The SoCal sky runs around the clock

Try air traffic control as a careerWork a shift
before you apply.

SectorLive is an air traffic control game set in the real Southern California and Las Vegas sky. Work a real day of traffic from Ground to Approach, with a score card that shows exactly where you'd lose separation.

Start your first shift

Not sure where to start? Find your seat in 60 seconds

Free in your browser, about 30 minutes. A game built on real data, not certified training. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA.

48airports, LAX to Las Vegas
00:00live SoCal clock
6free missions, Ground to Approach
$0to find out
A sample shift

Ninety minutes of the evening rush.

SoCal Approach, working LAX finals from 16:40 to 18:10 on fast forward. Watch the frequency fill and the score card count. When two arrivals start to converge, the clock slows to real time and the call is yours.

  • Act on the advisory early and you keep two stars.
  • Wait for the conflict alert and it costs you one.
  • Do nothing and you lose separation, and 100 points.

Illustrative, scored with the game's real points. It isn't a feed from the live world.

SOCAL APPROACH LAX finals, evening rush
16:40:00
  • Handoffs00
  • Landings00
  • Conflict alerts00
  • Loss of separation00
    Shift score0

    Watch the rush build. When two aircraft start to converge, it's your call.

    Ten aircraft. One frequency. Every decision is yours.

    The job, before the job

    Find out what working traffic feels like.

    Reading about the job tells you what controllers do. A shift on frequency tells you whether you'd enjoy doing it for a living.

    Learn phraseology and flows by doing

    Taxi a departure across a runway, clear an arrival to land and turn a climb onto its route. You learn the words and the order things happen by working real airports, not by memorising a list.

    taxi via B, hold short 25Rcleared to land 24Rcontact LA Center

    Practise multitasking under a real rush

    The traffic is a real day of flights, so the evening push builds the way it does at LAX: three aircraft, then six, then ten on your frequency at once. You feel the load rise and learn to stay ahead of it.

    a real day of flights48 airports

    Progress you can see

    Missions earn up to three stars, and each rung of the ladder ends in a checkride that opens that seat in the live world.

    A debrief that doesn't guess

    Every mistake is written down with a snapshot of the aircraft involved, so you see exactly what went wrong and when.

    Free to find out

    Six missions are free for good. Online is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year, with a 7 day trial and no card.

    Your first shift

    On frequency in one click.

    Mission 1 seats you at Santa Barbara Approach on a quiet weekday morning, with a coach beside you until you don't need one.

    Step 1

    Know how you're graded

    Every mission opens with a briefing that lists exactly what passes and what costs points, before you key up once.

    Step 2

    Work the traffic

    Type short instructions like a100 or h120 and hear them read back. Climb, turn and hand off each departure, with coach steps when you want them.

    Step 3

    Read your debrief

    See your stars, your score and every mistake with the moment it happened. Then fly it again and take the star you left behind.

    The score card

    Every mistake, written down.

    Each position is scored the same way, whether a person, the computer or an AI controller is working it. Points for traffic you move, penalties for the things that matter in the real job.

    One star: a safe shift, with no loss of separation and nobody below the MVA
    Two stars: no conflict alerts and no late handoffs either
    Three stars: all of that, without a single hint
    • Loss of separationTwo aircraft inside the 3 mile, 1,000 foot minimum
      −100
    • Below the MVAAn aircraft below the minimum vectoring altitude
      −60
    • Go aroundAn arrival that couldn't land and had to climb out
      −40
    • Late handoffHanded on two minutes late, or outside its altitude or speed
      −15
    • Conflict alertA conflict the scope predicts inside two minutes
      −10
    • Traffic you moveEach handoff and takeoff you work. A landing earns +35.
      +25
    Training missions

    Six free missions, from Ground to Approach.

    Each one is about 30 minutes at a real Southern California position. Members go on through every checkride to LA Center.

