SafeSky – Your personal airspace radar directly in Vario One

Imagine: you’re circling in a wonderful thermal, the climb rates are steady, you’re gaining meter by meter. Your gaze turns upward, you enjoy the moment. And then – from behind the ridge – a helicopter appears. Quiet, fast, at the same altitude.

SafeSky is made for exactly these situations.

With Release 6.0, Vario One integrates SafeSky technology and brings real-time traffic awareness to your iPhone and Apple Watch. SafeSky shows you other aircraft in your vicinity and actively warns you of possible collisions – completely free of charge and without subscription.

Safety in the sky should not be a luxury. That’s why SafeSky in Vario One is free for every pilot.

What is SafeSky?

SafeSky is an international network that connects pilots worldwide. The idea is simple and effective:

Every participant shares their encrypted position in real time
This creates a live airspace picture for all participants
The system detects potential conflicts and actively warns

The principle works similarly to ADS-B in commercial aviation – but for paraglider pilots, glider pilots, hang glider pilots and all other air sports enthusiasts. The more pilots participate, the more complete the picture becomes.

How does setup work?

The setup is intentionally kept simple:

Register once – via Sign in with Apple (no separate account needed)
Done – from now on your position is automatically shared

After registration, Vario One sends your position once per second to the SafeSky network. At the same time you receive the positions of all other participants in your vicinity. All of this happens fully automatically in the background – you don’t need to do anything more.

The map display in detail

On the map, other aircraft are displayed as colored symbols. The color immediately tells you the category of the aircraft:

Purple – paragliders and hang gliders
Pink – glider planes
Orange – motor aircraft
Red – helicopters (special danger!)
Gray – balloons, drones and airships

Flight direction guide lines

Each symbol shows a guide line in the direction of flight, so you can tell at a glance where the other aircraft is heading. This is crucial for assessing whether your flight paths might cross.

Relative altitude display

Next to each symbol the relative altitude to your own position is shown. This way you immediately know: is the other aircraft above you, below you or at the same altitude?

SafeSky Warning in Vario Mode

The three-level warning system

SafeSky uses an intelligent, three-level warning system based on the calculated Time-to-Collision:

1. Information (Yellow)

Warning time: approx. 30 seconds
Meaning: An aircraft is in your vicinity
Feedback: Subtle visual display, soft vibration
Action: Increase attention, observe airspace

2. Warning (Orange)

Warning time: approx. 20 seconds
Meaning: An aircraft is approaching and could lead to a conflict situation
Feedback: Clear visual warning, stronger vibration
Action: Look out, prepare evasive maneuver

3. Urgent (Red)

Warning time: approx. 10 seconds
Meaning: Acute collision danger
Feedback: Prominent warning, double vibration + warning tone
Action: React immediately, actively evade

The warning levels are not based on pure distance, but on the calculated approach time. A fast aircraft heading directly toward you triggers a warning earlier than a slow paraglider at the same distance.

Special helicopter treatment

Helicopters pose a special danger for paraglider and hang glider pilots:

They are fast and often fly at low altitudes
They can appear from behind ridges without being visible beforehand
Their noise is often drowned out by your own airspeed

For this reason, SafeSky treats helicopters with special care:

50% additional warning time compared to other aircraft
1,200 meter safety radius instead of the standard radius
Red color coding for immediate recognition on the map

Vertical filter

Not every aircraft in the vicinity is relevant. An airliner at 10,000 meters altitude doesn’t concern you when thermal flying. The vertical filter ensures that only traffic in a relevant altitude band is displayed:

Near – 1,000 m above and below you
Normal – 2,000 m above and below you (default setting)
Far – 5,000 m above and below you

You can adjust the setting at any time – depending on the flight situation and personal preference.

Active on the ground too

SafeSky is not only useful in flight. At takeoff sites near airfields, the traffic display can already provide valuable information on the ground:

See whether motorized air traffic is currently operating near your takeoff site
Plan your takeoff with an eye on the current traffic situation
Recognize patterns in local air traffic

Data security and privacy

Your data is protected:

Hash-based authentication – your identity remains anonymous
Position data expires after 30 seconds – your flight path cannot be reconstructed retrospectively
No tracking – SafeSky does not store any flight history
Sign in with Apple – no separate registration, Apple protects your email address

All features at a glance

Real-time traffic awareness on the map
Three-level warning system (Information, Warning, Urgent)
Time-to-Collision calculation instead of pure distance measurement
Color-coded aircraft categories (paraglider, glider, motor aircraft, helicopter, balloon/drone)
Flight direction guide lines and relative altitude display
Special helicopter treatment with 50% more warning time and 1,200m safety radius
Vertical filter in three levels (1,000m / 2,000m / 5,000m)
Active on the ground – traffic display already at the takeoff site
Data security through hash authentication and 30-second expiry
Setup in seconds with Sign in with Apple
Completely free – no subscription, no hidden costs

Flying is freedom – freedom needs safety.

New Release 6.0 | SafeSky – Real-time traffic awareness for greater safety in the sky