How to Listen to ATC (With or Without a Scanner)

Ever wonder what goes on when air traffic controllers (ATCs) talk to pilots and vice versa? What are the controllers up to in those tall panopticons you see towering above runways? We’ll show you how to find specific airport ATC frequencies–with, or without a scanner–so that you can listen to what’s going on at your local airport.

How to Listen to Air Traffic Control Frequencies

Flight instructor Lewis Dixon says if you have a radio scanner, search the 118.000–136.975 MHz bands to tune into the nearest airport signals. ATC frequencies vary, so you might have to search a bit. Alternatively, visit LiveATC and search for your desired airport to listen for free.

Section 1 of 5:

Finding Frequencies on a Scanner

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Get a radio scanner capable of reading frequencies in the 118-137 MHz band. All Air Traffic Control (ATC) channels rely on the frequencies in the 118.000–136.975 MHz band, so any radio or scanner that can register these bands will work. There are two major types of scanner: handheld and standard. The handheld scanners look like walkie talkies and can be taken anywhere, while the standard scanners are a bit more substantial.^{[1]
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- You can buy a cheap and efficient scanner online or use an app that functions as a scanner.
- If you’re looking for popular airband scanners, Uniden are considered the best in the business. Check out the Bearcat series (especially the UBC-125XLT or SDS100). The IC-R6 and IC-R15 by Icom are also well-loved options.
- Many modern scanners come with additional functions, like alarm clocks, police scanners, weather alerts, and more.
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Tune the scanner to any of the common ATC frequencies. There are a handful of ATC and aviation-related frequencies that are basically universal regardless of the airport.^{[2]
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- 121.5 is the emergency frequency. If there is some sort of emergency, pilots will transmit on it. You could also hear an emergency locator beacon on this frequency if a plane crashes.
- 122.750 MHz is the frequency for general aviation air to air communications.
- 123.025 MHz is the frequency for helicopters air to air communications.
- 123.450 MHz is the "unofficial" frequency for air to air communications.
- Search 122.0-123.65 for Unicom (uncontrolled airports) and air to air communications.
- Search 128.825-132.000 MHz for ARINC frequencies (airlines, corporate aviation and general aviation calling ahead for fuel, parking, and other requests).
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Use your scanner’s search function to find unique frequencies. Most scanners have an auto-search function that will automatically swap between active channels so that you aren’t searching through static.^{[3]
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Research source} Use the auto-scanner to find interesting ATC frequencies near you. You may even stumble on something totally unexpected, like the frequency for the plane’s tugs, or the channel for updating flight paths!^{[4]
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- If you have a two-way scanner where you can broadcast frequencies, do not attempt to interfere or talk to an active aviation channel. It is a serious crime to mess with aviation channels you aren’t supposed to participate in, and the authorities take this kind of thing very seriously.^{[5]
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Section 2 of 5:

Listening to ATC Feeds Online

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Visit LiveATC online. LiveATC is hands-down the most popular platform around for listening in on ATC feeds, and you don’t need any equipment to do it! LiveATC is a non-profit project where aviation enthusiasts around the world broadcast the ATC communications near them so that anyone can listen.^{[6]
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- There are alternatives to LiveATC.net, but LiveATC is easily the most popular and reputable site for getting a peek into the ATC world on a live basis. Alternatives include:
  - Futura Studios
  - ATC Box
- LiveATC also has an app if you prefer to use your phone! It’s free for Android and only $5 for iPhone users.
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Search for your preferred airport and open the live feed. In the top left of the webpage, enter the specific frequency you’d like to listen to or search the website by region, city, or keyword. If you have a specific airport in mind, search for that! The vast majority of major airports are available.
- If you’re not sure what you want to listen to, click “Top 50 Feeds” under the search bar. You’ll see the most active and popular airports at a given time.
- While LiveATC does have a ton of airports, there are some airports and strips that aren’t available.
- If you’re interested in just checking out the most eventful LiveATC moments, check out1 VASA Aviation’s YouTube channel. They compile the most interesting ATC clips.

Section 3 of 5:

Is it illegal to listen to ATC feeds?

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No, ATC feeds and pilot communications are public information with the sole exception of the United Kingdom. Listening to an ATC feed is sort of like listening to a police scanner: anyone can do it because transparency is important in these fields where safety is everything. This extends to tracking flights, too–you can totally follow a specific plane’s flight plan and audio if you want to. ^{[7]
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Research source} *The following behaviors are* illegal:**
- - Attemping to access ATC frequency with the intention of broadcasting unauthorized commands to pilots, controllers.
  - Listening specifically to ATC feeds originating in the United Kingdom.^{[8]
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  - Trying to access hidden or secure ATC channels.
  - Selling any information you acquire by listening to an ATC feed.

