22
votes
Accepted
Are tower simulators used in civil ATC training?
Absolutely (and not just civil ATC training - military as well). A large part of modern ATC training is simulator training. This is true for all types of ATC - area control, approach and aerodrome (...
- 36.2k
19
votes
Are tower simulators used in civil ATC training?
In fact: yes!
Here in Germany the controller training starts off with much classroom lessons to learn the theoretical basics and only some sessions in the tower- or center simulator. During the ...
- 1,998
13
votes
What are the boxes around the airport on the IVAO Approach (APP) screen?
They are the steps in the class D airspace around Birmingham and East Midlands airports. This is for Birmingham, taken from the VFR chart.
CTR is the control zone, which extends from the ground (SFC ...
- 2,536
13
votes
How realistic is atc-sim.com as an ATC simulator?
As Digital Dracula says, it's just a game. The best way to experience something approaching the real deal is to join the VATSIM community. It's a virtual ATC system that integrates flight simulator ...
- 126k
13
votes
What, exactly, is a final controller?
"Final" or "Final vector" is the position in charge of, well, final approach. It is a radar control position worked in the TRACON.
As aircraft are transferred from the ARTCC to the ...
- 13.5k
8
votes
At what altitude do pilots usually switch to departure?
It will be different at every airport and even at different times for the same airport, but if you’re looking for a simple rule to keep things reasonably realistic, I’d go with 1000-1500ft AGL; that’s ...
- 27.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Are distress calls used in simulators?
In a real Level D simulator, you perform for the instructor as it it was real life and that includes radio calls. Unless the instructor tells you not to bother.
For VATSIM, you should go on the ...
- 126k
6
votes
Accepted
At what altitude do pilots usually switch to departure?
There is no standardized altitude rule for switching frequencies. This is done at the request of your current controller. If the airport is uncontrolled but you need to switch to a nearby ATC ...
- 12.6k
5
votes
How realistic is atc-sim.com as an ATC simulator?
I've played atc-sim for fun myself some time ago, and it can be a nice way to pass time. However, in terms of realism, it only simulates a very narrow range of the tasks real controllers have to do. ...
- 36.2k
4
votes
What are the boxes around the airport on the IVAO Approach (APP) screen?
The grey dotted lines denote controlled airspace. Outside of the two shapes is uncontrolled airspace.
The airspace to the North East is for East Midlands Airport.
If you were to find a VFR chart you'd ...
- 9,278
4
votes
What, exactly, is a final controller?
In addition to the above answers, the term final controller can also refer to the controller issuing instruction for a ground controlled approach, such as a PAR or ASR approach. Aircraft will get ...
- 41
3
votes
Is the whole world's airspace covered by ATC?
The entire world is divided into Flight Information Regions (FIRs), so in theory there is someone responsible for everywhere. However, those FIRs are then subdivided into different classes of ...
- 27.6k
2
votes
Is the whole world's airspace covered by ATC?
I think you need to understand that airspace is divided vertically as well as horizontally. This image should help you picture it (from Australia, where Class B does not exist).
Glass G airspace has ...
- 14k
1
vote
Are tower simulators used in civil ATC training?
The answer is yes, tower simulators are indeed used in civil ATC training.
An example video of a professional ATC simulator can be seen
here. It shows that not only tower control training is ...
1
vote
What regulations exist for ATC real time RADAR simulator software?
My understanding is that a training provider needs approval from authorities for the full training program offered, and the simulator is only one part of this. The regulation 2015/340 lists areas to ...
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