air traffic control handbook

ATC HANDBOOKUnderstanding AirTraffic Control and

Radio Communications

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CONTENTSHow to Use This Handbook ............. 5

Novices .................................... 6Intermediate .............................. 6Advanced .................................. 6Getting started in ATC................. 6

What is Air Traffic Control? ............ 7Introduction ............................... 7Callsigns ................................... 7Transponder (squawk) codes ........ 8

ATC in the Real World .................... 9VFR flight .................................. 9IFR flight ................................... 9

ATC Language ............................. 10

The Phonetic Alphabet .................. 12

Towered, or Controlled,Operations ............................... 13

Clearance delivery .................... 13Ground (taxiing to the runway) .... 14Tower (takeoff) ......................... 14Approach/Departure ................ 15Center .................................... 15Approach ................................ 16Tower (landing) ......................... 16Ground (taxiing to parking) ......... 16

Non-towered Operations ............... 17

Acknowledging ATC transmissions.. 18

Asking ATC to repeat messages..... 18

Getting Airport Information (ATIS/ASOS/AWOS) ............................. 19

Airports from the Top Down .......... 21

Getting Handed Off ...................... 22

Getting to the Runway .................. 23Parking spots .......................... 23Parking gates .......................... 23Pushback ................................ 24Taxiway markings...................... 24Progressive taxi ....................... 25Hold short instructions .............. 25

Traffic Patterns at Airports ........... 26

Understanding Airspace................ 28U.S. airspace classifications....... 28

VFR Flight and ATC inFlight Simulator 2002 ............... 30

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CONTENTSIFR Flight and ATC in

Flight Simulator 2002 ............... 31Getting an IFR clearance ........... 31DPs (departure procedures)

and STARs (standard terminalarrival routes) ....................... 31

Canceling IFR ........................... 32ILS approaches ........................ 32Visual approaches .................... 32

IFR Flight and ATC inFlight Simulator 2002 ............... 33

Missed approaches .................. 33Full procedure approaches ........ 33Non-precision approaches ......... 33Non-aligned approaches ............ 33Vectors ................................... 33Requesting flight to the

alternate airport .................... 33Non-towered IFR ...................... 33IFR altitudes ............................ 34GPS and instrument flights ........ 34

ATC Alert Messages..................... 35

Traffic Messages from ATC ........... 36Aircraft not seen ...................... 37Type unknown .......................... 37Traffic alerts ............................ 38IFR flights and traffic calls .......... 38VFR flights and traffic calls ........ 38Speed adjustments to

accommodate traffic .............. 38

Airspace Transitions ..................... 39

Flight Following ............................ 40

Altimeter Settings........................ 41

Helicopter Operations ................... 43

Using ATC in FlightSimulator 2002 ........................ 44

Introduction ............................. 44Changing the callsign ................ 44Choosing a pilot voice................ 46Using the Autotune feature ........ 46Tuning the radios manually ......... 46The audio panel ........................ 48Using the ATC menu ................. 49ATC settings ............................ 51Turning off ATC ........................ 53Add-on ATC ............................. 54Minimizing traffic ...................... 54

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CONTENTSReal-World Differences ................. 55

The active runway .................... 55Airport choices ........................ 55Filing IFR in the air .................... 55IFR routes ............................... 55DPs and STARs........................ 56Lost communications ................ 56Canceling IFR ........................... 56Cancellation of Flight Following .... 56Requesting changes in altitude ... 57Failure to respond .................... 57Flight Service Station (FSS) ........ 57Interacting with ATC.................. 57VFR flight plans ........................ 57Mode C equipment ................... 57Emergencies ........................... 58Special VFR and VFR on top ....... 58Airspace differences ................. 58Airport differences ................... 58Three-digit frequencies .............. 59Intersection departures ............. 59ASOS and AWOS ...................... 59Ocean operations ..................... 59

ATC Glossary ............................... 60

Index .......................................... 68

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HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOKOne of the most exciting new features ofFlight Simulator 2002 is interactive airtraffic control (ATC). You’ll now haveplenty of company in the busy skies ofFlight Simulator. You can ask for andreceive clearances, be warned of airtraffic near you, get vectors, and hearcontrollers speaking to other aircraft.This handbook is for all users: peoplewho are new to Flight Simulator and ATC,experienced simulation enthusiasts, andreal-world pilots.

You do not have to interact with the ATCsystem in order to fly in Flight Simulator2002. ATC is an enhancement to theFlight Simulator world, but you can still flyfrom one place to another without com-municating with anyone until you’re readyto use the ATC system. When you dostart using ATC in Flight Simulator 2002,take advantage of the Autotune feature,which can tune the radio for you andlessen your workload. (See Using theAutotune Feature on page 46.)

NoteIt’s beyond the scope of this document to providean extensive education in all the complexities of thereal-world air traffic control system. The purpose isto give you enough information to use the ATCsystem in Flight Simulator 2002. Along the way,we’ll include references to more information aboutATC and radio communications. A fantastic Website for learning more about the world of air trafficcontrollers is Air Traffic Café (see the “Sites toVisit” section of the Flight Simulator 2002 Website). Our partner, the Aircraft Owners and PilotsAssociation (AOPA), also has a wealth of informa-tion about all aspects of flying. For more informa-tion, see the link to AOPA on the Flight Simulator2002 Web site.

There are advanced topics for instru-ment-rated pilots in this Handbook.However, this isn’t some secret informa-tion that you’re barred from if you’re anovice. Once you get more experienceand learn the system, you can make useof the advanced topics, too. If there isterminology that you don’t understandanywhere in this Handbook, see theATC Glossary on page 60.

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HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK

NovicesIf you’re new to Flight Simulator, you’llhave more fun if you first learn to flyusing the Lessons. Once you feel com-fortable at the controls of one or more ofthe Flight Simulator 2002 aircraft, takethe time to read through this Handbookand learn how to use ATC and radiocommunications. You’ll need to under-stand how the system works as well asunderstanding the language of ATC.That’s all here in this Handbook. TheAutotune feature will tune new radiofrequencies automatically (see Usingthe Autotune feature on page 46).

IntermediateIf you’re an experienced Flight Simulatoruser but are unfamiliar with air trafficcontrol, take time to read through thesections below. You’ll learn how the ATCsystem works and how to operate withinthat system in Flight Simulator 2002.The Autotune feature will tune new radiofrequencies automatically (see Using theAutotune feature on page 46).

AdvancedIf you’re a pilot or experienced simulatoruser, you may want to jump to the sec-tions Using ATC in Flight Simulator2002 on page 44 and Real-WorldDifferences on page 52. The Autotunefeature will tune new radio frequenciesautomatically (see Using the Autotunefeature on page 46).

Getting started in ATCRemember to use the numbers along thetop of the keyboard when making choicesfrom the ATC menu. The numbers on thenumeric keypad (usually on the right sideof the keyboard) are assigned to otherfunctions in Flight Simulator 2002.

To learn more about using the ATC menu,(see Using the ATC menu on page 49).

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WHAT IS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL?

IntroductionJust as on a busy highway, the tremen-dous volume of aircraft flying the skiestoday requires traffic management.Someone has to be in control of where allthose aircraft are flying, at what altitudeand speed, and by what route. The taskfalls to the various air traffic controlagencies located in nearly every countryaround the world. Air traffic control is avital component in the safety andeconomy of the nations of the world.Without a system to keep things movingsafely, people and goods cannot betransported efficiently in a timely manner.

In November 2000, the top 20 airportsin the United States handled over316,000 takeoffs and landings (U.S.Bureau of Transportation Statistics Website). Smaller busy airports often sur-round these big airports situated inheavy air-traffic areas. The round-the-clock coordination required to keep thissystem working is crucial. Air trafficcontrollers are the people who do thejob. They are highly trained individualswho have to take yearly refresher train-ing, as well as monthly computer-basedinstruction and evaluations of their useof proper phraseology.

There are different types of air trafficcontrollers who communicate with pilots,from the time the pilot calls for a clear-ance, through taxi, takeoff, cruise, arrival,landing, and taxiing to parking. Somecontrollers work in the tall towers thatyou’ve seen at airports; others stare ata radar screen miles from any airport.Some serve more than one role, forexample, when a tower controller actsas a ground controller. (See Toweredor Controlled Operations on page 13.)

CallsignsHow do the controllers keep track ofwho’s who on the radio? All aircraft use acallsign. Callsigns are composed of theregistration letters and numbers paintedon the side of the plane for civilian air-craft, airline flight numbers for airliners,and often a combination of a branchname and a number for military flights.Most countries use only letters forcallsigns; but the U.S. uses a combina-tion of letters and numbers for manycallsigns. You can change the callsign ofyour aircraft in Flight Simulator 2002(see Changing the callsign on page 44).

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WHAT IS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL?A few examples are:

“N700MS” for an aircraft that has thecivilian registration “N700MS.” Thecallsign is spoken as “November sevenzero zero Mike Sierra.” November, inthis instance, is the letter with whichall U.S. aircraft registrations begin.

“World Travel 455” for Flight 455 flownby World Travel Airlines. You generally saythis as, “World Travel four fifty–five” or“World Travel four five five.”

“Navy 44F” for a military flight. This isspoken as “Navy four four Foxtrot.”However, there are many variations ofmilitary callsigns, depending on thebranch of service, squadron designation,and what type of aircraft is being flown.You can search the Web for “militarycallsigns” to see some of the real-worldmilitary callsigns in use today.

Transponder (squawk) codesIn addition to the callsign, an aircraft canbe identified on radar by a “squawk”code. Most modern aircraft, from thelittle guys to the big planes, are equippedwith a radio called a transponder. Thepilot can dial a series of four numbers(the transponder code, or squawk code)into the transponder. The transpondercode identifies the aircraft on the ATCradar screen.

The standard real-world squawk code forVFR flight is 1200. If the flight is IFR (andin some instances while VFR) the control-ler will provide a squawk code to the pilot.

In Flight Simulator 2002, the Autotunefeature sets the squawk codes for you.To learn more about Autotune, see Usingthe Autotune feature on page 46. All ofthe aircraft in Flight Simulator 2002,with the exception of the Schweizer2–32 sailplane and the Sopwith Camel,are transponder-equipped.

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ATC IN THE REAL WORLDA common misperception about the airtraffic control system is the idea thatevery aircraft in the skies is under thecontrol of the ATC system. Actually,aircraft can fly in what is called non-towered, or uncontrolled, airspace, andin that case, they don’t have to talk toanyone. Aircraft can also fly in controlledairspace under certain conditions withoutspeaking to a controller. There are,however, certain conditions under whichan aircraft is required to talk with ATC.We’ll discuss those in the section,Understanding Airspace on page 28.

There are two sets of rules by whichflights are conducted in most countries:visual flight rules (VFR) and instrumentflight rules (IFR).

VFR flightIf the weather is above certain estab-lished standards, which roughly meansthat the visibility is above the minimumfor flying by visual reference alone (eventhough the pilot may still navigate bycockpit instruments), pilots may makeflights by visual flight rules. While VFR, apilot may fly in to and out of uncontrolled

airports without any requirement tospeak to a controller. VFR flights mayalso fly into airspace that requires themto speak to a controller.

IFR flightWhen the weather deteriorates belowthe VFR standard, pilots are required tobe “instrument rated” in order to fly. It’salso a requirement in many countries tobe instrument rated to fly above a certainaltitude (18,000 feet, or Flight Level180, in the U.S.). Most airliners in theU.S. fly on IFR flight plans, although inFlight Simulator 2002 you can choose tofly an airliner VFR. While IFR, a pilot isrequired to be in communication with ATCunless they are in areas where coverageis not available or they have a radiofailure. In Flight Simulator 2002, there isATC coverage over the entire world.

To learn more about IFR flight in FlightSimulator 2002, see IFR Flight and ATCin Flight Simulator 2002 on page 31.The ATC Handbook is not designed toteach you instrument flying procedures.To learn more about instrument flying,see Rod Machado’s Ground School.

