The controller training waitlist some VATSIM divisions quote before your first session.
Source: BeLux vACC
000 aircraft airborne in the live world right now
Every seat is staffed around the clock
ATC simulator for controllersYour controller seat.
No waitlist.
Take SoCal Approach, LA Center or LAX Tower tonight, on real sector names and frequencies. AI controllers staff every empty seat across 48 airports, so the sky around you is always full.
Not sure where to start? Find your seat in 60 seconds
Free in your browser. Practice alongside VATSIM, not instead of it.
SOCAL SEAT MAP
Lines illustrative
Los Angeles North Ground121.65
Pushback, taxi and runway crossings on the real LAX surface, before the first bank of departures.
AI controller on frequency
48airports, LAX to Las Vegas
00:00live SoCal clock
4seats, Ground to Center
0DLC, ever
Why now
The network is worth the wait. Spend it on frequency.
VATSIM training is run by volunteers and rationed for good reasons. SectorLive gives you a full sky to practice on in the meantime, and after.
Pilots to controllers online in one network snapshot: roughly 1,800 pilots and 190 controllers.
Source: a public VATSIM data snapshotFrom this page to a working radar scope at Santa Barbara Approach. No download, no account.
Mission 1 is free and takes less than half an hour.Keep your place in the training queue. Work SoCal Approach while you wait.
The seats
Split the way the real facility is split.
Every position from the LAX ramp to LA Center, across Southern California and Las Vegas, in one continuous world.
Real sectors, real frequencies
SoCal's real sector names and frequencies. The lines between them are our own design, drawn from public sources. Flows, handoff altitudes and speeds are vZLA based, from VATSIM's LA ARTCC SOP, and labelled that way.
LAX North Tower133.9
SoCal Stadium128.5
SoCal Downey124.9
SoCal Zuma124.5
SoCal Manhattan124.3
LA Center 21132.85
Never an empty frequency
AI controllers work every seat nobody is sitting in. Hand off to them, take traffic from them, and give the seat back any time. The traffic is a real day of flights built from real flight records, flown gate to gate.
every seat staffedjoin or leave any timegate to gate
A ladder with checkrides
Work up from Ground to Tower to Approach to Center. Each rung ends in a checkride, and passing it opens that seat in the shared live world.
GroundTowerApproachCenter
The busiest hour, on demand
Missions open at the hour they need: LAX ground before dawn, the San Diego departure push, the LAX arrival rush when you're ready for it.
Typed calls, voice optional
Instructions are short and typed, like a100 or h120. Voice is there when you want it and never required to pass.
Scoring
Graded like a checkride, every shift.
Every position is scored the same way, whoever works it: you, a friend or the AI. The rubric is on screen before you key up.
- Loss of separationUnder 2.7 nm and 850 ft at the same time−100
- MSAWA target below the minimum vectoring altitude−60
- Go aroundCharged to whoever owned the aircraft−40
- Final compressionTwo arrivals inside the wake minimum−30
- Late handoffTwo minutes late, or outside its altitude or speed−15
- Conflict alertA conflict predicted inside two minutes−10
- Handoff or takeoffEach aircraft handed on, each departure off the ground+25
- LandingEach arrival on the runway+35
SOCAL DOWNEY · 124.9
Sample debrief · 07:00 to 08:00
- 12 aircraft handed on+300
- 9 arrivals landed+315
- Conflict alert, ASA331 and SWA2207−10
- Late handoff, SKW5421−15
- Loss of separationnone
- Below the MVAnone
Shift score+590
Safe shift: one star. Clear the conflict alert and the late handoff for two.
Training academy
Ground, Tower, Approach, Center.
The ladder is vZLA based: it follows the order VATSIM's LA ARTCC trains this airspace. Each rung ends in a checkride, and passing it opens that seat in the live world.
