With X-Plane 10 significantly enhancing its ATC functionality, I’ve developed quite an interest in air traffic control. I had some basic knowledge before, but it was just scratching the surface. So, I looked up some information online and found a great website worth recommending: http://www.liveatc.net/

As the domain name suggests, this is a website for listening to live ATC. Search for the airport you want to monitor (mainly in the US and Canada), select the feed you want to listen to, such as Tower or Ground, click its “Listen” button, and a new window will pop up. Put on your headphones and listen carefully to the live feed.

Regarding airports, I recommend New York Kennedy International Airport. If you select the Tower, you will realize how busy this airport is. Basically, the conversation doesn’t stop for a second. The sense of immersion makes this the perfect place to learn. Of course, their speech rate is extremely fast, so to understand it, you really need to listen a lot.

To help you understand the current flight situation at each airport, you can visit flight tracking websites, such as http://zh.flightaware.com/live/airport/KJFK You get a clear overview of the arrival and departure schedules at Kennedy Airport. Combined with this information, you will know which flight is about to check in, so you can be well-prepared. Add real-time ATC to that, and you can perfectly grasp the takeoff and landing of every flight. Pretty cool, right?

Further Reading:

Air Traffic Control (ATC) Basics -1 Air Traffic Control (ATC) Basics -2 Air Traffic Control Radiotelephony Phraseology – Civil Aviation Administration of China liveatc.net Listening Practice Follow-up Aviation Knowledge Summary