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One of the intimidating things for manystudent pilots is the language of ATC, butit really isn’t difficult to learn. It’s struc-tured and often abbreviated, but once youlearn what to expect and what the appro-priate response should be, using ATCadds more fun to your flight experience.

Flight Simulator 2002 is an ideal tool forlearning to use the ATC system. Keep inmind that much of what you read aboutfrom here on is done for you automati-cally in Flight Simulator 2002. You don’thave to know exactly what words to use,because the phraseology is spoken foryou and the menu displays the correctchoices for the particular phase of flightyou’re in. If you make a choice on the ATCmenu in the simulator that you didn’tintend, you can make another choice. TheATC menu is not a multiple-choice quiz,so don’t feel like there’s a wrong choice.The items listed are options; think ofthem as paths to different results. Thechoice you make depends on what youwant to do.

ATC LANGUAGE

The keys to ATC communication areclarity and brevity. This is important,especially when traffic is heavy. Forthat reason, it often sounds like pilotsand controllers are speaking a speciallanguage. They are—it’s really just a typeof shorthand. The phraseology you hearin Flight Simulator 2002 is based onstandard ATC phraseology used in thereal world.

There are a number of publications that real-worldpilots use to become familiar with or to brush up onATC phraseology. You might want to purchase acopy of one or more of the following:

Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM–Pilot/Controller Glossary. See the link on the FlightSimulator 2002 Web site to the Sites to Visit page.)

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association—See thelink on the Flight Simulator 2002 Web site.

Say Again, Please by Bob Gardner; AviationSupplies & Academics (1995).

The Pilot’s Radio Communications Handbook byPaul E. Illman; McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing(1998).

The Pilot’s Reference to ATC Procedures andPhraseology by Mills and Archibald; ReavcoPublishing (2000).

Comm1–Interactive software to learnIFR ATC procedures.

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Think about the minimum amount ofinformation you can give to someone andstill communicate the relevant message.That’s what you’re shooting for with ATCcommunications. When you call a control-ler for the first time, the essential infor-mation is as follows:

1. Which controller you are calling(Seattle Approach, Denver Tower).

2. Who you are (Cessna N700MS,Baron N700MS).

3. Where you are.

4. What you want to do.

A typical transmission to a groundcontroller might fill in the blanks withthe following:

1. Los Angeles Ground

2. Learjet N700MS

3. At parking

4. Requesting taxi for takeoff

ATC LANGUAGE

The pilot makes an initial request bystating whom she’s addressing, theaircraft callsign (spoken as “Novemberseven zero zero Mike Sierra”), what typeof aircraft she’s flying, where she is, andwhat she wants. The controller respondsby approving the transition and requestingthat the pilot report when clear of theairspace. When the pilot responds, sheonly repeats the relevant portion of thecontroller’s transmission, so that thecontroller knows the pilot understands the

Pilot: “Los Angeles Ground, Learjet N700MS, atparking, requesting taxi for takeoff.”

You’ll notice when responding to a communicationfrom a controller that the phraseology you hear inFlight Simulator 2002 is often just repeating whatthe controller said, only briefer. This is how it’s donein the real world. Many communications from pilotsto controllers are a brief repetition of what thecontroller just said.

Here’s an exchange between a pilot and controller.The pilot is VFR and wants to transition throughthe airspace over Boeing Field in Seattle.

Pilot: “Boeing Tower, Cessna N700MS is typeSkylane, 2 miles west. Requesting transition.”

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, transition approved.Report clear of Boeing tower airspacesurface area.”

Pilot: “0MS will report clear.”

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expectation. Both the pilot and controlleralways use the aircraft callsign so there isno misunderstanding as to who’s talking orbeing addressed.

If you think about ATC communications asfollowing a standard, logical sequence,it’s easier for you to become familiar withthe style of communication. Some mes-sages are longer and contain a bit moreinformation than this, and some areshorter. The trick is to listen over andover to ATC phraseology until it becomessecond nature.

ATC LANGUAGE

Some real-world pilots and simulator pilots even buya handheld VHF radio and sit near their favoriteairport to listen to the ATC chatter. You can alsovisit Web sites that connect you to live, real-worldATC transmissions. See “Sites to Visit” on theFlight Simulator Web site(http://www.microsoft.com/games/fs2002/).

THE PHONETIC ALPHABETIt’s imperative that communications overair traffic control frequencies be conciseand understandable. Cockpits can oftenbe noisy, and radio audio is not alwayscrystal clear. For this reason, the interna-tional flying community uses a standardphonetic alphabet to identify callsigns andthings like runway intersections, taxiways,etc. Pilots and controllers use thisalphabet, and you should memorize it,just like a real pilot, because you’ll behearing it in Flight Simulator 2002 ATC.

Alfa

Bravo

Charlie

Delta

Echo

Foxtrot

Golf

Hotel

India

Juliet

Kilo

Lima

Mike

November

Oscar

Papa

Quebec

Romeo

VFR pilots carry charts that depict the size, shape,and altitude of airspace. Jeppesen SIMCharts aredesigned for use on IFR flights in Flight Simulator2002. See the link to the Jeppesen’s PCPilot Website on the Flight Simulator 2002 Web site.

Sierra

Tango

Uniform

Victor

Whiskey

X-ray

Yankee

Zulu

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What goes up must come down, andflights progress in a logical sequence,from startup until shut down at thedestination. The various controllers youneed to contact to get clearances whenusing the ATC system are discussed inthe following sections. In most cases, thedifferent controllers communicate onseparate frequency ranges, although it’spossible for controllers to share frequen-cies when necessary. Frequencies forairports and instrument approaches canbe found in Flight Simulator 2002’s mapdisplay (type Map in the Help index).

TOWERED, OR CONTROLLED, OPERATIONS

The following list of controllers assumesthat your flight is taking off and landing atcontrolled airports—in other words,airports that require radio communica-tions with controllers. In Flight Simulator2002, as in the real world, you can takeoff and land at uncontrolled airports aswell. (See Non-towered Operations onpage 17.)

Clearance deliveryBefore beginning a flight under instru-ment flight rules, you must obtain an IFRclearance from ATC. You have to createan IFR flight plan in Flight Simulator 2002in order to get an IFR clearance (typeFlight Planner in the Help index). Afteryou file an IFR flight plan, the first control-ler you’ll contact to begin your flight isclearance delivery. This controller willread an IFR clearance to you that definesyour destination, route, altitudes, and any

From takeoff to landing, flights follow a logical progression.A-Preflight, B-Takeoff, C-Departure, D-En Route, E-Descent,F-Approach, G-Landing.

NoteIf you use autotune in Flight Simulator 2002, tuningthe radio to the correct frequency is done auto-matically, and the appropriate ATC menu for eachphase of flight will appear. (See Using the Autotunefeature on page 46.)

D EFC

GBA

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special instructions ATC is expecting youto follow on your flight. You’re required toread the clearance back to the controller.

Ground (taxiing to the runway)Before you move from the parking area,listen to the automated weather report-ing system if one is available (see page19 of this Handbook).

To move from parking to the runway atcontrolled airports, you need to contactthe ground controller (who’s actually oneof the controllers in the tower), andrequest to taxi to the runway. You shouldstate a direction of departure in yourrequest. The Flight Simulator 2002 ATCmenu includes that choice. You can alsochoose to remain in the airport trafficpattern to practice takeoffs and landings.This is usually referred to as “touch andgo.” (For more about traffic patterns, seepage 26.) Your taxi instructions fromground can include detailed directions tothe active runway. For reasons of ground-traffic congestion, ground control maynot clear you all the way to the runway atfirst. Listen carefully, and don’t go beyondthe point to which you are instructed togo. You are not authorized to taxi until

the ground controller issues instructionsto do so. Stay on the ground frequencyuntil you are ready for takeoff. Then,contact the tower (see page 46 to learnabout autotune).

Tower (takeoff)Once you get to the runway, completeyour pre-flight checks, and are ready fortakeoff, you must contact the towercontroller. Tower controllers are in thetall tower that overlooks the airport’srunways. They generally control theairspace up to 2,500 feet above theairport in a radius of four nautical milesaround the airport. They use radar, visualsighting, and radio communications toissue clearances to take off and land,advise pilots of conflicting traffic, providethe current wind and altimeter informa-tion, and clear aircraft to transit thetower’s airspace. Tower controllers in thereal world usually rotate through assign-ments as clearance delivery and groundcontrol. Listen carefully to any additionalinstructions tower may give you. You arenot authorized to take off at the airportuntil the tower controller issues you aclearance to do so.

TOWERED OR CONTROLLED OPERATIONS

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Approach/DepartureAt many airports, there is an approachand departure controller who facilitatesmovement of IFR flights (and in certaincircumstances VFR flights) out of con-gested areas, and may issue clearancesto aircraft transiting the airspace con-trolled by departure. Tower can handflights off to departure at any time aftertakeoff, usually about half a mile past theend of the runway. The departure control-ler will then handle getting the flightthrough the area and onto its route. Theactual controller for this job is often in aTerminal Radar Approach Control(TRACON) building near a primary airportor co-located in the airport control tower.The same controllers handle approachand departure, and that’s why it’s notuncommon for you to be handed off fromtower to approach control even whenyou’re departing an airport. Don’t let thatconfuse you.

CenterThe Air Route Traffic Control Center(ARTCC, or center) controller handles amuch larger area than other controllers.

TOWERED OR CONTROLLED OPERATIONSIn the U.S., there are 23 ARTCC facili-ties, each with multistate coverage.These controllers work in secure build-ings that are often not even close to anairport. As a flight proceeds towards itsdestination, it’s handed off from onecenter controller to the next, until it ishanded off to an approach controlleror tower.

In the United States, the areas controlledby the various ARTCC facilities are brokendown as follows:

A. Seattle B. Oakland C. Los Angeles D. Salt Lake CityE. Denver F. Albuquerque G. Minneapolis H. Kansas CityI. Ft. Worth J. Houston K. Chicago L. Memphis M. ClevelandN. Indianapolis O. Atlanta P. Jackson Q. Miami R. BostonS. New York T. Washington

E

IF

G

L

RM

N

J

B

A

C OH

ST

P Q

KD

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ApproachApproach control is a facility that pro-vides radar and nonradar services to IFRand VFR aircraft arriving, departing, ortransiting the airspace controlled by theapproach facility. Essentially, this is aservice to get aircraft from the en routephase of their flight down to the pointwhere they are handed off to a tower forlanding. In the case of IFR flights, ap-proach may issue vectors (directions) toan aircraft to get them on to the finalapproach path for their destinationairport. If an airport doesn’t have aTRACON near it, this service may beprovided by ARTCC.

Tower (landing)The goal of all flights is to end safely backon the ground. The tower controller atthe destination airport handles takeoffs,landings, and transiting aircraft. On anIFR flight, the pilot will be instructed whento contact the tower controller. On a VFRflight, it’s customary to contact the towerabout 10 to 15 miles from the airportafter listening to automated informationabout the airport (see Getting AirportInformation on page 19). The tower

controller issues instructions on how toapproach the airport (how to enter thetraffic pattern) and may provide trafficand weather information. You are notauthorized to land at the airport until thetower controller issues you a clearanceto do so.

Ground (taxiing to parking)Once you are off the active runway, towerinstructs you to contact the ground control-ler. Ground provides a route from yourlocation to where you want to park. Forreasons of ground-traffic congestion,ground control may not clear you all theway to parking in their first clearance.Listen carefully, and don’t go beyond thepoint to which you are cleared. You arenot authorized to taxi until the groundcontroller issues you a clearance to do so.

TOWERED OR CONTROLLED OPERATIONS

The Flight Simulator 2002 ATC team toured severaltowers, TRACONs, and ARTCCs in order toaccurately model real-world ATC. The controllersat these facilities are usually receptive to givingtours to the public and strongly encourage real-world pilots to see what it’s like on the other sideof the microphone. Contact the tower at your localairport for more information.

