Learn air traffic control
Guides, explainers and reference — everything behind the simulator.
Whether you are here to get better at the game or genuinely curious how the real system works, these guides cover the approach controller's world from first principles: the radar itself, the procedures aircraft fly, the phraseology on the radio and the career behind the headset. Every article is written in plain English and ties back to something you can try immediately in the free simulator.
How approach radar control works
The full beginner guide: the radar picture, separation, vectoring, levels, the ILS and handoffs.
How to become an air traffic controllerSelection aptitudes, the medical, ab initio training, ratings and what the job is really like.
How ATC radar worksPrimary echoes, SSR transponders, Mode S and ADS-B — where the dots on the scope come from.
The ILS approach explainedLocalizer and glideslope, categories and minima, and how controllers deliver aircraft to the beam.
SIDs and STARsThe published departure and arrival routes that connect runways to the airway system.
Runway numbers explainedWhy the same strip is 09 and 27, what L/C/R mean, renumbering, and how wind picks the runway.
Holding patterns explainedThe racetrack, stacks like Heathrow’s, expected approach times and the cost of waiting.
ATC glossary80+ air traffic control terms in plain English.
Airport code searchLook up any airport worldwide by ICAO code, IATA code, name or city.
NOTAM searchActive NOTAMs for any airport, with the raw teletype text and a plain-English reading.
Aviation weatherLive METAR, TAF and wind for any airport, on a tower-style display with runway wind components.
Build your own airportThe custom airport file format, with a sample download, JSON Schema and an AI prompt.
Then see the included airports — every one modelled from real data — and take the seat.
▶ Start the simulator