How do I access ATIS in X-Plane 12?

To hear ATIS in X-Plane 12, find the airport’s ATIS frequency in the map’s airport details, tune it into an active COM radio, and select that radio on the aircraft’s audio panel. If the airport has no ATIS, tune its AWOS or ASOS frequency instead.

How to tune an ATIS frequency in X-Plane 12

1. Find the airport frequency. Open X-Plane’s map, normally with M, select the airport and inspect its listed radio frequencies. Look for ATIS first, followed by AWOS or ASOS if ATIS is unavailable.
2. Enter the frequency. Put the published frequency into the standby side of COM1 or COM2, then use the transfer control to make it active. You do not need to file a flight plan or contact ATC before monitoring the broadcast.
3. Select the receiver. On aircraft with an audio panel, enable reception for the same radio you tuned. For example, a frequency entered on COM2 will remain silent if only COM1 audio is selected.
4. Listen through one complete cycle. ATIS repeats continuously. Copy the wind, visibility, cloud, temperature, altimeter setting, landing or departing runway, and information identifier where provided.

The exact radio and audio-panel controls vary between conventional cockpits, glass panels and complex add-on aircraft. The underlying rule is always the same: the frequency must be active, the radio powered, and its receive audio selected.

How do I find the correct ATIS frequency?

The airport information panel on X-Plane 12’s map is usually the quickest source because it shows the frequencies defined for that airport in the simulator’s scenery data. The built-in ATC interface may also present relevant nearby frequencies during an ATC session.

An airport without a listed ATIS frequency may provide only AWOS or ASOS. Those services normally report weather and the altimeter setting but may omit runway, approach and other operational information. Smaller airfields may have no automated broadcast at all. Our explanation of what ATIS contains and how pilots use its information code covers the practical differences in more detail.

Why can’t I hear ATIS in X-Plane 12?

The most common mistake we see is entering the correct frequency on the standby side without transferring it to the active side. If that is not the cause, check these points:

• Wrong receiver selected: COM2 is tuned, but the audio panel is monitoring only COM1.
• Radio not powered: the battery, avionics master, electrical bus or individual radio may be off.
• Volume muted: check the radio’s own volume control and X-Plane’s radio or ATC sound level.
• Out of range: ATIS is a radio transmission, so reception can disappear with distance or terrain obstruction.
• No ATIS service: the airport may use AWOS, ASOS or no automated broadcast.
• Custom aircraft logic: some add-on aircraft model audio panels and electrical systems independently, so default keyboard commands may not bypass an incorrectly configured cockpit.

If other radio calls work but ATIS does not, verify the airport frequency and service type first. If no radio audio works, the problem is more likely aircraft power, audio selection or sound settings. For the next radio steps after copying the broadcast, see our guide to using X-Plane 12’s built-in ATC and airport frequencies.

Does X-Plane 12 ATIS use live weather?

X-Plane 12’s ATIS describes the weather applied inside the simulator. With real-weather downloading enabled, it reflects X-Plane’s processed weather conditions; with manual weather selected, it reports the manually configured environment instead.

That means the broadcast is not necessarily a word-for-word copy of a real airport’s transmission, and local conditions can differ while weather is being interpolated. Our live-weather setup and troubleshooting instructions explain how to confirm which weather source X-Plane is using.

When flying on an online ATC network, use that network controller’s published ATIS for the session. The network information code, runway assignment and procedures can differ from X-Plane’s locally generated broadcast.