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Airports that do not have control facilities(ground, tower, approach, or departure)are called non-towered, or uncontrolled,airports. Pilots operating on or aroundthese airports use a Common TrafficAdvisory Frequency or CTAF (usuallypronounced “see-taf”) to announce theirintentions to other aircraft in the area. Inaddition, some airports have towers thatdon’t operate 24 hours a day; theseairports use CTAF when the tower isnot in operation.

In Flight Simulator 2002, the ATC menuautomatically lists CTAF message choiceswhen operating at non-towered airports.When departing a CTAF airport, youshould announce your intention to taxi andto take off. When you are 10 to 15 milesaway from arrival at a CTAF airport, youshould announce your intention to enterthe traffic pattern and land. You addressthe other aircraft in the area as “Traffic.”By making these announcements, you’renot only telling this information to pilots atthe airport, you’re announcing it to anyoneelse in the area listening on the sameCTAF frequency (all the more reason tokeep it brief, but informative).

NON-TOWERED OPERATIONSThe idea behind CTAF communications issimilar to that at controlled facilities. Youwant to state the following:

1. Who you are talking to.

2. Who you are.

3. Where you are.

4. What you want to do.

An example of a flight out of BremertonNational Airport near Seattle, Washingtonmight state this information as follows:

1. Bremerton Traffic

2. Mooney N700MS

3. Taking off

4. Runway 19, Bremerton

Pilot: “Bremerton Traffic, MooneyN700MS, taking off, Runway 19,northeast departure, Bremerton.”

Note that the order of the sentence isn’tthe primary issue. What’s important isthat you tell other aircraft that might beoperating on or near Bremerton NationalAirport that you’re about to launch intothe skies from Runway 19 at Bremertonand that you’re leaving the area tothe northeast.

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It’s important to acknowledge the trans-missions you receive from air trafficcontrollers. The pilot’s response to amessage from ATC is often an abbreviatedread-back of the controller’s message.

Example:

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, turn rightheading 270, descend and maintain15,000, contact Seattle Approach on134.85. Good day.”

Pilot: “Right to 270, maintain 15,000,Approach on 134.85, Cessna 0MS.”

ACKNOWLEDGING ATC TRANSMISSIONSWhen you receive a message from ATCin Flight Simulator 2002, the ATC menuautomatically displays a selection ofresponses to be transmitted by you, thepilot. In the example shown, the followinglist appears in the ATC menu after thecontroller message. Choosing number 1results in the pilot message shown in theprevious paragraph:

1. Acknowledge instruction

2. Say again

ASKING ATC TO REPEAT MESSAGES

The standard terminology to use whenasking ATC to repeat a transmission is tosay the name of the controlling facility,your callsign, and “say again.” For ex-ample, an approach controller might tellyou to turn to a certain heading, descend,and tune the transponder to a particularsquawk code. If you didn’t get all of thattransmission, you would say, “SeattleApproach, Cessna 700MS, say again.”

When the controller has transmitted amessage, the last item in the menu is“Say again.” Select this menu item to hearthe last controller message repeated.

Example:

1. Acknowledge instruction

2. Say again

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Selected airports have recorded orautomated systems that give weatherand non-control information to departingand arriving flights. The AutomatedTerminal Information Service (ATIS),Automated Surface Observation System(ASOS), and the Automated WeatherObservation System (AWOS) broadcastairport information that is important forflight safety. These systems relievefrequency congestion by automatingrepetitive, but essential, information.Each time ATIS is updated (usually hourlyor if there are changes in conditions atthe airport), a new phonetic letter isassigned to the broadcast. When youtune an ATIS broadcast, you will hear itidentified as “Information <phonetic lettersuch as Alfa>.” In the real world, ASOSand AWOS broadcasts are updatedminute-by-minute because they areautomated systems that take weatherreadings constantly. In Flight Simulator2002, ASOS and AWOS update at thesame rate as ATIS. ASOS and AWOS donot give an identifier when they update.

GETTING AIRPORT INFORMATION (ATIS/ASOS/AWOS)

ATIS broadcasts include the following:

Airport/facility name

The phonetic code for the currentbroadcast (alpha, bravo, and so on.)

Time of the weather broadcast in UTC(coordinated universal time, otherwiseknown as Greenwich Mean Time orZulu time)

Weather information that includes• Wind direction

• Visibility

• Cloud height and the ceiling

• Temperature

• Dew point

• Altimeter setting

• Other important weather observations, such as thunderstorms

NoteIn Flight Simulator 2002, ATIS, ASOS, and AWOSinformation is updated when you make changes tothe weather in the simulator. Although there areseparate frequencies for ASOS and AWOS, the twoservices are the same in Flight Simulator 2002 andare reported as AWOS.

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Feel free to listen numerous times toATIS and AWOS broadcasts until theformat becomes familiar to you.

To listen to a typical automatedweather broadcast in FlightSimulator 2002:

1. On the World menu, selectGo to Airport.

2. Type Boeing Field in the AirportName box.

3. Click OK.

4. Press SHIFT+2 to display the radios.

5. Press C to select the primary fre-quency numbers on Com 1 radio (thenumbers to the left of the decimal).

6. Press the plus key (+) on the keyboardto change the numbers to 127 or usethe mouse wheel.

GETTING AIRPORT INFORMATION (ATIS/ASOS/AWOS)7. Press the C key twice to select the

secondary frequency numbers onCom 1 radio (the numbers to theright of the decimal).

8. Press the plus key (+) on the key-board to change the numbers to .75or use the mouse wheel.

9. Click the white button labeled STBY.

NoteAlthough you don’ft transmit to ATIS, the heading inthe ATC menu always reads, “Choose a message totransmit to...”. ATIS frequencies vary from airportto airport. Use the map view to get the ATISfrequency, or select Tune ATIS from the ATC menuto have autotune tune the frequency for you.

ATC Handbook | 21

Large airports can be a confusing place.Even for commercial airline pilots, movinga big airplane with limited visibility aroundan unfamiliar airport can be tricky.There’s help, however. You can use anAirport/Facility Directory (A/FD), whichincludes airport diagrams for largeairports. A/FDs can be purchasedfrom most pilot supply stores. You canalso check out Jeppesen’s PCPilot Website for information on SIMCharts (seethe link on the Flight Simulator 2002Web site).

You can ask for progressive taxi instruc-tions at towered airports (see Getting tothe Runway on page 23), and the groundcontroller will direct you to the runway orto parking. Take a look at the followingdiagram. This is a top-down view of anairport. The layout of the runways, taxi-ways, and buildings is similar to what you’llfind at airports in Flight Simulator 2002.Study the way the runways, taxiways, andparking are laid out. This will give yousome idea of what to expect at airports inFlight Simulator 2002.

AIRPORTS FROM THE TOP DOWN

A. Terminal, B. Tower, C. Aircraft ramp, D. Taxiwaydesignation, E. Runway designation

B1

B2

C2C1

2R2L

A C

BD

E

ATC Handbook | 22

Given the long range of many modernaircraft, it’s not surprising that theyoften fly through the airspace ofmultiple controllers along the routeto their destination. Even going fromthe parking area to the runway, a pilotwill often speak to different controllersat controlled airports.

When under the control of ATC, pilotsget “handed off” from one controller tothe next until they reach their destination.The handoff is simple: the controllerinstructs the pilot to contact the nextcontroller and provides the frequencyon which the contact should be made.

Examples:

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, contact BoeingTower on 120.6.”

Pilot: “Going to 120.6, Cessna 0MS.”

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, contactSeattle Departure on 120.1.”

Pilot: “Departure on 120.1, Cessna 0MS.”

GETTING HANDED OFFThe pilot then tunes in the new frequencyand notifies the new controller that he ison the controller’s frequency.

Pilot: “Seattle Center, World Travel 1123is level at FL280.”

Pilot: “Denver Approach, Baron N700MSwith you.”

Pilot: “Jackson Departure, LearjetN700MS is climbing through 10,500for FL320.”

ATC Handbook | 23

It isn’t just the air above the airport thatis busy with traffic. If you’ve been to anairport recently, you know that ground-traffic congestion is another big safetyconsideration. Moving a lot of machineryfull of people from parking to the runwayis an often-complicated job, and it falls tothe ground controller to accomplish itefficiently and safely. At towered airports,you must make a request to taxi beforemoving from the parking area or gate.

In Flight Simulator 2002, you can beginyour flight at a parking spot or gate,depending on the airport and the type ofaircraft you choose to fly (you can alsostart at the runway). If you’re usingautotune, the ground frequency is tunedfor you (see Using the Autotune featureon page 46). You might find it easier tonavigate to the runway if you switch to aview outside the cockpit (type Spot PlaneView in the Help index).

Parking spotsParking spots at many airports looksimilar to a public parking lot: a bigexpanse of pavement with airplanesparked wing-to-wing. From a parkingspot, tune to the ground control fre-

GETTING TO THE RUNWAY

quency and request to taxi to the activerunway. Ground control will give youinstructions on how they want you toproceed, and at larger airports, groundcontrol will also indicate the specifictaxiway or taxiways they want you to useen route to the runway.

Parking gatesYou probably know from flying on com-mercial airliners that the big boys don’tusually park in parking spots at hugecommercial airports. They park at whatis termed a “gate.” A gate is attached toa terminal building, and in the real world,the gate is often permanently assignedto a particular airline. Gates are notassigned to a particular airline in FlightSimulator 2002.

From a gate, tune to the ground controlfrequency and request to “push back”(see next paragraph) from the gate andthen request to taxi to the active runway.Ground control will give you instructionson how they want you to proceed, and atlarger airports, ground control indicatesthe specific taxiway or taxiways they wantyou to use en route to the runway.

ATC Handbook | 24

PushbackMost of the time, the aircraft parked ata gate in Flight Simulator 2002 will bethe larger planes, like the Boeing 737,Boeing 777, and the Boeing 747. Theseplanes must be pushed back from thegate before they can taxi to the runway.In the real world, this task is accom-plished by a “tug,” a small tractor de-signed for the job. When you’re parkedat a gate in Flight Simulator 2002, you’llneed to have your aircraft pushed backbefore you can request a taxi clearance.To get a pushback:

1. Press SHIFT+P to push straight back.

Or

1. Press SHIFT+P and then press 1 toturn the tail of the aircraft to the leftas it pushes back.

Or

1. Press SHIFT+P and then press 2 toturn the tail of the aircraft to the rightas it pushes back.

2. Press SHIFT+P again to stopmoving back.

After the pushback, the menu includes a“Request taxi” option.


Taxiway markingsPainted lines on the taxiway mark thepath between parking and the runway.

The taxiway centerline is a continuousyellow line.

Edges of taxiways are often markedwith two parallel lines six inches apart.

Taxiway hold lines consist of twocontinuous lines and two dashed linesperpendicular to the taxiway centerline.Pilots should stop short of the holdingline for runup (the engine andinstrument check before takeoff) orwhen instructed to hold short by ATC.Aircraft leaving a runway after landingare not clear of the runway until theaircraft is past the runway hold line.

ATC Handbook | 25

Aircraft at runway hold line.

Progressive taxiIn the real world, pilots often fly into orout of unfamiliar airports. It can beconfusing to determine how to get fromparking to the runway or vice versa. Inthis situation, the pilot can requestprogressive taxi instructions from theground controller. You can do this inFlight Simulator 2002 at most toweredairports as well. When you tune (orautotune) ground control, one of the ATCmenu items is “Request Progressive


Taxi.” Select this item, and a line is drawnon the taxiway from your present locationto the runway or parking space. The lineis drawn directly from your position to therunway or parking space, so you mayhave to look around the aircraft to seewhere it starts. Using Spot Plane viewis helpful (type Spot Plane View in theHelp index).

Hold short instructionsIt’s important to listen carefully to allinstructions issued by ATC. Hold shortinstructions are issued by ground control-lers when there is a potential for conflict-ing traffic. The ground controller willoften ask you to hold short of the activerunway and may tell you to hold short ofany runways you have to cross on theway to the runway. If you receive a holdshort instruction, heed the warning andacknowledge the controller’s instruction.Taxiway hold lines consist of two continu-ous lines and two dashed lines perpen-dicular to the taxiway centerline (see thegraphic in the Taxiway markings sectionon page 24).

