Aeronautica ATC - Beginner's Guide

Welcome to Aeronautica Air Traffic Control (AATC)!
We are a community focused on roleplaying flights with semi-realistic Air Traffic Control. Our server is operated by a community of volunteers from all layers of aviation skill levels. From certified controllers, professional pilots to the beginnings of aviation interest.
This is a beginner's guide to our server and community!

Table of Contents

Aeronautica ATC Standard Operating Procedures

📄 ASOP Document

Aeronautica ATC Staff Chain of Command

📄 Pilot Handbook Document

📝 ATIS and Flight Planning

🎧 Joining an Active Frequency and Frequency Rules

📻 The UNICOM Frequency

React Roles

Conclusion

Aeronautica ATC Standard Operating Procedures

The Aeronautica ATC Standard Operating Procedures (ASOP) is the most important document in the community. It outlines the official policies, procedures, and expectations for all members, ensuring consistency and professionalism across all operations.

All members are expected to read, understand, and follow the it. The ASOP is a living document—it may be updated following Staff Meetings or when operational changes are made.

You are required to regularly check for updates to stay informed and aligned with current standards.

ASOP Link

📄 ASOP Document

Aeronautica ATC Staff Chain of Command

Our staff operates within a formal rank structure and is organised into departments. All positions are held by dedicated volunteers whose goal is to ensure smooth and efficient operations within the server.

The Community Ambassador serves as the primary spokesperson and public face of the Aeronautica ATC Community, representing it in all public-facing settings. They are responsible for managing partnerships and acting as the official representative of the community in various events.

Directors oversee their respective sectors, guiding them in the right direction by setting clear goals and policies.

○ Event Director

○ Moderation Director

○ Operations Director

Managers ensure work is completed efficiently, policies are enforced, and standards are met. They support Directors in managing their departments.

○ Chart Manager

○ Event Manager

○ Media Manager

○ Training Manager

○ Senior Moderator

AATC Staff ensure smooth operations by designing charts, hosting events, delivering training, moderating the community, evaluating performance, and maintaining high-quality standards across all activities.

○ Chart Designer

○ Event Host

○ Instructor

○ Lead Instructor

○ Moderator

○ Training Evaluator

○ Quality Assurance Officer

Our Leadership Pyramid

Controlling

Our controllers are a dedicated team of trained volunteers who help keep the community running and work hard to provide the best possible experience when you're flying. Interested in joining them? Click here to learn more.

Events

We host a wide variety of ATC events—from general aviation to commercial and cargo operations, there's something for everyone. You can find all upcoming scheduled events in the #atc-events channel and pop-up events in the #popup-atc channel on our Discord server. Not a member yet? Join now!

You can get notified when a controller is online or an event has been scheduled by getting our react roles. More about that in the React Roles chapter.

There are two types of events:

Scheduled Events: Announced in advance, these events feature multiple staffed airports and typically last around 1.5 hours.
Pop-up Events: Organized spontaneously by our controllers and instructors, these aren't announced ahead of time. They may involve just one controller and can end at any time.

📅 Scheduled Events

We host a wide range of scheduled ATC events—some are themed, while others offer complete freedom. It's important to note that not all themed events restrict your choice of airports or aircraft. However, certain events may require you to fly specific aircraft types or follow designated routes. If you're unsure, feel free to ask the Event Host(s) before flying or controlling.

Our most popular recurring event is the Weekend Rush. These events are not themed, giving you full freedom to fly or control wherever and whatever you like. They’re typically held on Saturdays or Sundays, with rare sessions on Fridays.

We also host a variety of Themed Events, such as:

Shuttle Events: Featuring two fully staffed airports, encouraging traffic between them.
Aircraft-Specific Events: Focused on certain eras or types of aviation, requiring specific aircraft.
Timezone-Focused Events: Tailored to regions that might be underrepresented in other events due to time differences.

In addition, we organize Special Events—these are announced well in advance and usually attract high participation. They're often held annually and include airshows, challenges and long-duration events. Some of our most popular special events are:
The 24 Hour Event: An ambitious effort to keep positions staffed for 24 continuous hours. Aerokosh Airshow: Our signature airshow at Lynwood, showcasing unique aircraft, stunt teams, and display groups.
and many more...

⚡ Pop-Up Events

Pop-up events are spontaneous sessions hosted by our controllers or instructors. They often include Controller Practical Exams, Evaluation Sessions, or simply opportunities where controllers want to offer a bit of fun to the community. These events are not announeced ahead of time and can happen at any time.

✅ RSVP-ing

You can RSVP (confirm attendance) for an event by clicking the green tick bellow an event post. While RSVPing isn’t required to be able to attend, it helps event hosts estimate attendance and better prepare for the session. If you still aren't sure how to RSVP, we have provided an guide bellow.

To RSVP, simply click the green tick below the event you're interested in. The bot will then send you a direct message confirming your RSVP and will notify you of any updates or changes to the event.

🖥️ Event Servers

If you're coming from other communities like Pilot Training Flight Simulator (ATC24), you might be used to Air Traffic Control operating in private servers. With Aeronautica Air Traffic Control, things work a little differently.

