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It is important to understand that Real World Airline ATC communications are based mainly on a constant repetition.

In other words, every time you fly from KIAD to KORD for example, you will receive pretty much the same altitude restrictions, same headings, same route, same frequencies and depending on the runway in use, same approach and vectors. That's why when you repeat one of your SimsATC flights, you are experiencing exactly what the Real World Airline ATC is.

Every flight brings a lot of challenging because this is more than simple headings and altitudes in an excessive relaxed environment like certain unrealistic platforms out there. SimsATC brings you Real World ATC, are you ready to download the FREE SimsATC APP?

Purchase flights for as low as $2.99 each. Once you purchase a flight, you download it and the flight is yours.

New flights and new destinations released periodically

SimsATC is focused on commercial aviation and more specifically on the Airline operations.

SimsATC uses carefully selected real word ATC recordings and synchronizes them so your flight simulator airplane is able to execute all the procedures and maneuvers exactly as a real world airplane. It will be important to choose a plane that simulates real world flying characteristics.

SimsATC does not charge for the recorded transmissions (which are public and available to be recorded by any individual in USA and many other countries around the world), but for the synchronizing files that require extreme effort, dedication, knowledge and investment. SimsATC facilitates those required selected recordings at the time of your synchronizing files purchase. These files are what we call "Flights".

SimsATC is proud to have Real World Airline pilots to synchronize such files and make sure those communications reflect exactly what the real world intended. Our testing pilots are experienced Airline Pilots guaranteeing the reliability of the product.

We embrace a teaching-learning environment, that will prepare you for the path ahead, in case you are willing to become a professional pilot.

THE FLIGHTS

Our flights have different available runways for your origin and destination, each one appropriate to the wind conditions at the time of your flight. That may require the purchase of different flights, but you will be able to fully simulate the real airline world.

There is no way to replicate the real human voices at the time of an ATC event. Certain levels of stress, under pressure in a serious fully responsible and professional environment, are human expressions that can only become from real world ATC voices.

Now that real world human ATC interaction is possible!

SimsATC brings all that and more...

THE ATC

How does the real world ATC works for airline pilots?

For the purpose of standardization, we will use the rules, regulations and standard operations of USA, which by the way, “models” most world ATC systems.

The ATC plays an essential role in all aeronautical operations but especially in the commercial aviation and, more specifically, in the Airline industry.

We could say that there is no airline experience if there is no ATC.

For the simulation world this role becomes exactly the same, and that’s why we will focus in this specific industry.

From “gate to gate” the ATC follows a sequence of fully coordinated instructions from a series of air traffic controllers and we will list one by one here.

CLEARANCE

After having a valid filed flight plan (normally submitted by dispatch, simbrief may simulate that)) and just before the flight, airline pilots will begin their interactions with the ATC with a “clearance”, where the specific departure, route, flight level, departure frequency and transponder code is defined.

There are different methods for obtaining such a clearance but the most common ones are through a specific clearance frequency or through a link communication ACARs, or similar, and its corresponding PDC (Pre Departure Clearance) which, by the way, is more and more used over time, due to its written convenience and error avoidance. That’s why there are more and more airports offering this service. It’s considered the future of clearances around the world.

RAMP

While the plane is still at the gate, it’s clear that it will need to be pushed back in order to initiate its taxi out.

Many airports and specialty the major will use dedicated frequencies in order to handle this maneuver. Busy airports use dedicated “Ramp” control frequencies and less dense airports may use the same Ground frequency to handle this initial maneuver.

Every airport will define its specific requirements in order to execute the pushback as well as the parking maneuvers.

TAXI OUT

Once the pushback has been completed and the plane is ready to taxi, the pilots will coordinate the initial taxi out with the RAMP (Or Ground) controllers to a specific point where they will be transferred to the actual ATC system that starts with the Ground Control.

It is in this frequency where pilots will receive specific taxi instructions all the way up to the assigned runway holding point.

It’s not uncommon to receive a “release time” when flying to congested airports. The release time will let the pilots program their delay departure procedures including engine starts (re-starts), etc., in order to keep low fuel consumption and inform passengers as well as their company operations.

When release times are substantially long, the ATC will normally instruct to taxi and park at a temporary convenient departure parking location called “run-out blocks”, “penalty box”, etc.

Once taxi instructions are resumed, pilots will be instructed to switch to the tower frequency to either contact or monitor such a frequency. In the case of USA, it’s not uncommon to see pilots switching to tower without being instructed to do so just because their proximity to the departure runway and congestion of the ground frequency. According to the FAA regulations, this is permissible when departing only.

TAKE OFF

The tower controller will clear the pilots to line up the runway, wait and or take off and sometimes assign a specific heading or initial RNAV wait point to fly after takeoff. Wind direction and intensity will always join take off instructions.

Once the plane is airborne, pilots will be instructed to contact departure.

DEPARTURE

During this phase, pilots receive climb, heading and finally navigation instructions that end up on the route. Busy airports may have more than one subsequent departure frequency.

ROUTE

Most communications during route will be based on hand offs from one ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Centers) to another ARTCC.

ARTCCs will maintain the correct vertical and horizontal separation between traffic. In order to do so, controllers will instruct altitude and speed changes all the way to the descent where they will instruct a specific STAR. A STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival) is a pre-planned instrument procedure flown by pilots transitioning from the en-route to terminal, where they will be transferred to the approach. STARs are identified by a specific name and number for example “PHILBO 4”, “DEMME 5”, etc.

STARS will establish specific tracks, altitudes and speed restrictions to be complied.

A clearance “Descent via PHILBO 3” for example would mean that the pilots may descend whenever they consider it ideal in order to comply with all the STAR restrictions down to the lowest published altitude or flight level.

It’s very usual to receive an “expected” runway to land or at least the landing directions like “landing North” in the case of multiple runway destinations at or before a STAR is assigned.

APPROACH

During the descent and close to the airport, pilots will be transferred to the approach control where they will receive a confirmation of the expected runway to land and eventually vectors and altitudes all the way to the final approach where the airplane must be fully established on the final course and the final descend path by the means of whether an ILS, VOR, RNAV, VNAV, etc or visual approach that have to be cleared by this control.

TOWER

Normally 5 to 12 miles from the touchdown, pilots are handed off to Tower. The tower will let them know the wind direction and intensity and will clear them to land.

Once on the ground and close to the taxi speed, the tower will instruct any initial taxiway instruction and will hand off pilots to the Ground control.

TAXI IN

Similar to the departure, Ground controllers will instruct specific taxiway instructions all the way to the ramp.

In the case of busy airports, the ramp including some taxiways are delimited to be controlled by the Ramp control where pilots will receive specific gate assignments as well as taxi instructions.