ATC Handbook | 26

Imagine an intersection with a dozen ormore highways feeding into it. If everyonejust went in any direction they wanted, achaotic and unsafe situation would becreated. Similarly, traffic arriving anddeparting an airport needs to be orderlyand logical. Pilots need to know what toexpect from other pilots operating in thearea. For this reason, there are standardpatterns established for arriving anddeparting the airspace around airports.

There is only one active runway at anyairport in Flight Simulator 2002. It isalways the longest runway at the airportthat is most closely aligned with the wind.

TRAFFIC PATTERNS AT AIRPORTSare used to avoid terrain or traffic pat-terns of nearby airports or to providenoise abatement. There are four sides,or “legs,” to the traffic pattern:

Downwind: The aircraft is moving in thesame direction as the wind, and therunway is to the pilot’s left or right, lyingparallel to her course.

Base: The wind and runway are tothe pilot’s left or right, perpendicularto her course.

Final: The aircraft is headed into thewind, and the runway is dead ahead.

Upwind: The aircraft is flying intothe wind, and the runway is behindthe aircraft.

When flying into any airport, it’s goodpractice and a safe habit to contact theairport 10 to 15 miles out and communi-cate your intention to land. State whereyou are, where you’re landing, and, if theairport is uncontrolled, how you’re goingto enter the pattern. You’ll hear theseposition reports in Flight Simulator 2002when you select a landing airport andlanding type (full stop, touch and go, andso on.) from the ATC menu.

Standard airport traffic pattern: A. Downwind leg B. Base legC. Final leg D. Upwind leg E. Crosswind leg

The standard pattern at most airports isa rectangle with left turns, but someairports have the pattern on the oppositeside with right turns. Right-hand patterns

AB

C D

E

ATC Handbook | 27

A typical call at an uncontrolled airportmight sound like this:

Pilot: “Bremerton Traffic, CessnaN700MS is 10 miles northwest, 2,500,inbound full stop, left traffic, Runway 19,Bremerton.”

The pilot is announcing to other air trafficon the common frequency that he is 10miles from the airport at 2,500 feet. Thepilot intends to enter the pattern on theleft downwind leg, land, and make a fullstop on Runway 19 at Bremerton. Youdon’t have to know exactly how far awayyou are in Flight Simulator 2002 becausethe distance is calculated for you. Whenyou choose an arrival message from theATC menu, you’ll hear the distance fromthe airport stated in the message.

TRAFFIC PATTERNS AT AIRPORTSAt a controlled airport that has ATIS,the call would sound like this:

Pilot: “Boeing Tower, Cessna N700MSis 10 miles northwest, with Bravo,full stop.”

The pilot addresses the controller, statesthe aircraft callsign, where he is, that hehas the ATIS airport information ( “withBravo”), and that he wants to make afull-stop landing. The tower controllerresponds with instructions and possiblytraffic information. The pilot is told howthe controller wants the pilot to enterthe traffic pattern.

Controller: “Cessna N700MS, BoeingTower, make right traffic, Runway 31R.”

In this case, the controller tells theCessna to enter the downwind forRunway 31R using “right traffic,” ormaking right turns in the pattern.

ATC Handbook | 28

It’s not essential that you understand theway airspace is carved up in order toenjoy using ATC and radio communica-tions in Flight Simulator 2002. In FlightSimulator 2002, the ATC menu changesaccording to various factors, somehaving to do with what type of airspaceyou’re in or approaching. In the realworld, you’re required to speak with acontroller to enter certain classes ofairspace. If you don’t speak to a control-ler in Flight Simulator 2002, we won’ttake your pilot certificate away. However,if you’re interested in what variousairspace classifications mean in theUnited States, read on.

U.S. airspace classificationsClass A (alfa)

Airspace from 18,000 ft (5,486 m)above mean sea level (MSL) up to andincluding FL600 (Flight Level 600 =60,000 ft/18,288 m). Unless otherwiseauthorized, pilots must operate underinstrument flight rules in Class A airspace.

UNDERSTANDING AIRSPACE

A-Class Alfa, B-Class Bravo, C-Class Charlie, D-Class Delta,E-Class Echo, G-Class Golf

Class B (bravo)

Controlled airspace from the surface to10,000 ft (3,048 m) AGL surroundingthe busiest airports. Class B airspacevolumes are individually tailored, butusually include airspace within 30 milesof the primary airport. It’s often referredto as an upside-down wedding cake, andyou can see why looking at the graphic

Not Part of ATC System

FL 600

18,000’ MSL

10,000’ MSL

14,500’ MSL

A

B

CD

E

G

ATC Handbook | 29

(although not all Class B volumes areshaped this way). To operate in Class Bairspace, there are requirements interms of pilot certification, weatherconditions, and aircraft equipment in thereal world that you don’t need to worryabout in Flight Simulator 2002. You’rerequired to contact and receive a clear-ance from ATC prior to entering Class Bairspace. In Flight Simulator 2002, ATCbehaves as though Flight Followingservice is automatic when departingairports in Class B or Class C airspace.

Class C (charlie)

Airspace from the surface to 4,000 ft(1,219 m) AGL above an airport with anoperational control tower and that isserviced by a TRACON. Class C airspaceis individually tailored for the airport, butit usually extends for five nautical miles(9.26 km) from the surface to 4,000 ft,and then has a shelf area extending to10 nautical miles (18.52 km) from1,200 ft (366 m) to 4,000 ft. You’rerequired to establish communication withATC prior to entering Class C airspace.

UNDERSTANDING AIRSPACEClass D (delta)

Airspace from the surface to 2,500 ft(762 m) MSL above an airport with anoperational control tower. Class D air-space is individually tailored for theairport it surrounds. You’re required toestablish communication with ATC priorto entering Class D airspace.

Class E (echo)

All other controlled airspace that is notClass A, B, C, or D. You’re not required tocommunicate with anyone when flying inClass E airspace unless the weather is IFR.

Class G (golf)

Uncontrolled airspace with three differentaltitude levels: from the surface up toand including 1,200 ft (365.76 m)above ground level (AGL), more than1,200 ft AGL but less than 10,000 ft(3,048 m) MSL, and at or above 10,000ft MSL up to but not including 14,500 ft(4,420 m) MSL. You’re not required tocommunicate with anyone when flying inClass G airspace.

ATC Handbook | 30

There are two sets of rules by whichflights are conducted in most countries:visual flight rules (VFR) and instrumentflight rules (IFR). If the weather is abovecertain established standards, whichroughly means that the visibility is abovethe minimum for flying by visual referencealone (even though the pilot may stillnavigate by cockpit instruments), pilotsmay make flights by visual flight rules.While VFR, a pilot may fly into and out ofuncontrolled airports without any require-ment to speak to a controller. VFR flightswith requirements to speak to a control-ler are listed in the previous section.

Just as in the real world, you don’t haveto interact with ATC when flying VFR inFlight Simulator 2002. In fact, in FlightSimulator, it’s even more flexible, becauseyou don’t have to talk with controllerseven in VFR situations that would requirecommunication in the real world.

The point to remember when flying VFR inFlight Simulator is that ATC is there tohelp you. You can communicate whenflying into airports, request transitionsthrough controlled airspace, and requestFlight Following service (see Airspacetransitions on page 39 and FlightFollowing on page 40).

VFR FLIGHT AND ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002Another advantage of talking with control-lers while under VFR is that the controllerwill tell you about air traffic flying nearyou. The controller won’t tell you aboutevery aircraft, but will help keep youadvised when she’s not busy (see TrafficMessages from ATC on page 36).

You can use the Flight Planner to plan atrip from one airport to another in VFRconditions (type Flight Planner in the Helpindex). One advantage to this is that youcan use the GPS to follow your route andeven have the autopilot track it for you.You’re not filing a flight plan when you usethe Flight Planner under VFR, so there’sno flight plan that you must cancel at theend of your flight (as is required in thereal world).

The times when you will communicate with ATCwhile VFR in Flight Simulator 2002 are as follows(if you want to play by the real-world airspaceregulations shown on page 28):

• Operating within or transitioningClass B airspace

• Operating within or transitioningClass C airspace

• Operating within or transitioningClass D airspace

While using Flight Following

ATC Handbook | 31

Flight in instrument meteorological condi-tions (IMC) is often the most challengingand interesting kind of flying a pilot can do.You can set weather conditions in FlightSimulator 2002 to be as easy or asdifficult as you like, or even download real-world weather off the World Wide Web.To learn more about setting weather, typeWeather in the Help index.

The ATC Handbook is not designed toteach you instrument flying procedures.To learn more about instrument flying,see Rod Machado’s Ground School. Ifthere are terms anywhere in this Hand-book that you don’t understand, see theATC Glossary on page 60.

Getting an IFR clearanceBefore flying IFR in Flight Simulator2002, you have to create a flight plan.To learn more about using the FlightPlanner, type Flight Planner in the Helpindex. Once you’ve created a flight plan,you can call clearance delivery to get yourclearance. It will be read to you, and you’llbe required to read it back. All clear-

IFR FLIGHT AND ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002ances in Flight Simulator 2002 areissued as filed, and route details are notincluded in the clearance. It’s possible inrare instances that Approach frequencyboundaries bisect an airport. When thathappens, you might get a differentdeparture frequency in your IFR clear-ance than you get from the tower whenthey hand you off, because you cross theboundary during taxi or takeoff.

DPs (departure procedures)and STARs (standard terminalarrival routes)Routes incorporating published DPs orSTARs are not issued in clearances andcannot be requested in Flight Simulator2002. You can still create these routes,however, by customizing your waypointsin the Flight Planner file (files with a .plnextension are Flight Planner files). Youwill still hear ATC clear your flight “asfiled,” without including a DP or STAR.To learn more about customizingwaypoints in routes, type CreatingCustom Waypoints in the Help index.

ATC Handbook | 32

Canceling IFRIf for any reason during your flight youwant to cancel IFR, you may do so.“Cancel IFR” appears as one of the menuoptions during most phases of an IFRflight. When you choose this menu item,you’ll be asked to confirm that you wantto cancel IFR. This prevents inadvertentcancellation of an IFR flight plan.

If you cancel IFR on the way to the run-way, ATC will instruct you to taxi to therunway to request a VFR departure fromthe tower. If you cancel IFR above18,000 ft, you will not be instructed todescend below 18,000 ft as you wouldbe in the real world.

ATC cancels your IFR flight plan automati-cally under the following circumstances(ATC notifies you in all instances exceptthe first):

You land at your filed destination.

You exceed a clearance void time.

You exceed a clearance and don’trespond to the controller’s instructionsto correct the error.

You don’t respond to controllertransmissions.

You’re handed off to a controllerand you land somewhere otherthan your destination.

ILS approachesAt Flight Simulator 2002 airports withprecision approaches, the ILS alignedwith the active runway is the defaultinstrument approach. The controller willvector you onto the final approach courseunless you request the full procedure. Ifyou declare a missed approach, theapproach controller will direct you backfor another attempt unless you choosea different action in the ATC menu.

Visual approachesIt’s frequently the case in the real worldthat if conditions allow, controllers willclear pilots for a visual approach. Therunway or airport environment must bein sight, or you must be able to followother traffic to the airport to be clearedfor a visual approach. When flying aprecision approach in Flight Simulator2002, “Request visual approach” willbe one of the ATC menu items as soonas you’re cleared for the ILS.

IFR FLIGHT AND ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002

ATC Handbook | 33

Missed approachesIf you make the approach and either can’tsee the runway or are practicing multipleapproaches, you can declare a missedapproach. You’ll be routed back onto theapproach course to attempt the ap-proach again. “Declare missed approach”will be one of the ATC menu items assoon as you’re cleared for the approach.

Full procedure approachesYou cannot request to fly the full proce-dure during ILS approaches. If you fly thefull procedure, ATC in Flight Simulator willdetect that you’re off the course that youwere cleared to fly.

