The tutorials

Four short lessons teach the job, one idea at a time. You do each step. You do not only read it.

How to control traffic Step 2 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.

Lesson	Where	What you learn
1 Essentials of air traffic control	Ibiza, with the bars hidden	The job, your airspace, the ILS, the three methods to guide an aircraft
2 The radar screen	Ibiza, the screen one part at a time	How to read the screen and the label
3 Speak and listen	Ibiza, one arrival	Push-to-talk, the readback, the words that the radio understood
4 Your shift at Ibiza	Ibiza, goals only	Two arrivals and a departure, without help

Start, skip and do again

• A new installation starts the tutorials automatically. You see a welcome page, then lesson 1.
• To skip the tutorials, press Open the Main Menu on the welcome page, or press Escape. The game asks “Skip the tutorials?”. Press Skip or Back to the tutorials.
• To start the tutorials at a later time, select Tutorials on the Main Menu. The strip shows your progress.

The lessons open in sequence. When you complete lesson 1, lesson 2 opens. The other lessons open in the same sequence. A locked lesson shows “After lesson 1” (or 2, or 3). A lesson that you completed stays open. Thus, you can do it again.

To stop a lesson, press Escape and select End lesson. The tutorials do not change your settings or your saved layout.

The instructor

A panel with the name INSTRUCTOR guides you. It shows one step at a time: the task, a line that tells you about the idea, and the words to speak. A bar at the top shows your progress. The words to speak show beside SAY. When the mouse steps show, they are beside DO.

Each step has some of these buttons:

• Skip step — go to the next step.
• Redo this step — start the step again.
• Back — go to the previous step. Back shows only when you can safely do the previous step again. In lessons 3 and 4, these steps are a question, a Continue, TAB or a QDM step. Back does not go to a step where the aircraft already did your instruction.
• Continue — on a step that only gives information.
• Speed up time — on a step where you wait for an aircraft.

When the top bar is hidden and the clock is stopped, the word PAUSED shows. When the top bar shows, the lit PAUSE cell shows that the clock is stopped.

The lessons use the Generic interface, also if you selected a different interface. When the lesson ends, the game uses your interface again.

Take control: middle-click or T

An aircraft obeys you only after you take control of it. Middle-click the aircraft. If your mouse has no middle button, put the pointer on the aircraft and press T. The two methods do the same thing. To change the key, use Settings › Controls, row Assume/Unassume traffic (key). Not in 0.6.2.552 The row has the name Assume or hand off traffic (key).

Lesson 1: Essentials of air traffic control

Lesson 1 uses the real radar, the same radar that you use after the lessons. The bars and panels are hidden. The map shows only the items for each idea. Each step puts an aircraft where you can see the idea most clearly. You give each instruction with the label cells. These are the parts of the aircraft label that you can click. This lesson does not use voice.

• The job. Safe, orderly and expeditious. Then your airspace: the tower controls the runway, the center controls the airspace around your airspace, and you control the area between them.
• The ILS. Arrivals end on an approach. You clear an aircraft for the ILS, and you monitor the landing.
• Three parts of a label. The route cell sets the path. The cleared level sets the altitude. The speed cell sets the speed.
• Lateral. A heading is the angle from north in degrees. A compass shows it. You give a vector (a heading), then a direct to the fix GISLU.
• Vertical. Altitude, with the MVA as the lowest limit. Then three short questions about feet and flight levels. At Ibiza, the lowest flight level is FL070.
• Speed. Speed is in knots. Below FL100, the maximum is 250 knots.
• All together. Give a heading, a level, a speed and the ILS. Then monitor the landing.

The page Air traffic control basics gives the same ideas.

Lesson 2: The radar screen

At the start, the bars are hidden and the map shows only the airport. A spotlight makes the screen dark and lights one part at a time. The bars show again, one at a time.

• The map. Zoom out, then move the map. North is at the top.
• MAPS. The bottom bar shows. Set MRVA (the minimum vectoring altitude) and FIX with their names to on. GEO is the coastline. Close MAPS.
• PROCS. Set the STAR to on. A STAR is an arrival route, a SID is a departure route, and an IAP is an approach. Close PROCS.
• The top bar. One cell at a time: the airport, QNH, TL (the transition level), the runways, COM and TFC, the clock and the speed of time, pause and settings.
• The bottom bar. TAG, the range, the vector line, CLR QDM and CLR ROUTES.
• One aircraft. Zoom in. The spotlight moves along the label, one line at a time: callsign, levels, speed. The aircraft calls you, and you take control. Then the label shows more data: the next fix, the airspeed and your assigned speed.
• COM, TFC and label cells. COM shows the call. TFC shows the flight plan. Each label cell opens a list. Escape closes the list.

