who also created the Lifeliner app, this aircraft tracker is similar to applications like Google Flights that display flight paths, but it’s specific to firefighting aircraft like spotter planes and waterbombers.

What can it do?

This free firefighting plane tracker displays flight routes on a live map, as well as important aircraft information, like the tail number, Sqwak code, ICAO code, dBFS, altitude, speed, and direction. It also sends alerts and push notifications for take-off and zone entry for areas from 5km to 25km wide.

Who can use it?

This live waterbomber tracker is available for free on Android devices. Professional firefighters and plain spotters can also upgrade to the premium plan with monthly, yearly, or one-off payments. They can then view aircraft activity as old as 14 days, check feeder counts, and keep up with firefighting operations in their area.

What’s special about it?

The app offers flight tracking, sighting reports, zone editing, notifications with preview and muting options, and even a dark mode display option.

Makes plane spotting accessible

Also known as the Waterbomber app, this live firefighting aircraft tracker is useful to professional firefighters and residents of wildfire-prone areas across the USA. While it lacks some of the features of more advanced apps, it’s still a must-have tool for tanker pilots, volunteers, and plane spotters.