Non-precision approachesNon-precision approaches are notsupported by ATC in this version ofFlight Simulator. While you can stillfly non-precision approaches (becausethe navaids used for the approachesare in the simulator), you can’t requesta non-precision approach, andclearances will not be issued fornon-precision approaches.


Non-aligned approachesIf the only instrument approach availableat a particular airport is not aligned withthe active runway, then you, as pilot, areresponsible for knowing how to land. Youmust circle to land if the final approachcourse is more than 30 degrees fromthe runway heading.

VectorsIn Flight Simulator 2002, ATC issuesvectors to you when you’re makinginstrument approaches and when you’restraying off your filed course. The vectorincludes an instruction to turn left orright and a new heading to follow.

Requesting flight to thealternate airportDiversions to an alternate airport are notsupported by Flight Simulator 2002.

Non-towered IFRYou can create IFR flight plans into andout of uncontrolled airports in FlightSimulator 2002. When departing IFR atan uncontrolled airport, ATC issues aclearance and a clearance void time. If you

ATC Handbook | 34

do not contact the departure controller bythe clearance void time, your IFR flightplan is cancelled (Flight Simulator 2002ATC notifies you of the cancellation). Allclearance void times are 30 minutes fromthe time that the clearance is read.

When arriving at a non-towered airport onan IFR flight plan, approach control clearsyou for the approach and instructs you tochange to the advisory frequency. Onceyou switch to the advisory frequency, theATC menu includes two missed approachoptions. You can choose to announce themissed approach to traffic on the advisoryfrequency, or you can bypass that andchoose to announce the missed approachdirectly to the approach controller. Whenyou choose to notify the approach control-ler that you’ve gone missed approach,you’re routed back onto the course toattempt the approach again. You cancancel IFR and request a VFR landingat this point.

IFR altitudesThe Flight Planner in Flight Simulator2002 assigns an altitude based on yourroute (type Flight Planner in the Helpindex). However, you can choose a differ-ent altitude in the Flight Planner. Whetheryou use the default altitude assigned bythe Flight Planner or set an altitudeyourself, this is the altitude to which you’llbe cleared in your IFR clearance.

GPS and instrument flightsUse the GPS in Flight Simulator 2002to lessen the workload on instrumentflights. When you couple the autopilot tothe GPS, the aircraft automatically followsATC vectors since the ATC system inFlight Simulator 2002 uses GPSwaypoints, even on airways.


ATC Handbook | 35

In Flight Simulator 2002, ATC alertsyou to situations in which certain thingsrequire your attention. Rather thanscolding you, alert messages are de-signed to help you stay within expectedparameters. Sometimes it’s just a gentlereminder to help you stay on course, but

also includes giving you vectors (direc-tions) to avoid terrain. In most cases,you must either acknowledge the trans-mission or take the corrective action thatthe controller instructs you to take. Thefollowing table provides some examples.

ATC ALERT MESSAGES

Cessna 1228T, did you hearmy last transmission?

Baron 43X, ATC servicesterminated. Good day.

World Travel 899, you arenot cleared to takeoff.

Extra 77CR, you werenot cleared to land. Clearthe runway.

Pilot has not acknowledgedan instruction from ATC.

Aircraft has exceeded theextent of ATC coverage.

Aircraft has taxied onto theactive runway or taken offwithout clearance.

Aircraft has landed withoutclearance.

Acknowledge controller’stransmission.

No action required.

Stop immediately if on theground, or fly away fromthe area if in the air.

Clear the runway.

Examples:Controller Reason for alert Action required

ATC Handbook | 36

12

3

5

9

You’re not alone out there. Motoringaround both the real skies and the FlightSimulator skies are other aircraft that mayconflict with your flight path. Air trafficcontrollers may advise you of potentialconflicts. These are known as “trafficcalls,” and they follow a standard format:

1. Who the controller is addressing.

2. Where the traffic is.

3. What the traffic is.

4. What you should do.

Example:

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, traffic is fivemiles, two o’clock, 7,500, type 767.Report them in sight.”

The controller in this example is address-ing Cessna 0MS. A Boeing 767 is fivemiles from Cessna 0MS at 7,500 feet.“Two o’clock” refers to the position of thetraffic in relation to Cessna 0MS.

TRAFFIC MESSAGES FROM ATC

In other words, if Cessna 0MS wassitting on the face of a clock with itsnose towards the 12, the little handwould point at the 2 on the clock—thatis, the relative position at which theBoeing 767 is located. The controllerwants to know if Cessna 0MS sees thetraffic and wants 0MS to report if orwhen the traffic is in sight.

ATC Handbook | 37

The pilot’s response might be:

Pilot: “Traffic in sight, Cessna 0MS. ”

Or

Pilot: “Traffic not in sight, Cessna 0MS. ”

Other aircraft in the Flight Simulator 2002world are marked with text labels. You willsee the aircraft’s callsign attached as atext label as the aircraft moves.

Aircraft not seenIf Cessna 0MS never sees the Boeing 767(despite the size of this aircraft, it’s moredifficult than you might think to spot otherplanes in the sky), the controller may letthem know when the traffic is no longerimportant to the pilot. The pilot might hear:

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, traffic nolonger a factor.”

Type unknownSometimes, the controller can only tellthe pilot where the traffic is relative tothe pilot’s position. Then the pilot hearsa position report, such as “…traffic istwo o’clock… .” If the aircraft referredto in the traffic report has a Mode Ctransponder (all aircraft in Flight Simula-tor 2002 are Mode C-equipped exceptthe Schweizer and the Sopwith), thecontroller can give altitude informationin the traffic call, as in, “…traffic is twoo’clock, 5,000....”

If the controller doesn’t know the type ofaircraft, she will simply say, “…typeunknown.” If you have imported add-onaircraft into Flight Simulator 2002, youmay hear them referred to in trafficreports as “type unknown.”


Aircraft 888RW identified as 0.3 miles away.

ATC Handbook | 38

Traffic alertsWhen traffic is close and on a courseand altitude that could present a hazard,the controller may begin the traffic callwith the phrase, “Traffic Alert!” That’s acue to look quickly and carefully in thedirection of the traffic. You may have tomaneuver to avoid a collision.

When you are operating under VFR, ATCmakes traffic calls only under certaincircumstances. The controller may notadvise you of all traffic that might conflictwith your flight.

IFR flights and traffic callsIf the pilot is on an IFR flight plan, ATC iswatching the traffic around them. How-ever, the controller is responsible formaintaining separation between aircraftwithin her airspace because, in theory,IFR aircraft are in clouds and the pilotscan’t see each other.


VFR flights and traffic callsIf the pilot is operating under VFR rules,traffic calls are given when the pilot istransitioning airspace and talking to acontroller, when the pilot is using FlightFollowing, and when the pilot is in theairport terminal airspace, provided thecontroller isn’t too busy. Under VFR rules,it’s the pilot’s responsibility to maintainseparation from other aircraft.

Speed adjustments toaccommodate trafficControllers may also ask you to adjustyour speed to accommodate aircraftahead or behind you that are sloweror faster than your aircraft.

ATC Handbook | 39

The shortest route between any two pointsis a straight line, and sometimes, thismeans flying through controlled airspace.The airspace might be busy or have trafficthat is bigger and faster than the pilot’saircraft (or vice versa), and it makes goodsense for the pilot to talk to a controllerwhile in this airspace. The pilot could avoidthis by flying around the airspace (whichrequires that the pilot have a sectionalchart depicting the airspace), but thatmight mean adding considerable time anddistance to the flight.

Getting a transition clearance is easy inFlight Simulator 2002. Whenever you flytowards airspace in which a transitionclearance is available or required, theATC menu includes “Request transition.”When you select this item, you’ll hearsomething like this:

Pilot: “Seattle Approach, CessnaN700MS, 10 miles east of Boeing Field,5,000. Request clearance to transitionSeattle Class B airspace.”

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, SeattleApproach, squawk 2212.”

AIRSPACE TRANSITIONSPilot: “Squawk 2212, Cessna 0MS.”

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, radarcontact seven miles east of BoeingField, 5,000. Cleared through theSeattle Class B airspace.”

The pilot has addressed the ARTCCcontroller in Seattle stating who he is,where he is, at what altitude he’s flying,and what he wants from the controller.The controller called 0MS and told him todial 2212 into his transponder. 0MSresponded by reading back the squawkcode. Once the controller acquired 0MS’starget on the radar screen, the controllertold 0MS that she had radar contact,and then she cleared the Cessna throughSeattle’s Class B airspace. In the case ofClass D airspace, the menu will displaythe name of the controller. That wayyou’ll be able to choose which toweredairspace you want to transition.

Once through the airspace, the ATCmenu will contain the item “Reportclear of airspace.” Select this itemto let the controller know you’re clearof the airspace.

ATC Handbook | 40

Flight Following is a radar service for VFRaircraft that provides traffic advisorieswhen the controller isn’t too busy. It’s auseful service when pilots are flyingcross-country and may have to transitionmultiple controllers’ airspaces, as theydon’t have to request a transition fromeach controller along the way and canget traffic advisories. It also meanssomeone knows where they are, whichcan be reassuring if the engine quits overDeath Valley or the Sahara. Keep in mind,however, that the pilot is still responsiblefor navigation while using Flight Following.

Any time you’re in airspace where FlightFollowing is available and you’re VFR inFlight Simulator 2002, the ATC menulists “Request Flight Following” as one ofthe options. When you select this item,you’ll hear something like this:

Pilot: “Seattle Center, Cessna N700MS istype Skylane, five miles east of BremertonNational Airport, for Flight Following.”

FLIGHT FOLLOWINGController: “Cessna 0MS, Seattle Center,squawk 2212.”

Pilot: “Squawk 2212, Cessna 0MS.”

Controller: “Cessna 0MS, radar contactseven miles east of Bremerton, 5,000.Current altimeter 3102.”

Pilot: “Roger, Cessna 0MS.”

The pilot has addressed the ARTCCcontroller in Seattle stating who she is,where she is, at what altitude she’s flying,and what she wants from the controller.The controller responded to 0MS, tellingher to dial 2212 into her transponder.0MS responded by reading back thesquawk code. Once the controller ac-quired 0MS’s target on the radar screen,the controller told the pilot that he hadradar contact and then gave her thecurrent local altimeter setting.

ATC Handbook | 41

The altimeter in an aircraft provides pilotswith information about their altitude. Inother words, it tells them how high abovemean sea level (MSL) they are. Altim-eters work by measuring differences inatmospheric pressure at different alti-tudes. It’s critical to know your altitude,especially when in the clouds, and thealtimeter reading changes depending onlocal atmospheric pressure. For a morecomplete explanation of altimeters, seeRod Machado’s Ground School.

In some countries, altimeter settings aremeasured in inches of mercury, and inother countries, in millibars. The control-lers issue current local altimeter settingsby stating the atmospheric pressure ininches of mercury or millibars. The pilotmust then dial this setting into theKollsman window of the altimeter (thesmall window on the altimeter face).

ALTIMETER SETTINGS

Controllers often provide local altimeterreadings when the pilot first contacts thecontroller. Listen for phraseology similarto the following:

Controller: “…current altimeter 29.92.”

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When you hear this, check the currentaltimeter setting in your aircraft to makesure it matches the one the controllergave you. In Flight Simulator 2002,you can choose whether the altimetersetting is in inches of mercury (U.S.)or millibars (metric).

To switch between U.S. and metricaltimeter settings:

1. From the Options menu, chooseSettings/International.

2. Choose the settings you want, andthen click OK.

To change the altimeter settings:

Click the altimeter calibration knobon the altimeter.

ALTIMETER SETTINGS

ATC Handbook | 43

Helicopter flights are no different fromfixed-wing flights with regards to ATC inFlight Simulator 2002. You can requesttakeoff and landing clearance and fly IFRapproaches in the Bell 206. There are nospecial taxi or pattern-entry instructionsissued to helicopter flights.

