How to learn air traffic control
You don't need flight school to learn the basics of ATC. radarcontrol.io lets you practice controlling aircraft in a realistic simulator with real airspace data - for free, in your browser.
Start here
- Open the sim at radarcontrol.io - no account needed
- Pick an airspace - start with a quieter center like Denver or Salt Lake City
- Try the default script - it handles initial contact automatically so you can watch traffic flow
- Switch to interactive mode - type your first command:
AAL123 cfl350(climb to FL350)
Core ATC concepts you'll learn
Separation - keep aircraft 5nm apart laterally or 1,000ft vertically. The sim shows conflicts in red and scores you on safety. How separation works
Altitude management - climb departures, descend arrivals. Use flight levels (FL350 = 35,000ft) above 18,000ft, feet below.
SID/STAR procedures - published routes with altitude constraints. Issue dv (descend via) and the aircraft follows the arrival automatically. What are SIDs and STARs?
Sequencing - arrange arrivals in order for the ILS approach. Space them 5-10nm apart, slow the trailing aircraft, clear for approach. Arrivals guide
Handoffs - transfer aircraft to the next sector when they reach the boundary. Issue ho ZDV to hand off to Denver Center.
Progressive learning path
Week 1: Watch and learn Load the default script and observe how traffic flows. Notice how aircraft follow routes, descend on STARs, and get handed off.
Week 2: Interactive commands Switch to interactive mode. Practice altitude (cfl350), speed (s250), heading (h l 270), and direct-to (dr MERIT). Command reference
Week 3: Arrivals and approaches Learn to vector aircraft to the ILS (ils 27L), contact tower (twr), and manage go-arounds (ga). Arrivals guide
Week 4: Write your first script Automate basic separation with JavaScript. The API reference covers all events and methods. Start with onSpawn and onConflict.
Why radarcontrol.io for learning
- Real data - actual FAA waypoints, airways, SIDs, STARs, and METAR weather
- No consequences - make mistakes safely, restart anytime
- Progressive difficulty - traffic builds over time from light to heavy
- Instant feedback - scoring shows what you did right and wrong
- Two skill tracks - learn ATC concepts with commands, learn programming with scripts