Pilots now can listen to live air traffic control on computers, smartphones, or tablet devices by going online. This website offers ATC feeds from many U.S. airports, and many international destinations. The busiest airports—New York; Chicago; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta—have multiple frequencies, including ground, tower, and approach/departure. Some specialized frequencies can be found too, such as New York’s helicopter controller.
The website has also archived many interesting recordings, often taped during aviation emergencies, such as an airliner with smoke in the cockpit, an engine failure due to a bird strike, and stuck landing gear. It’s valuable to hear how a professional handles a real emergency. Any web-enabled device can stream these ATC transmissions and pilots can purchase a specialized application for Apple devices. Hours of communication can also be downloaded for listening when streaming is impossible from the website’s audio archive. This sort of eavesdropping can be great training that demonstrates real-world communications with the latest ATC radio terminology and procedures.
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