If you call the ground controller, you’llstill be told to taxi to a runway to takeoff.You’ll have to hover taxi to and land justshort of the runway before the menuwill list the tower controller options.Alternatively, you can just take off fromyour parking spot without ever contactingATC. After takeoff, the menu changes toa list of airports at which to land.

HELICOPTER OPERATIONSATC will not issue clearances to landon buildings, ships, or anywhere exceptan airport.

ATC does not recognize that a helicopteris different from any other aircraft, butwhen you land directly in a parking spot,the menu will change to display takeoffoptions (as opposed to options for taxiingin from a runway like you would see afterlanding on a runway).

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IntroductionIf you are a real-world pilot or if youalready have knowledge of the ATCsystem, you’ll love this new feature. Ifyou’re new to ATC, we’ve worked hardto make your introduction to the systemfun and easy (see the ATC lesson in RodMachado’s Ground School). The mainthing to keep in mind is that the interac-tion between pilots and controllers is akind of conversation. You’ll either makerequests from controllers or respondto their instructions. You may also wantto check out Real-World Differenceson page 55.

There are two aspects to learning ATC inFlight Simulator 2002: learning the ATCsystem and language, and learning theATC menu. Learning the system involvesknowing who to talk to and what to expectfrom the ATC controllers who are commu-nicating with you (see What is Air TrafficControl? on page 7). Learning ATCcommands means knowing what choicesto make when sending messages to ATCthat are appropriate to your current flight.The ATC menu displays the responsechoices available to you. To learn more,see Using the ATC Menu on page 49.

USING ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002When two people attempt to transmit aradio message at the same time on thesame frequency, you hear an unpleasantsqueal over the radio. In pilot parlance,this is known as getting “stepped on.”Stepping on someone else’s transmissionin Flight Simulator 2002 means ATCwon’t hear your transmission. Time yourtransmissions so that you don’t step onother pilots or controllers.

The next several pages explain how tochoose the pilot voice you want to use, howto use the Autotune feature, how to tuneradios manually, and other nuts and boltsof using ATC in Flight Simulator 2002. Takeyour time, have fun, and remember, as realas this feels, it’s a simulator. No one willyell at you or take your pilot certificate awayif you make a mistake, and ATC is there tohelp guide you.

Changing the callsignIn Flight Simulator 2002, you can changethe ATC name of your aircraft, thuschanging the callsign used by the pilotand ATC. Changing the airline name inthe ATC Name dialog box will not changethe airline livery painted on the outside ofthe aircraft.

ATC Handbook | 45

To change the ATC name:

1. From the Welcome screen clickCreate a Flight, and then underCurrent Aircraft, click Change.

-or-

1. On the Aircraft menu, chooseSelect Aircraft.

2. In the ATC Name box, click Change.

3. Make selections in the ATC Namedialog box.

4. Click OK.

You can change the aircraft tail numberto any combination of numbers andletters. The pilot and controller use theentire tail number during initial contact.The tail number is abbreviated to the lastthree characters of the callsign in subse-quent contacts. If you always want tohear a short callsign (for example, if younever want to hear the “November” inU.S. callsigns), create a tail number thatis short.

To change the tail number:

1. Double-click the Tail number box.

2. Type a new aircraft identification.

To change the airline name:

1. Click the Airline name list.

2. Select a new airline name fromthe list.

To change the flight number:

1. Double-click the Flight number box.

2. Type a new flight number.

To enable the airline callsign:

Select the Use airline callsign check box.If this checkbox is not selected, ATC willuse the aircraft tail number.

Jumbo jets in the real world are oftenaddressed as “Heavy” by ATC (“WorldTravel 1123 “Heavy…”).

To hear the word “Heavy” includedin the callsign:

Select the Append “Heavy” to callsigncheck box.

USING ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002

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Choosing a pilot voiceWhen you select an item from the ATCmenu, you’ll see the text of the messageonscreen and hear the pilot voice sayingthe phrase. That pilot voice representsyou. Your messages to controllers areaudible (unless you turn the pilot voiceoff. To learn more, see ATC settings onpage 51), as are the controller mes-sages to you and other planes.

When a phrase that represents amessage by you, the pilot, is played,the message is in orange text. Thecontroller messages are in green text

There are 10 different voices that youcan choose from as your pilot voice. Ifthe Pilot Voice check box is not selected,you can’t choose a pilot voice and youwon’t hear a voice when you send amessage to ATC.

To choose a voice:

1. On the Welcome screen, clickSettings and then click ATC.

-Or-

1. On the Options menu, click Settingsand then ATC.

2. Select the Pilot Voice check box.

3. In the Pilot Voice list, click the voiceyou want to use as your pilot voice.

Using the Autotune featureSwitching radio frequencies is a breeze ifyou use the Autotune feature because theswitching is done for you automatically.This frees you to concentrate on flying theaircraft and navigating to your destination.When you select an item from the ATCmenu to contact a new controller (forexample “Contact Approach”), the radiofrequency changes to the new controller’sfrequency automatically.

When using the Autotune feature, youmay not hear anything on the radio untilyou choose an item from the ATC menu,even if there are other aircraft talking toATC (unless you’re already tuned to anactive frequency). That’s because theradio is not tuned until you initiate contactby choosing a message from the menu.

Tuning the radios manuallyPilots who want to do it all can bypass theAutotune feature by tuning the radios byhand. This means you’ll have to tune theradios manually each time a frequencychange is required. In addition to thissection, see the Using the Radios video.


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New menu items appear in the ATCwindow when you tune the radio to a newfrequency. If you want to see choices formessages to a tower controller, forexample, you must first tune the radio tothe tower frequency.

To tune a new frequency into a commu-nication, navigation, or ADF radio:

1. Press SHIFT+2, or clickon the panel to bring upthe radio stack.

USING ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 20021. Point to the standby frequency num-

bers. The pointer changes to a hand.

2. Move the pointer left or right. A plussign (+) or minus sign (–) appearson it.

3. To increase the frequency numbers,position the pointer so you see aplus sign, and then click the leftmouse button.

4. To decrease the frequency numbers,position the pointer so you see aminus sign, and then click the leftmouse button.

5. When you have the correct frequencydialed in, click the white buttonlabeled STBY (sometimes called theflip/flop switch).

-Or-

1. Press C to select the primary fre-quency numbers on Com 1 radio (thenumbers to the left of the decimal).Press C+2 to select the primaryfrequency numbers on Com 2 radio.

2. Press the plus key (+) to increasethe frequency numbers.

1radio icon button

1-Standby frequency, 2-Standby flip/flop switch

2. Position the pointer over the radiofrequency you want to change.

3. Use the mouse wheel to change thefrequency up or down.

-Or-

2

ATC Handbook | 48

3. Press the minus key (–) to decreasethe frequency numbers.

4. Press the C key twice to select thesecondary frequency numbers onCom 1 radio (the numbers to theright of the decimal). Press the Ckey twice, and then press 2 to selectthe secondary frequency numbers onCom 2 radio.

5. Press the plus key (+) to increase thefrequency numbers.

6. Press the minus key (–) to decreasethe frequency numbers.

This also works for the NAV, ADF,and transponder radios by firstpressing the N (N+2 for Nav 2),A, and T keys, respectively, or byusing the mouse wheel.

The audio panelUse the audio panel’s Com 1, Com 2,or Both buttons to choose which radiosyou want to transmit on and listen to.To choose a radio to autotune , transmit,and receive on, click either the Com 1or Com 2 button on the Audio panel. Ifyou click the Both button, you will stillbe transmitting on the radio you had

USING ATC IN FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002previously selected, but listening to bothradios. This can be especially helpful onapproach, since you don’t want to tuneaway from the controller in order to hearATIS (if you do, you’ll miss traffic calls).You can also listen to the audio identifiersfor the nav radios by selecting theirbuttons on the audio panel as well. If youhave controllers tuned in on both radios,and the Both button is lit on the audiopanel, it will sound very busy and perhapsbe difficult to understand.

Audio panel for the Cessnas. The audio panel may lookdifferent in other aircraft.

To use the audio panel:

Click the button for the radio you want tolisten to. When the green light on thebutton is lit, the audio channel for thatradio is active.

To listen to more than one radio atthe same time:

Click the Both button on the audio panel.

ATC Handbook | 49

To find a particular communication ornavigation frequency:

1. Use real-world charts.

-Or-

1. On the World menu, selectMap view.

2. Double-click the airport or navaidwhose frequency you are lookingfor (you may have to use the map’sZoom feature).

Using the ATC menuCommunicating with ATC in Flight Simula-tor 2002 is simple and mimics the waypilots and controllers communicate in thereal world. For example, the pilot makesa request, followed by a response fromthe controller, or the controller gives aninstruction, followed by a pilotacknowledgement.

The ATC menu is in a transparent windowthat can be moved and resized. The ATCmenu lists the available commands

specific to the current state of the flight.You can click items on the panel withoutmoving the ATC menu. Some menus arelayered, meaning that when you select anitem, a new menu list appears, requiringanother selection before the message issent to ATC (see the example at the endof this section).

At non-towered airports, your messagesare directed to other pilots in the area, nota controller, so don’t expect a response.

The menu does not always containmessages to transmit. When the menucontains messages to transmit, the topline in the menu will read, “Choose amessage to transmit to agent name.”When the menu contains no messages totransmit, the top line in the menu willread, “There are currently no messagesto transmit to agent name.”


ATC Handbook | 50

To display or hide the ATC window:

Press the ACCENT keyor SCROLL LOCK.

-Or-

Click the ATC panel icon.

-Or-

On the Views menu, clickAir Traffic Control.

To select an item from the ATC menu:

If the ATC window is not visible, press thethe ACCENT or SCROLL LOCK key.

Press the number key at the top of yourkeyboard that tunes the frequency youwant to tune, or that corresponds to themessage you want to transmit (youcannot use the numeric keypad to makeselections on the ATC menu). To tune toa new agent, choose “Tune...” from themenu to display a list of messages totransmit to a particular agent.

The ATC menu overrides other com-mands of the simulator. For example, ifyou have something mapped to the 1 key,and the ATC menu is open, pressing 1will select the first item in the ATC menu.

To return to a previous menu:

On layered menus in which you have toselect from more than one list of itemsbefore the message is sent, select thenumber on the menu that corresponds to(—Back—) to return to the previous menu.


ATC panel icon

ATC Handbook | 51

Selecting a landing airport presents agood example. The first menu may havethe following selections:

1. Request Flight Following

2. Select landing airport

If you selected number 2, the next menuwould list all of the available landingairports nearby. After selecting anairport, the third menu would looksomething like this:

1. Request touch and go

2. Request full stop landing

3. —Back—

To move the menu window:

1. Click the ATC window title bar andhold down the mouse button.

2. Drag the window to where you want it.

3. Release the mouse button.

To resize the ATC menu window:

To change the width, point to the leftor right window border. When thepointer changes to a horizontal double-headed arrow, drag the border to theright or left.

To change the height, point to the topor bottom window border. When thepointer changes to a vertical double-headed arrow, drag the border upor down.

To change the height and widthsimultaneously, point to any windowcorner. When the pointer changesto a diagonal double-headed arrow,drag the border in any direction.

ATC settingsYou may want to customize settings forATC, such as how much other traffic isin the area and which pilot voice youwant to use.

To change ATC settings:

1. On the Welcome screen, clickSettings, and then click ATC.

-Or-

1. On the Options menu, point toSettings and then select ATC.

2. Make changes in the ATC Settingsdialog box.

3. Click OK.


ATC Handbook | 52

To adjust the amount of air traffic:

Drag the Air Traffic slider to the right formore traffic.

Choosing a pilot voice

It’s beyond the scope of this document toexplain the process for creating customvoicepacks. This capability is part of FlightSimulator 2002, but it is not simple. Thesubject of creating custom voicepacks iscovered in the Flight Simulator 2002 ATCSDK. You can, however, choose any ofthe voices that shipped with the productto use as your pilot voice. If the PilotVoice check box is not selected, you can’tchoose a pilot voice and you won’t hear avoice when you send a message to ATC.