The page The radar screen gives more information.

Lesson 3: Speak and listen

One arrival at Ibiza. You learn to speak to it.

1. Take control. The aircraft calls you. Middle-click it, or put the pointer on it and press T.

2. Push-to-talk. Hold the key, speak, then release the key. Speak the callsign first. Descend the aircraft to 5,000 ft. The clock waits for this call. If the game does not hear you, the instructor shows the words that the game did not hear. After some failures, you can give the instruction with the mouse.

3. The readback. The pilot repeats your words. Which level did the pilot read back? Select the answer.

4. The words that the radio understood. COM shows your line and the command that the game understood. A HEARD line shows words that the game heard but could not send. To cancel an instruction, speak the callsign and disregard.

5. A vector, then a direct. Turn left heading 220. Then send the aircraft direct to GISLU, where the approach starts. Speed up time while it flies.

6. Two instructions in one call. Give 220 knots and cleared ILS runway 24 in the same call.

7. Normal speed. Say resume normal speed. The pilot then slows the aircraft for the landing: 200 knots 15 NM from the runway, 180 knots at 12 NM, 160 knots at 8 NM and the approach speed at 4 NM. An aircraft that is too fast near the runway goes around.

8. Wait. The time goes quickly (x16) until the aircraft is on the ILS. Then the time goes at the usual speed again.

9. Contact tower. Say contact tower. Not in 0.6.2.552 Then press T to give the handoff of the label.

If the game does not hear your voice, use the mouse for the same instruction and continue.

Lesson 4: Your shift at Ibiza

You do a short shift. The instructor gives goals, not words. To see the words and the mouse steps for the current goal, press Hint. They also show after 30 seconds on a step.

You control the time. While you wait for an aircraft, press Speed up time. When the aircraft gets to the position, the time goes at the usual speed again. Then the clock stops until you give the next instruction. Thus, you have time to think.

1. Two arrivals call. VLG7ZS from Madrid, then VLG86WS from Barcelona. Take control of the two aircraft.

2. Examine the traffic first. Press TAB to show the route of VLG7ZS. Use the QDM to measure from VLG7ZS to the fix IB711. Then measure between the two aircraft.

3. The base turn with AFTER. Say after IB711, turn right heading 150. The aircraft stays on its route to IB711, then turns onto its base.

4. Keep the aircraft apart. Descend VLG7ZS to 3,500 ft. Descend VLG86WS to 5,000 ft, because the MVA near NEGRE is 5,000 ft. Two aircraft must have 1,000 ft or 3 NM between them. Decrease the speed of VLG86WS to 180 knots.

5. The first approach. Speed up time until VLG7ZS is 1.5 NM from the final approach course. Then say turn right heading 210, cleared ILS approach runway 24. Not in 0.6.2.552 The lesson gives this turn at 3 NM, as real controllers do: the aircraft flies straight for 1 NM or more on heading 210, then turns onto the final approach course without going through it.

6. The second approach. Turn VLG86WS to heading 150 behind the first aircraft, and descend it to 3,500 ft. At 1.5 NM from the final course, give heading 210 and cleared ILS 24. If the aircraft are too near, the labels become red. Not in 0.6.2.552 This turn also comes at 3 NM.

7. Tower. Give the handoff of the two arrivals to the tower: contact tower. Not in 0.6.2.552 Then press T for each arrival.

8. A departure. A Vueling aircraft departs from runway 24. When it calls you, take control. Climb it on its SID to FL240, the level that you and the center agree. At other airports, examine the level at which the arrivals call you. Climb the departures to a level below it. Then say contact center. Not in 0.6.2.552 Then press T.

When you complete a lesson

Each lesson ends on a short result page. To continue, press Next lesson. You can also do the lesson again.

After lesson 4, the game tells you clearly that the simulator is difficult. Read this wiki, or ask the community on Discord. Then go to the Main Menu.