Section 4 of 5:

Understanding ATC/Pilot Conversations

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Each plane has their own call sign flight number. If a controller gives a pilot an instruction or a pilot wants to talk to a controller, they always start by saying the aircraft’s identification number. For commercial flights, this will just be a carrier and a flight number, such as United 2311. A smaller aircraft is identified by the number on their tail.^{[9]
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- Repeating the flight number confirms for all parties that they’re talking to the right person.
- The carrier names used in communication aren’t always the name of the carrier (although they often are, such as “United 2311” or “Southwest 4023”). Often, it’s a shorter slang term to avoid confusion. For example, British Airways uses “Speedbird” since a lot of carriers have the word “Airways” in them. You can find all of the call signs here.
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The controllers give pilots instructions and answer requests. The controller’s main job is to control the flow of traffic and maintain safe separations between flights. They also are responsible for providing navigational assistance to the pilots. Unless there is an emergency, the controller has the “final word” over what a flight does. Pilots must ask for permission before they land, takeoff, taxi (drive on the runways), or change their flight path.^{[10]
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- You’ll hear controllers say “clear to X,” which means the pilot of the relevant callsign and flight ID number is allowed to do whatever X is.
- Controllers will use affirmative and negative for “yes” and “no.”
- If a controller asks a pilot to report something, it means they want the pilot to tell them when/if they see something.
- Controllers will often ask a pilot to squawk a specific number. This means they want a pilot to adjust their transponder to a certain code.
- If a controller asks a pilot to “say X,” it means they’re asking for information. So, “say altitude” means “I need your altitude.” “Say heading” means, “I want your heading.”
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Pilots typically ask for navigational help or permission. The pilot is not in control of when they land, when they takeoff, or when they deviate (meaning to change a flight path off of a written plot). Pilots may also ask for weather reports, info on which runways are available, and if there are any tips they need to know about a given area.
- “Wilco” is ATC shorthand for “I will accept your request.” So, if a pilot says, “United 2401, we’d like to ascend to 20,000 feet to get above this storm cloud,” ATC might reply, “Wilco, United 2401, ascend to 20,000 feet.”
- Pilots cannot ignore a controller’s instructions unless they declare an emergency. They must actively say, “Mayday,” or, “Declaring an emergency.” The pilot will then announce their intentions, which are their next steps.
- Sometimes, pilots will use “unable” as a way of saying “I cannot complete your request” without declaring an emergency.
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Switch your ATC channel to follow a single plane. Controllers do not spend an entire flight with a given pilot–they “hand the plane off” whenever a plane passes a certain territory and enters another ATC zone. An example would be a controller saying, "November-12345, contact Approach on 124.32, good day.^{[11]
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- In this situation, switching your scanner or channel to the 124.32 MHz will allow you to continue following the flight!
Pilots and controllers use it to communicate letters, since they can often be confused. You might also hear someone use "niner" to communicate "nine," "fife" to communicate "five," or "tree" to communicate "three." This is all done to avoid potentially dangerous misunderstandings.^{[12]
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Section 5 of 5:

Reading Flight Charts

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Find an aeronautical sectional chart. You most likely want to be looking for a chart of your local area from the closest airport. Older versions of these charts will usually work just fine. Online sectional charts for your local area are available on SkyVector.
- You can find live charts at Flight Radar 24 if you want to see how a flight is actively following a specific flight path.
Airports are denoted by blue or magenta circles, with lines inside representing runways. Next to the circle is a block of text with the airport name and information about that airport. The control tower frequency is denoted by CT - 000.0, where the following numbers indicate the frequency used by ATC. For example, the frequency for Wittman Regional airport in Oshkosh, WI is CT - 118.5.^{[13]
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Note the codes for controlled/uncontrolled airports. If the airport is uncontrolled (it has no ATC tower) or the tower operates part time, a C in a circle after a frequency number will be used to denote a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). A star will be after the tower frequency to denote that airport as having a part time tower. At this type of airport, pilots communicate directly with one another and tell each other their position and intentions.^{[14]
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- Uncontrolled airports will be very informal environments compared to controlled airports. You won’t hear all of the same buzzwords and signals you normally do.
All controlled airports will be denoted by blue circles, while uncontrolled airports are magenta. Airports with runways over 8,000 feet (2,438.4 m) are not enclosed in circles and simply have a diagram depicting the runway layout, which is outlined in solid blue (high traffic), solid magenta (medium traffic), or dashed blue (low traffic).^{[15]
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Some airports have AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System), ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System), or ATIS (Automated Terminal Information Service) frequencies listed on the chart. These are automated or repeating broadcasts that provide pilots with weather and airport information as they prepare to land or depart.^{[16]
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How do pilots identify runways?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Pilots can make use of an ILS (instrument landing system) to help them identify runways and land safely, even in poor visibility. Instruments in the cockpit detect radio signals from the runway that help guide them as they land.

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Why do pilots say “Niner”?

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The word “nine” can be difficult to hear properly over a muffled radio connection. Pilots pronounce it “niner” so it can’t be easily confused with other words or numbers, like “five.”

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Is there an app to listen to air traffic control?

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Yes. You can listen using the LiveATC.net app. It allows you to tune into ATC towers at over 1,000 airports around the world!

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Tips

On the 'tune-in' radio app for the Roku box and iPod, you can tune in to frequencies for major (SFO, DCA, MIA, JFK, etc.) and local airports.

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Don't be surprised if you can only hear one side of the conversation. You will most likely only be able to hear the airplane and not the controlling agency. If you are close to an airport, you can hear the ATC and the pilots.

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Reading the Sectional Legend can greatly aid you in finding frequencies that will be interesting.

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Warnings

Some "scanners" are actually "transceivers," which allow two way communication. NEVER communicate on aviation frequencies. The penalties are severe!

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In the unlikely event that you hear an emergency situation over a local frequency such as a plane about to crash, call the Emergency Services immediately.

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The first five minutes of each hour are designated for emergency transmitter testing, so tuning into the emergency frequency may be loud during these times.

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