To choose a pilot voice:

1. Select the Pilot Voice check box.

2. In the Pilot Voice list, select the voiceyou want to use as your pilot voice.

3. Click OK.

Turning off the pilot voice

There are three different kinds of voicesyou’ll hear in Flight Simulator 2002: thepilot voice (which represents you), the ATCcontroller’s voice, and the voices of otherpilots talking on the same frequency.Some pilots prefer to hear only the ATCcontroller voice and not their pilot voice.You can turn off the pilot voice in FlightSimulator 2002 (you’ll still hear thecontroller and the pilots in other aircraft).

To turn off the pilot voice:

1. Clear the Pilot Voice check box.

2. Click OK.

Generating IFR traffic only

Flight Simulator 2002 generates AI(artificially intelligent) aircraft that fly bothVFR and IFR flight plans. If you’re flyingIFR and you don’t want VFR aircraft flyingat the same time, you can limit the typeof AI traffic in the air.

To limit AI traffic to IFR only:

1. Select the IFR traffic only check box.

2. Click OK.


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Turning off aircraft labels

Aircraft flying in your vicinity display alabel showing the aircraft’s callsign andthe distance from your aircraft. Theaircraft labels are displayed by default,but you can turn them off.

To turn off the aircraft labels:

1. Clear the Aircraft labels check box.

2. Click OK.

Turning on the ATC windowauto-open feature

By default, the ATC window does notopen automatically when messages aresent or when a response is requiredfrom the pilot. Some pilots prefer thatthe ATC window remain hidden until theywant to open it manually; others want itto appear automatically.

To have the ATC window appearautomatically

1. Select the Auto-open ATC Windowcheck box.

2. Click OK.

Did you know you can turn down the engine soundsso it’s more like you’re really wearing a headset inthe cockpit?

To adjust sounds:

1. On the Options menu, select Settings, and thenclick Sounds.

2. Drag the slider for the sound you wantto change.


Turning off ATCIf you don’t initiate contact with ATC atthe beginning of your flight, you can flywithout any interaction with controllers.You may still hear transmissions to otheraircraft if your radio is tuned to a localfrequency. Turn the avionics masterswitch off if you don’t want to hearlocal radio calls.

ATC Handbook | 54

Add-on ATCIf you’re using an add-on air trafficcontrol product, you can’t turn off ATC.You can, however, choose not to interactwith Flight Simulator’s ATC, and ATC will,in effect, not be active. You can alsoreduce the volume of AI traffic generatedin the simulator.


1. On the Options menu, selectSettings, and then click ATC.

2. Drag the Air Traffic slider toNone (far left).

Minimizing trafficYou can reduce the amount of airtraffic sharing the radio frequenciesand the sky.


1. On the Options menu, selectSettings, and then click ATC.

2. Drag the Air Traffic slider toNone (far left).


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To provide you with the best ATC systempossible in Flight Simulator 2002, weincluded the features we felt wouldprovide Flight Simulator pilots with a richand compelling experience. The followinglist details aspects of Flight Simulator2002 ATC that are either different orenhanced from real-world ATC.

The active runwayATC in Flight Simulator 2002 recognizesonly one active runway at any airport. Theactive runway is determined by weatherconditions, and is always the longestrunway at the airport that is alignedclosest to the wind. When you communi-cate your intention to take off or land,your message automatically includes arequest to the correct runway. Taxiing tothe wrong runway means you will not geta clearance to take off. Landing on thewrong runway results in a message fromthe controller to clear the runway.

Airport choicesThe ATC menu “Select landing airport”displays a list of the nearest airportswithin a 30 mile radius. Airports atthe top of the list are closer thanthose farther down the list.

Filing IFR in the airBecause of the way IFR flight plan filesare created in the Flight Planner, youcan’t file flight plans in the air. All flightplans place you on the ground at thedeparture airport selected in the flightplan. If you create a flight plan while inflight, a new flight begins at the depar-ture airport selected in the Flight Planner.

IFR routesAll IFR flight plans in Flight Simulator2002 are cleared along the route filed inthe Flight Planner. All IFR clearances areissued “cleared as filed.” Detailed routesare not described in the clearance.

REAL-WORLD DIFFERENCES

ATC Handbook | 56

DPs and STARsRoutes incorporating published DPs orSTARs are not issued in clearances andcannot be requested in Flight Simulator2002. You can still create these routes,however, by customizing waypoints in theFlight Planner file (files with a .pln extensionare Flight Planner files). You will still hearATC clear your flight “as filed” withoutincluding a DP or STAR. To learn moreabout customizing waypoints in routes,type Creating Custom Waypoints inthe Help index.

Lost communicationsThough it is possible to fail a radio inFlight Simulator 2002, ATC does notissue lost communication instructions. Inaddition, ATC will not know that you’velost communications. If they don’t get aresponse from you, they will cancel yourIFR flight plan. In that case, you won’t besequenced or cleared for landing.

Canceling IFRWhen you cancel IFR, you’ll be asked toconfirm that you want to cancel IFR. Thisprevents inadvertent cancellation of anIFR flight. If you cancel IFR on the way tothe runway, ATC will instruct you to taxi tothe runway to request a VFR departurefrom the tower. If you cancel IFR above18,000 ft, you will not be instructed todescend below 18,000 ft as you wouldbe in the real world.

Cancellation of Flight FollowingYou can cancel Flight Following at anytime. If you are on Flight Following or ifyou are on a transition through controlledairspace cancellation will occur when youchoose to land. If you choose a landingairport from the ATC menu, the radioautotunes the airport frequency and anytransition clearance or Flight Followingis automatically cancelled without anyfurther communication.


ATC Handbook | 57

Requesting changes in altitudeThe best strategy for flying at the altitudeyou want is to select that altitude whenyou create the flight in the Flight Planner.You cannot request a different altitudefrom ATC while in flight.

Failure to respondWhen flying IFR in Flight Simulator 2002,you must respond to controller’s instruc-tions. Failure to respond to instructionsby ATC will result in cancellation of IFRflight plans.

Flight Service Station (FSS)You can create IFR flight plans into andout of non-towered airports using theFlight Planner. If there is a Flight ServiceStation frequency at the departure airport,you’ll receive your IFR clearance (includinga clearance void time) on that frequency.Other FSS services, such as PIREPS,weather, and filing flight plans by radio, arenot supported in Flight Simulator 2002.

Interacting with ATCUnlike in the real world, you don’t have tointeract with ATC at all. You can fly throughcontrolled airspace without ever calling acontroller—and you won’t be met by theauthorities when you land on the ground.

VFR flight plansThe Flight Planner doesn’t create VFRflight plans; it’s a tool to plan your route.In Flight Simulator 2002, you do not needto cancel your flight plan when you arriveat your destination under VFR.

Mode C equipmentAll aircraft in Flight Simulator 2002,except the Schweizer 2–32 sailplane andthe Sopwith Camel, are Mode C tran-sponder-equipped. That means that ATCalways knows your altitude and reportsthe altitude of other aircraft. ATC in FlightSimulator 2002 responds to theSchweizer as though the sailplane hasMode C equipment, however, becauseATC has radar coverage everywhere inthe world and receives Mode C data onall aircraft. Likewise, ATC gives thealtitude of the Sopwith when reportingit as traffic.


ATC Handbook | 58

EmergenciesIn Flight Simulator 2002, you cannotdeclare an emergency.

Special VFR and VFR on topRequests for Special VFR and VFR ontop are not supported by ATC in FlightSimulator 2002.

Airspace differencesWhile great effort has been made tomake the airspace volumes in FlightSimulator 2002 adhere to real-worldboundaries, some airspace will differ.Airspace sectors and altitude steps maynot be modeled exactly as they are in thereal world. Some boundaries that do notexist in the real world had to be createdin Flight Simulator 2002 for the purposeof broader ATC coverage. Flight Simulator2002’s ATC has perfect radar coverageeverywhere in the world.

Airport differencesThere is a tremendous amount of audiorecorded for Flight Simulator 2002 ATC.Over 3,000 worldwide airport andcontrolling facilities, hundreds of aircrafttypes and airline names, and hundreds ofbasic phrases were recorded in 10different voices. Non-towered airportnames are not included. Non-toweredairports are, however, identified by theirICAO identifier (that is, Crest Airpark isidentified as “S36”).

The airport and navaid data are based onthe worldwide Jeppesen NavData data-base available at the time that FlightSimulator 2002 was developed. In somecases, that data differs from what youmight see in the real world for variousreasons. Given the long lead timesnecessary to create a product such asFlight Simulator 2002, some airport datamay change in the real world by the timeour product reaches the retail shelves.


ATC Handbook | 59

Three-digit frequenciesAll three-digit radio frequencies areshortened to two digits (for example,122.375=122.37).

Intersection departuresFlight Simulator 2002 includes runwayintersection data. However, requests forintersection departures are not supported.You can still make an intersection depar-ture, but there is no specific ATC phraseol-ogy to request intersection takeoffs.

ASOS and AWOSAlthough there are separate frequenciesfor ASOS and AWOS, the two servicesare the same in Flight Simulator 2002and are reported as AWOS. AWOS doesnot update continuously in Flight Simula-tor 2002. It updates when the weatherchanges or on the hour, whichevercomes first.

Ocean operationsExtended flights across the oceans areno different from any other flights inFlight Simulator 2002. You can file IFRacross the ocean, and you’ll be handledby ATC during the entire flight. Unlikethe real world, there are no areaswithout radar coverage.


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active runwayThe runway to which you’ll be cleared fortakeoffs and landings by ATC. There isonly one active runway at any airport inFlight Simulator 2002. It’s the longestrunway that is most closely aligned withthe wind.

advisory (frequency)In Flight Simulator 2002, this is similarto CTAF. Pilots use the advisory frequencyat non-towered airports to let other airtraffic know they are on approach ortaking off.

Airport/Facility DirectoryU.S. government publication that providesinformation about airports and navigationfacilities. Use the A/FD to get informationabout radio frequencies, runways, instru-ment approaches, layout of airports, andother details. A/FDs can be purchased atmost pilot supply stores.

airspaceRefers to designated volumes of spacethat determine whether and by whichcontrolling agency a particular areais controlled.

altimeter settingThe local barometric pressure readingdialed into the Kollsman window of analtimeter. The setting can be obtainedfrom the automated weather servicesin Flight Simulator 2002, and is readto the pilot by ATC in some instances.

approach controlAn air traffic controller that directsaircraft in and out of congested areas.Approach usually handles traffic betweenthe tower-controlled and center-con-trolled phase of flight. Approach control-lers frequently handle departing as wellas arriving flights.

ARTCCThe Air Route Traffic Control Centersdirect aircraft between the phases of IFRflight controlled by departure and arrivalcontrollers. They may also handle VFRtraffic on Flight Following.

ASOS (Automated SurfaceObservation System)A continuously updated (minute-by-minute)automated weather briefing system usedat some U.S. airports. For more onASOS, see Getting Airport Informationon page 19.

ATC GLOSSARY

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ATC nameRefers to the name by which an aircraftis identified by ATC in Flight Simulator2002 in the aircraft callsign. ATC namecorresponds to the atc_type entry in theAircraft.cfg file for each aircraft.

Example:atc_type=Cessnaatc_id_enable=1atc_id=N700MS

ATIS (Automated TerminalInformation System)A recorded airport weather briefingupdated hourly (or when there aresignificant weather changes). For moreon ATIS, see Getting Airport Informationon page 19.

AutotuneAutotune is a feature of ATC in FlightSimulator 2002 that automaticallyswitches radio frequencies on thecommunication radio and transponder.Switching occurs when you select anitem from the ATC menu that contactsa new air traffic controller.

AWOS (Automated WeatherObservation System)A continuously updated (minute-by-minute),automated airport weather briefing systemused at some U.S. airports. For more onAWOS, see Getting Airport Informationon page 19.

baseIn airport traffic patterns, a pattern leg atright angles to the landing runway. Baseleg connects the downwind leg to theextended runway centerline.

callsignThe identification that ATC and a pilot usefor a particular flight or aircraft. Callsignsare generally a combination of the aircrafttype or manufacturer and the aircraftregistration for civilian planes, a combina-tion of the airline and flight number forairline flights, and a combination of branchof service and flight number for militaryflights. Callsigns should always be includedin any communication with ATC to avoidconfusion about who’s talking.

