About
Hi, I'm Nick Gilbert.
I'm a web developer and glider pilot in Australia, and most of what I build sits where aviation and the web meet.
Web development
I design, build and run full web applications, from the data model and back end through to the interface and hosting. The work ranges from contest management and scoring platforms to marketplaces, live tracking and hand-coded online shops. I care about software that's fast, accessible and easy to run once it's live.
- Applications: TypeScript, React, Node.js, PHP and CodeIgniter
- Cloud and data: Python on AWS Lambda, S3, MongoDB, MySQL and SQLite
- Safety and integrity: flight proximity-conflict analysis, FLARM assessment, IGC security (G-record) validation and automatically published safety summary videos
- Maps and integrations: MapLibre, IGC flight logs, payment gateway integration, Xero export and public APIs
- Sites and shops: hand-coded e-commerce, WordPress and WooCommerce
- Hardware and tracking: GPS trackers and live-tracking systems
Aviation and gliding
I fly gliders. The contest-day problems pilots and organisers run into, such as entries, payments, weighing, task setting, scoring and results, are the ones I build software to solve. DustDevil runs the contest entry side and SoaringScoring does the scoring and the safety analysis, which I wrote up as a case study.
I also co-created SkyMate with Todd Sandercock, a GPS live-tracking system that lets spectators follow gliding competitions as they happen while helping pilots navigate the task.
Beyond competitions, there's AeroMarket, a marketplace for aircraft and aviation equipment, and the work I do for Tocumwal Soaring Centre: its parts shop, GliderStuff, and a separate hand-coded voucher store, Tocumwal Gift Vouchers.