Air traffic control basics

This page gives lesson 1 of the tutorials as text. You can read it again at any time.

How to control traffic Step 3 of 8

This information applies to VoiceATC Simulator 0.6.2.552, the stable release at this time. Items with the label New in … are not in this release.

A heading is the angle from north, clockwise, in degrees.

The job

The FAA gives the purpose of air traffic control as a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of traffic. Safe means that aircraft stay apart. Orderly means one clear sequence. Expeditious means no delay that you can prevent.

Your airspace

You are approach control. At Ibiza, your station is Ibiza Approach. Your airspace is the terminal area (TMA). The TMA is between the tower and the center. The tower controls the runway. The center controls the airspace around your airspace. You get aircraft from the center, you guide them, and you give the handoff to the tower. Departures go in the opposite direction.

Arrivals end on an approach

An arrival ends on an instrument approach. The ILS gives the pilot lateral and vertical guidance to the runway, on a 3° slope. Your goal is to put each aircraft on the ILS, with sufficient distance from the aircraft in front of it. Then you say cleared ILS runway two four.

Three methods to guide an aircraft

Lateral

A heading is the angle from north, clockwise, in degrees. Speak each digit of the heading.

• A vector is a heading that you give: turn left heading two seven zero.
• A direct sends the aircraft to a fix: fly direct GISLU.

Vertical

Feet at low levels, flight levels above the transition altitude.

• An altitude is in feet. Do not clear an aircraft below the MVA. The MVA is the lowest safe altitude in that area.
• At Ibiza, the transition altitude is 6,000 feet. Above this altitude, you use flight levels.
• The transition level is the lowest flight level that you can use. At Ibiza, it is FL070. The top bar shows it as TL.

Speed

Speed is in knots.

Speed is in knots. Usual values are:

Phase	Speed
Below FL100	250 knots
When the aircraft joins the approach	220 to 210 knots
On final	180 knots, then 160 knots

Departure levels

When a departure calls you, it gives its SID and the level that it climbs through. Take control of it, then climb it to the level that the approach and the center agree. Look for conflicts with other traffic before you climb it.

At Ibiza, the approach and the center agree FL240 for departures and FL250 for arrivals. Say: Vueling one two three, climb via the EPAMA four echo departure to flight level two four zero. Or say: Vueling one two three, climb flight level two four zero.

The agreed levels are different at each airport. The game does not show them yet. Use this quick method:

1. Look at the level at which the arrivals call you.
2. Climb departures to a level below it. Then the departures and the arrivals stay apart.

For the real levels, read the documents of the VATSIM or IVAO facility for that airport. For example, the documents of the Los Angeles ARTCC include the Southern California TRACON (SCT) procedures. If you are not sure, ask on Discord.

Handoffs

A handoff uses only two words: contact tower or contact center. You do not speak a station name or a frequency.

Not in 0.6.2.552 These words only tell the pilot to change frequency. Then press T to give the handoff of the label.

You can now tell the job in one sentence. The next page shows how to read the screen.