    First calls

    ANY POSITION
    01First contactSanta Barbara ApproachPlay now 02Say againCatch the wrong readbacksPlay now

    Ground

    KSAN · KLAX
    03San Diego groundPushback, taxi, hand to TowerPlay now 04LAX ground before dawnDepartures around taxiing arrivalsPlay now

    Tower

    KBUR
    05Burbank towerRunway crossings, takeoffs, landingsPlay now
    Tower checkrideOpens Tower in the live worldCheckride

    SoCal Approach

    SCT RADAR
    09San Diego departuresClimb via, hand to CenterPlay now
    Approach checkrideOpens SoCal radar seatsCheckride

    Missions 1 to 5 and 9 are free and ready to play today; the rest open as each one is finished. Training takes vZLA's published syllabus as inspiration. It's a game, not certified training, and it has no bearing on any FAA application.

    Where it comes from

    Real procedures, a real day of flights, a world running right now.

    FAA CIFP, cycle 2609Every SID, STAR and approach, from the FAA's coded instrument flight procedures.
    Real flight recordsA real day of flights, airliners to weekend Cessnas, so rushes build and ease the way they really do.
    OpenStreetMapRunways, taxiways and gates, so every flight starts and ends at a real stand.
    Our own sector linesThe FAA doesn't publish TRACON sector lines, so ours are our own design, drawn from public sources.
    000Aircraft flying right now
    000Aircraft in the world, gate to gate
    48Airports across SoCal and Las Vegas
    2609FAA procedure cycle
    Pricing

    Six missions free. The rest when you're ready.

    Try everything for 7 days with no card. If you don't stay, you keep your progress and the free missions.

    Answer five questions and we'll pick your plan

    Free
    $0 for good
    • Training missions 1 to 5 and 9
    • Watch the live sky any time
    • Your stars and progress, saved
    Start your first shift
    Online Most played
    $79.99 a year
    • Every training mission and checkride
    • Every seat you've earned in the shared live sky
    • Every new airport and region as it ships
    Start 7 day free trial
    No card needed. Your trial starts after your first debrief.
    Desktop Early access
    $19.99 once
    • The whole region on your own Mac or PC
    • Plays offline, same engine and missions
    • Moves to $24.99 at version 1.0
    Get early access
    Founding controllers: $59 a year, locked in

    For our first founding members only. Keep the rate as long as your membership stays active.

    Limited seats

    No DLC, ever. Every airport and region is included as it's built.

    FAQ

    Questions future controllers ask.

    Is this ATSA prep?
    No. SectorLive doesn't teach or practise the ATSA, and playing it won't change your test score, your application or your chances at the Academy. It's a game that lets you feel what working traffic is like, so you can decide whether the job is for you.
    What will I actually learn?
    The shape of the work: phraseology and readbacks, taxi flows and runway crossings, landing and takeoff clearances, departure climbs, sequencing arrivals and handing aircraft to the next controller. Above all, how it feels to keep ten aircraft safe at once. Real controllers are trained by the FAA; this is a taste of the job, not a substitute for that training.
    How long is a mission?
    About 30 minutes. You can pause any time, and your stars and progress are saved.
    Is it realistic?
    The procedures are real: SIDs, STARs and approaches come from the FAA's coded procedure data, cycle 2609. The traffic is a real day of flights built from real flight records, flown gate to gate on real airport layouts across 48 airports in Southern California and Las Vegas. The FAA doesn't publish TRACON sector lines, so ours are our own design drawn from public sources, and we label anything that isn't official.
    Do I need any aviation experience?
    No. Mission 1 starts with a coach who walks you through the scope, three instructions and a handoff before anything gets busy.
    Is there a student discount?
    It's planned for CTI and other aviation students, but it isn't available yet. Today the free tier and the 7 day trial with no card are open to everyone.
    What does the free tier include?
    Training missions 1 to 5 and 9, which cover ground, tower and radar, plus watching the live sky. It stays free.
    Is SectorLive endorsed by the FAA?
    No. It's a game built on real data, not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA. It isn't certified training and doesn't count toward any FAA requirement.
    What do I need to run it?
    A current desktop browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. A keyboard makes typed commands quickest, and voice is optional.

    Find out if it's your job.
    Take the first shift.

    Mission 1 is free, runs in your browser and takes about 30 minutes.

    Start your first shift