First calls
ANY POSITIONGround
KSAN · KLAXTower
KBUR · KSAN · KLAX
05Burbank towerRunway crossings, takeoffs, landingsPlay now
06Wake gapSingle runway spacingMembers
07LAX south complexParallel ops, handoffsMembers
Tower checkrideOpens Tower in the live worldCheckride
SoCal Approach
SCT RADAR
09San Diego departuresClimb via, hand to CenterPlay now
10Vectors to finalDownwind, base, interceptMembers
11Terrain watchMinimum vectoring altitudesMembers
12Satellite squeezeUnder the LAX shelvesMembers
13The LAX rushSequencing onto 24R and 25LMembers
Approach checkrideOpens SoCal radar seatsCheckride
LA Center
ZLA14Descend viaSTAR descents, handoffsMembers
15Metering into LAXDelay absorption, holdsMembers
Center checkrideOpens LA Center seatsCheckride
Missions 1 to 5 and 9 are free. The rest of the ladder opens in order as each mission is finished. It is practice, not certified training, and it doesn't count toward a VATSIM rating.
Where it comes from
Real data, and a world that's running right now.
FAA CIFPEvery SID, STAR and approach, from the FAA's coded instrument flight procedures, cycle 2609.
vZLA SoCal TRACON SOPFlows, handoff altitudes and speeds, from VATSIM's LA ARTCC. Labelled vZLA based wherever we use them.
Real flight recordsA real day of flights, airliners to weekend Cessnas, so the rushes build and ease the way they do in the real sky.
000Aircraft airborne right now
000Aircraft in the world, gate to gate
00:00SoCal clock in the live world
48Airports, from LAX to Las Vegas
Pricing
Buy the game once. Pay for the live world.
Start free, try everything for 7 days with no card, and keep your progress whatever you choose.
Free
$0 for good
- Watch the live sky any time
- Training missions 1 to 5 and 9: ground, tower and radar
- Your stars and progress, saved
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
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
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 controllers ask.
Is this VATSIM?
No. SectorLive is a separate game, not affiliated with or endorsed by VATSIM or vZLA, and nothing here counts toward a network rating. It's a place to practice and play alongside the network. The real pilots on VATSIM are still the best part of controlling online.
Does it follow real SOPs?
The procedures are real: SIDs, STARs and approaches come from the FAA's CIFP data, cycle 2609. Sector names and frequencies are SoCal's real ones. The FAA doesn't publish TRACON sector lines, so ours are our own design drawn from public sources.
Flows, handoff altitudes and speeds are vZLA based, taken from VATSIM's LA ARTCC SOP and labelled that way. They are not FAA orders.
Is the traffic real?
It's a real day of flights built from real flight records, across 48 airports in Southern California and Las Vegas, flown by the engine gate to gate. It isn't a feed of today's flights, which is what lets you vector, hold and sequence them.
Can I play with friends?
Yes, on the live network. Everyone online works the same sky, so friends can take neighbouring seats and traffic passes between you the way it would between any two positions. AI controllers hold every seat nobody has taken.
There are no private sessions today: it's the shared live world, or a training mission on your own.
Is it voice or typed?
Typed commands are the full game, like a100 to climb or h120 for a heading. Voice is optional and never needed to pass a mission or a checkride.
Will it help with my VATSIM training?
It can help you get comfortable with a radar scope, readbacks and the SoCal flows before your sessions. It isn't certified or endorsed training, and your mentor's syllabus always comes first.
What does the free tier include?
Watch mode for the live world, plus training missions 1 to 5 and 9: ground, tower and radar once each. It stays free.
How does the trial work?
Seven days with everything unlocked, checkrides included, and no card. It starts after your first debrief, which is enough time to earn a seat in the live world. If you don't subscribe, you drop to the free tier and keep all your progress.
What do I need to run it?
A current desktop browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. Training missions run on your own machine, and a keyboard makes typed commands quickest.
Will more airspace cost extra?
No. There is no DLC. Southern California and Las Vegas are the first region, more are on the roadmap, and every airport and region is included as it's built.
The seat is open.
Take it tonight.
Mission 1 seats you at Santa Barbara Approach. It's free, runs in your browser and takes less than half an hour.
Start your first shift