Before an event begins, the Host(s) will select a public server—typically one with low memory usage and a low player count. Each Aeronautica server has a unique ID/code, which will be shared in either the #atc-events or #popup-atc channel, depending on the type of event.
Private servers are possible, but are very rare and are typically reserved for large-scale events. If you're joining a private server, you'll need to know the password, which will be shared with you beforehand. Even though the server is private, it will still appear in the public server list, but only those with the password can join.

If you're unsure how to join a server using its ID, don’t worry—we’ve provided you with a guide.

Once you've joined Aeronautica, you'll find yourself at the Server Menu where you can choose a server to join. To enter an Event Server, simply type the Server ID into the search bar (highlighted in red), then select and join the server listed below.

Flying

Our pilots are the heart of the community, keeping it alive and well. We provide a professional environment with semi-realistic procedures designed to offer an immersive and rewarding experience. If you’re new, things may seem a bit challenging at first—but with practice, it gets easier, and you’ll be flying like a pro in no time!

The only requirement to fly is that you must be able to hear the controller. A microphone is encouraged, but not required. If you're unable to speak, you can communicate via #text-pilots on our Discord server. Not a member yet? Join now!
For essential phraseology and procedures that every pilot must know before flying, please refer to the Pilot Handbook below.

Disclaimer: We're currently updating the Pilot Handbook, so it might not include everything covered in this guide. Be sure to check back regularly for updates.

Pilot Handbook

📄 Pilot Handbook Document

Disclaimer: From this point onward, everything is simplified to help you grasp the basics more easily. Use the handbook as your guide to go deeper when needed.

📝 ATIS and Flight Planning

Before you start flying, it's essential to know key information about the airport you're flying out of. This information is found in the ATIS, or Automated Terminal Information System. An ATIS provides pilots with basic weather information and important airport details such as active runways and any runway or taxiway closures. It is updated every hour.

After reading and acknowledging the ATIS, you must file a flight plan (note: encouraged, but not required for VFR flights). You cannot fly IFR without one. A flight plan is crucial because it gives Air Traffic Controllers your callsign, route, aircraft type, and other important details they need to manage airspace safely.

Understanding the ATIS format and filing a flight plan is complicated for beginners, which is why we've included a step-by-step guide in the Pilot Handbook.

🎧 Joining an Active Frequency and Frequency Rules

To begin flying, simply join the frequency of the airport you want to depart from, or join UNICOM (short for "universal communications") if the airport you are departing from is uncontrolled. Keep in mind that some airports may be controlled by positions that aren't immediately obvious—for example, an approach or an enroute controller covering multiple airports. You can find more information about this in the Pilot Handbook.

Here are the most important rules for operating on an active frequency:

When joining a frequency, listen first and ensure no one is speaking before you call in.
Wait your turn and never transmit over someone else, especially if a controller is giving instructions.
Avoid unnecessary chatting with controllers or other pilots, especially in busy airspace or if the controller hasn’t allowed it.
Always read back important instructions (e.g., clearances, altitudes).
Follow instructions promptly, and if you don’t understand something, ask for clarification politely.
If you need to leave the frequency for any reason, inform the controller first.

If you’re unsure how to identify an active frequency, we’ve included a helpful guide below!

If there are any controllers online, their frequencies will appear under the ATC category in the server. Each frequency name follows the format shown in the image.

This format includes the airport’s ICAO code, the controller’s position, and the frequency:

For example: KCLA_TWR | 118.550

An ICAO code (KCLA) is a four-letter code that uniquely identifies the airport. This format is also used for identifying aircraft types (e.g., B38M, A346).
A position (TWR) is the specific ATC role being operated at that airport (DEL for Delivery, GND for Ground, TWR for Tower, APP for Approach, CTR for Center/Control).
A Frequency (118.550) is the radio frequency in MHz used to communicate with that controller.

📻 The UNICOM Frequency

While flying in airspace that is not covered by Air Traffic Control, you should switch to the UNICOM frequency on 122.800. This is a non-controlled frequency used for pilot-to-pilot coordination when no air traffic controller is present. Most of the time, controllers will advise pilots to switch to UNICOM as they exit controlled airspace, so you won’t need to make the change on your own.

React Roles

If you want to stay updated on announcements, events, and important changes, react roles are the way to go!
We offer a variety of roles so you can customise exactly which notifications you receive:

○ Announcement Ping - important server announcements

○ ATC Event Ping - get pinged when an event is scheduled and when it starts

○ ATC Online Ping - get pinged whenever a controller is online

○ Community Event Ping - get pinged for community events (gamenights, etc)

○ AeroPhotos Event Ping - get pinged for AeroPhotos events!

You can find these roles in the #react-roles channel.

Conclusion

This concludes our Beginner's Guide to Aeronautica Air Traffic Control!
We're always happy to hear your feedback and help you get the most out of your flying and controlling experience. If there’s anything we’ve missed, something you’d like to see added, or if you still have questions, feel free to visit Pilot Resources.

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