Best LiveATC feeds for training

TexasAviation

TexasAviation

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TexasAviation
Are there any LiveATC feeds you'd recommend for student pilots? Links to the feed would be nice :)

I've loved LiveATC.net ever since I started getting serious about flying a few months ago. Drives my wife crazy in the car.

I'm really looking for some good, small GA airports to listen to instead of the big-city Class B towers. Seems a lot of the smaller airports have unreliable feeds or no radio traffic.
 
Ironic that you posted this. I have been searching through liveatc all night trying to find something. I'm sure there will be some pointed out. I look forward to the replies myself. I train at a non towered field and yesterday we went to the close by class D, I was awful. Couldn't fly and talk at the same time. There will be lots of chair flying between now and Wednesday when we do it again.
 
I use the app "liveATC" it has a top 50 that gives a good starting point. It's world wide so I tune in to the local towers when I'm not in the US.
 
HYI has both a tower with a flight school, and gets instrument traffic and turbines. They also multiplex in Lockhart, so you get an uncontrolled field too. That's a pretty good mix.
 
MAKG1 said:
The best feed, if it works, is YOUR airport, or at least one you're familiar with.
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Speaking of which.... Hey 6PC... We need to see about getting DTO added to the feed.
 
Kelvin said:
Yes...this one...
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LiveATC is free. Tons of fee-based products out there, this one is not unique.

Try any class bravo feed if you want a lot of IFR chatter. Try any class delta if you want more VHF stuff.
 
CTLSi said:
LiveATC is free. Tons of fee-based products out there, this one is not unique.

Try any class bravo feed if you want a lot of IFR chatter. Try any class delta if you want more VHF stuff.
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Unique it is not...but for a student pilot and the need to know how to talk on the radio "correctly" it is invaluable.

I fly in Class C and B routinely where there are folks flying 91, 121 and 135 that simply sound like yahoos on the radio...
 
I use a "Rasberry Pi" running Linux that is connected to 2 scanners. (one on each stereo input on a USB sound card plugged into the Pi.. That is fed to a dipole antenna 50' in the air. I can usually receive 100-150 miles away..

The guy that runs Live ATC is very helpful if you need help hosting your own.


I attached a photo of it I took when I was first setting it up..
 

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Firefighter_324 said:
I use a "Rasberry Pi" running Linux that is connected to 2 scanners. (one on each stereo input on a USB sound card plugged into the Pi.. That is fed to a dipole antenna 50' in the air. I can usually receive 100-150 miles away..

The guy that runs Live ATC is very helpful if you need help hosting your own.


I attached a photo of it I took when I was first setting it up..
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Thanks! Is one scanner dedicated to the frequencies for KCEV and the other for KUWL?
 
Yep.. but I had it setup scanning both frequencies plus 121.5 on just one in the beginning..

(I removed 121.5 due to the childishness the National Guard guys would carry on with all night... playing music... making sounds... profanity !!)
 
AggieMike88 said:
Speaking of which.... Hey 6PC... We need to see about getting DTO added to the feed.
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It got added two weeks ago.
It is live now.

And for the record DTO is where to go NOT to get good communication examples. The guys in the tower there deserve an award for not losing their cool.
 
Actually go listen to KDTO
It is very busy so you can listen to lots of people almost anytime the tower is open.

You will hear the local students and hear how they compare to the more advance pilots.
I am listening now and I hear the international students but I am hearing the helo pilots that are on their A game w/ communication, and a few others passing through that sound very clear and concise.

Edit: And Mike, I actually hear someone flying your plane right now. Quarter mile final full stop.
 
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I listen to KPDK like it's itunes. Walking, exercising, going to sleep. Very busy GA airport. Also, mzero.com has a free app that got me over the learning curve extremely fast. Not intimidate by the radio at all. Stalls on the other hand...
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Actually go listen to KDTO
It is very busy so you can listen to lots of people almost anytime the tower is open.

You will hear the local students and hear how they compare to the more advance pilots.
I am listening now and I hear the international students but I am hearing the helo pilots that are on their A game w/ communication, and a few others passing through that sound very clear and concise.

Edit: And Mike, I actually hear someone flying your plane right now. Quarter mile final full stop.
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Out at the airport now... just saw them taxi off of the runway.
 
For the Gallery, what Bryan is referring to about our controllers is our local pilot puppy mill trains lots of Asian kids hoping to be pro pilots back in their home country (namely China). English and Texan is difficult as it is for them to speak, but toss in required aviation language and it really twists their tongues.

http://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kdto
 
I like to pull up the local class C. To work on airport ops I pull up clearance delivery, ground and tower. Pull up the airport diagram and try to picture where everyone is and see how they are being moved and directed out of the airspace.

On the approach side I will pull approach and tower and also pull up flightaware (remember it is slightly delayed) and try to see where the planes are coming from and what the tower is saying to them and how they are being directed. It also helps if you can get the atis so you can run the whole scenario through your head. The only downside to this is most of the stuff on flightaware is commercial.
 
KVNY Van Nuys in the LA area is a great feed to listen to. I've been told it is the busiest general aviation airport in the country.

Big mix of airplanes. Yesterday I was listening to a Maule that was in the pattern as a Boeing business jet was landing.


It is extremely common to have students in 152s mixing it up with the pros in G5s.
 
AggieMike88 said:
For the Gallery, what Bryan is referring to about our controllers is our local pilot puppy mill trains lots of Asian kids hoping to be pro pilots back in their home country (namely China). English and Texan is difficult as it is for them to speak, but toss in required aviation language and it really twists their tongues.

http://www.liveatc.net/search/?icao=kdto
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No. I was talking about me :D
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
No. I was talking about me :D
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Well, B... sometimes I hear ya on the frequency, and think of John Moschitta from the FedEx commercials
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liveatc is awesome.

But so is going out to my hangar, plopping down in a chair with a beverage and listening to the scanner. :)

(I realize not everyone has this option, but if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.)
 
Check out KAPA. It is great, busy and they have a nice mix between bizjets, commercial guys doing photo flights, helicopters, trainers and just guys flying in and out. It is a very busy class D and I think makes for great listening.

Carl
 
I haven't heard one better than the KAPA (Denver, Centennial Airport) feed.

  • It is loud and clear
  • It includes clnc, gnd, twr, dep and apch so you really get a feel for flow
  • It is a busy towered airport with multiple runways including a T&G runway, although the pattern freq is not included
  • There is seldom a lull in comms
  • It features a great mix of aircraft types from primary trainers to bizjets but no scheduled air transport comm (that stuff bores me)
  • It has multiple approaches that IR students and IFR flights use

The best one to monitor overall tho is the one you're going to be flying into!
 
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I like the mix of aircraft at KAUS. Seem like great controllers there too.
 
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