ATC GLOSSARY

ATC Handbook | 62

ATC GLOSSARYclearance deliveryClearance delivery issues IFR clearances.A clearance is necessary before depart-ing on an instrument flight plan.

closed traffic (touch and go)A landing during which the pilot doesn’tlet the aircraft come to a complete stopbefore applying power and taking offagain. This is often done to practicetakeoffs and landings.

crosswindIn traffic patterns, a pattern leg at rightangles to the landing runway off thedeparture end.

departure controlDeparture control directs aircraft out ofcongested traffic areas. Departure usuallyhandles traffic between the tower-con-trolled and center-controlled phase of flight.Departure controllers frequently handlearriving as well as departing flights.

downwindThe direction the wind is blowing. Inairport traffic patterns, downwind refersto the pattern leg flown parallel to therunway in the direction the wind is blow-ing (opposite to the direction of landing).

DPs (departure procedures)DPs are published procedures for depart-ing a particular airport on an instrumentflight plan. ATC in Flight Simulator 2002does not include DPs in IFR clearances.

finalIn airport traffic patterns, the patternleg directly along the extended runwaycenterline.

Flight FollowingA radar service for VFR aircraft thatprovides traffic advisories when thecontroller isn’t too busy. It’s a usefulservice when pilots are flying cross-country and may have to transitionthrough multiple controllers’ airspaces,as they don’t have to request a transitionfrom each controller along the way andcan get traffic advisories.

flight planIn Flight Simulator 2002, flight plansrefer to IFR flights. You can create a flightplan in the Flight Planner, and ATC willclear you along that route. VFR routescan be planned using the Flight Planner,but ATC does not use the routing infor-mation in VFR plans for any communica-tion during the flight.

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ATC GLOSSARYflight levelIn the U.S., pilots flying above 18,000 ft(5,486 m) are required to set the digitsin the altimeter’s Kollsman window to29.92. The resulting altimeter reading iscalled a flight level. When the Kollsmanwindow is set to 29.92 (1013.2 mb) andthe altimeter reads 30,000 ft, thealtitude is stated as, “Flight Level 300(three zero zero).”

Flight PlannerThe Flight Planner is used to create IFRflight plans and for planning routes forVFR flights. You can access the entireairport database in Flight Simulator 2002through the Flight Planner. To learn moreabout using this feature, type FlightPlanner in the Help index.

FSS (Flight Service Station)Air traffic facilities that provide a varietyof services to pilots. In Flight Simulator2002, remote IFR clearances at airportswithout clearance delivery are given onFSS frequencies.

full stop landingA landing that includes a complete stopon the runway, or when the aircraftleaves the runway on the ground beforetaxiing back for another takeoff.

ground controlGround control directs aircraft trafficbetween parking and the runway.

hold shortWhen a ground or tower controller wantsan aircraft to stop at a certain locationwhile taxiing, the controller will tell thepilot to “hold short.” This is usually inreference to a runway. The entire instruc-tion is, “Hold short of runway X,” where Xis the runway number.

IFR (Instrument Flight Rules)Rules governing flights conducted underinstrument meteorological conditions(flights conducted below VFR minimums).

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ATC GLOSSARYIFR clearancesAn IFR clearance is issued by clearancedelivery prior to departure. The clearanceincludes information about the route offlight, altitude to be flown, and the radiofrequency for the departure controller.

ILS (instrument landing system)A precision approach system that in-cludes a glideslope, localizer, markerbeacons, and airport lighting.

instrument ratedPilots who have received the required IFRtraining and have passed both writtenand practical exams are awarded aninstrument rating. They can then fly inweather conditions during which they flyby reference to the cockpit instruments.

missed approachDeclaration by a pilot on an instrumentapproach that he has reached the pointdesignated as a missed approach pointwithout seeing the runway or airportlighting. Declaring a missed approach alsosignals the pilot’s intent to execute thepublished missed approach procedure.

Mode C transponderA transponder is a transmitter/receiverthat returns a signal when interrogatedby a signal from the ground. When a pilotdials a particular code into the transpon-der, that code shows up on controllers’radar screens next to the aircraft’s radarimage. Mode C provides the aircraft’saltitude to the controller as well.

parking gateIn Flight Simulator 2002, parking gatesare attached to airport terminal buildings.

parking spotIn Flight Simulator 2002, parking spotsare usually in open areas on the airport.

progressive taxiProgressive directions from a groundcontroller to a pilot to assist the pilotin navigating between parking andthe runway.

pushbackThe act of being pushed back from anairport terminal gate. This is usually doneby hooking a small tug to the nose wheelof a large aircraft and pushing it back-wards into the taxi lane. In Flight Simula-tor 2002, press SHIFT+P to push backfrom the gate.

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radar contactAcquisition of the radar image of aparticular aircraft by the controller. Acontroller issues a transponder code to apilot, and the pilot sets the code into thetransponder. When the controller seesthe image of that aircraft on the radarscreen, she advises the pilot she hasradar contact.

squawkTerminology used by air traffic controllersto request a pilot to set a specific codeinto the transponder radio.

STARs (standard terminalarrival routes)Published procedures for particularairports to get a flight from the en routeto the approach phase of flight. ATC inFlight Simulator 2002 does not includeSTARs in IFR approach clearances.

taxiwayAvenues by which aircraft get to andfrom the runway at airports. By usinga taxiway, the aircraft avoids conflictswith aircraft on the runway.

terminalThe building through which arriving anddeparting passengers pass when gettingonto or off of aircraft at an airport.Parking gates in Flight Simulator 2002are attached to terminals.

touch and go (closed traffic)A landing during which the pilot doesn’tlet the aircraft come to a complete stopbefore applying power and taking offagain. This is often done to practicetakeoffs and landings.

tower controlThe controllers in the tall towers atairports direct the air traffic within theairport traffic area. Takeoffs and landingsare done under their control as well astransitions through their airspace.

transitionIn aviation terms, a transition refers tocrossing through controlled airspace. InFlight Simulator 2002, you can requestclearance from ATC to transition throughcontrolled airspace. The ATC menuincludes requests for transitions whenyou are heading toward airspace forwhich a transition is appropriate.

ATC GLOSSARY

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transponderA cockpit receiver/transmitter that re-ceives signals from ground-based radarand transmits a specific code back to theground-based equipment. This allows airtraffic controllers to identify specific aircraftmoving across their radar screens.

upwindIn airport traffic patterns, a patternleg parallel to the landing runway inthe direction opposite the wind.

vectorsDirections given by a controller to pilotsto position them for an approach or toavoid other aircraft. The directionsinclude the direction in which pilotsshould turn (left or right) and the newcompass heading they should fly.

“Cessna 0MS, turn right heading 270.”

VFR (Visual Flight Rules)Following are the Federal AviationRegulations regarding VFR minimums(U.S. government publication).

FAR 91.155 - Basic VFRweather minimums.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this sectionand Sec. 91.157, no person may operate an aircraftunder VFR when the flight visibility is less, or at adistance from clouds that is less, than that pre-scribed for the corresponding altitude and class ofairspace in the following table:

ATC GLOSSARY

DistanceFlight from

Airspace visibility clouds

Class A Not applicable Not applicable

Class B 3 statute miles Clear of clouds

Class C 3 statute miles 500 feet below1,000 feet above

2,000 feet horizontal

Class D 3 statute miles 500 feet below1,000 feet above


Class ELess than 3 statute miles 500 feet below10,000 feet MSL 1,000 feet above


Class EAt or above 5 statute miles 1,000 feet below10,000 feet MSL `1,000 feet above

1 statute mile horizontal

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VHF radioVery high frequency radio range used foraircraft communication and navigation.

visibilityThe ability to see and identify prominentunlighted objects by day and prominentlighted objects by night. Visibility isreported by weather services as statutemiles, hundreds of feet, or meters.

visual approachAn IFR approach that authorizes the pilotto continue visually and clear of clouds tothe airport. The pilot must, at all times,have either the airport or the precedingaircraft in sight. The approach must beauthorized by and under the control ofthe appropriate air traffic control facility.Weather at the airport must include areported ceiling at or above 1,000 feetand visibility of three miles or greater.

ATC GLOSSARY

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INDEX

Aactive runways 55, 60advisories 60Air Route Traffic Controller

Center (ARTCC) 15, 16, 39, 60Aircraft Owners and

Pilots Association 5airline callsigns 45airport information 19Airport/Facility

Directory (A/FD) 21, 60airports 21Airspace

U.S. airspace classifications 28Class A (alfa) 28Class B (bravo) 28Class C (charlie) 29Class D (delta) 29Class E (echo) 29Class G (golf) 29uncontrolled airspace 29

airspacedefinition 28, 60requesting transitions 39transitions 39

alert messages 35altimeter

Kollsman window 41

altimeters 41altitude, changes 57approach control 60approaches 15, 16

full procedure 33ILS 32missed 33non-aligned 33non-precision 33visual 32

ARTCC 15ASOS 59ATC

definition 61displaying windows 50hiding windows 50menus 49resizing windows 51SDK 52settings 51turning off 53using 44, 49

ATC language 10ATC transmissions 18

definition 18Repeating messages

say again 18audio panel 48

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Automated Surface ObservationSystem (ASOS) 19, 60

Automated Terminal InformationService (ATIS) 19, 61

Automated Weather ObservationSystem (AWOS) 19, 61

autotune 61AWOS 59

Bbases 61

Ccallsigns

changing 44definition 7, 61

centers 15changing

airline names 45ATC names 45flight numbers 45Tail numbers 45

clearance delivery 13, 31, 62closed traffic 62common frequencies 27Common Traffic Advisory

Freqency (CTAF) 17crosswinds 62

Ddeclaring missed approaches 33Department Procedures

(DPs) 31, 56, 62departure 15

controller 34, 62downwind 62

Eemergencies 58

FFAR 91.155 66final 62Flight Following 40, 62

canceling 56requesting 40

flight level 63Flight Planner 63flight plans 62Flight Service Station (FSS) 57, 63Flight Simulator 2002 Web site 12full stop landings 63

INDEX

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Ggetting handed off 22getting to the runway 23GPS 34ground 14, 16ground control 63

Hheavy 45heavy, append to callsign 45helicopters 43hold short 25, 63

IInstrument Flight

Rules (IFR) 9, 30, 31, 63altitudes 34canceling 32, 56clearances 64non-towered 33routes 55

Instrument Landing System (ILS) 64instrument rated 64intersection

departures 59introduction 7

JJeppesen's PCPilot 12

Llost communications 56

Mmean sea level (MSL) 41menus

returning to a previous menu 50minimizing traffic 54missed approaches 64Mode C 57, 64

Nnon-towered airports 49non-towered operations 17novices 6

Oocean operations 59

Pparking gates 23, 64

active runways 23gates 23pushing back 23

parking spots 23, 64

INDEX

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INDEXphonetic alphabet 12progressive taxis 21, 25, 64

requesting progressive taxi 25pushbacks 24, 64

Rradar contact 39, 65report clear 39Rod Machado's Ground School 31

SSIMCharts 21speed adjustments 38squawks 65squeals 44Standard Terminal Arrival

Routes (STARs) 31, 56, 65

Ttaxiway markings 24, 25taxiways 65Terminal Radar Approach

Control (TRACON) 15, 16terminals 65touch and go 65tower control 65Towered, or controlled operations 13towers 14, 16

traffic 37alerts 38

traffic messages 36traffic patterns 26

base 26downwind 26final 26upwind 26

transitions 65transponder codes 8transponders 66type unknown 37

Uuncontrolled airports 33upwind 66

Vvectors 33, 66VHF radio 67visibility 67visual approaches 67Visual Flight Rules (VFR) 9, 30, 66

flight plans 57on top 58special 58

air traffic control handbook

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