# What if an unstable aircraft approach could be identified early enough for a flight instructor to intervene?

> Source: <https://dev.to/aremu_feranmifreddiesc/what-if-an-unstable-aircraft-approach-could-be-identified-early-enough-for-a-flight-instructor-to-3pmc>
> Published: 2026-10-05 21:12:58+00:00

What if an unstable aircraft approach could be identified early enough for a flight instructor to intervene?

That is the problem behind this open source project: AI Early Warning for Unstable Approaches in GA Flight Training.

The project uses public ADS-B data from the OpenSky Network around Daytona Beach International Airport (KDAB) to analyze general aviation training approaches.

It currently:

The initial dataset covered 3 hours of flight activity:

105 approaches analyzed

90 training aircraft approaches

72 approaches selected for instructor review

7 approaches flagged by at least one rule

One Cessna 172S approach triggered both speed and sink-rate warnings, highlighting how data-driven methods could support instructor review.

Importantly, the project does not claim that every automated flag represents a genuinely unstable approach. Ground speed is affected by wind, ADS-B measurements have limitations, and instructor review is essential.

That is what makes the project interesting: the next step is validating and calibrating the rules against expert human judgment.

This is a good example of how open source aviation data can be turned into a practical safety research problem.

🔗 GitHub: [https://github.com/samsuseelan/ga-unstable-approach-warning](https://github.com/samsuseelan/ga-unstable-approach-warning)
