Just like flying, serving as an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) in the simulator offers a unique experience. Managing flights, giving instructions to pilots, and organizing airport traffic can be both challenging and very enjoyable.
If any of you have experience as an ATC, could you share your tips? Which airports are more suitable for new controllers? What commands should we pay special attention to?
We would also love to hear from experienced pilots about what they expect from ATCs and in which situations they are most challenged. This way, both ATCs and pilots can communicate better.
When i joined IFATC my own home ports (KPDX/KTTD) were both usually quiet so it was easy for me to ease into controlling on expert due to low traffic and being close enough to both airports to observe how they operate. So my tip would be if you have nearby smaller ports to you observe how aircraft are handled while listening to apps like liveATC
I barely got into atc and I went to a non 3D airport (KABQ my hometown) where I was sure no one was going to land and took a look at the controls. Then I switched to San Diego. Slow airport and I got a departure out of it. yay.
I’ll preface this by saying that it’s been a long long time since I did ATC.
When I first became IFATC something that helped me was finding the ability to just take a step back for a second and breathe. If you’re new, getting 3-4 calls at once can be a little daunting but you have to find it in you to deal with one at a time. Additionally, if this is about a practical, then visualize what’s going to happen. Practical exams have to test on a couple key points that your trainer probably went over with you, so don’t get surprised by those.
before you start controlling on big airports, familiarize yourself with smaller ones first, start slow and slowly build up until you’re confident enough to go for bigger ones
getting familiar with airport ops and the ATC guide & manual is also a good start
I’d really recommend using FlightRadar24, helped me a lot tbf xD
also, one small thing-
you might wanna pay attention to landing aircraft, in case a runway incursion happens
or any GA scenario of any kind
