ATC-pie setup explained: install it, load airport data, choose solo or network mode, configure communications and fix common errors.
ATC-pie is a free, open-source, standalone air traffic control client and simulator designed for FlightGear multiplayer operations and offline solo practice. To set it up, install a packaged release or its documented Python dependencies, select an airport and session type, load compatible navigation data, configure communications, then test a low-traffic solo session.
What does ATC-pie actually simulate?
ATC-pie simulates the controller’s workstation rather than the aircraft cockpit. Its tools cover radar contacts, flight-progress strips, ground movements, runway sequencing, clearances and coordination with neighbouring positions, depending on the airport profile and session mode.
It can represent ground, tower, approach and radar work, but it is not a campaign-based game with levels or automatic scoring. Our breakdown of tower, approach and radar-control simulators explains which type of position best matches the skills you want to practise. If tutorials and game-like objectives matter more than controller workflow, compare other free ATC simulation choices before committing to ATC-pie.
Which ATC-pie session mode should you choose?
Solo mode is the right starting point because it supplies simulated traffic without requiring pilots, a multiplayer server or voice communications.
| Session mode | Choose it when | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | You want offline practice with computer-controlled traffic. | An airport profile, compatible navigation data and an enabled traffic generator. |
| FlightGear multiplayer | You want to control human pilots connected through the FlightGear multiplayer environment. | Correct server, callsign and communication settings, plus pilots using the same environment. |
| Teacher/student | You are running a supervised exercise and the installed release provides this mode. | Another compatible ATC-pie instance, a reachable network connection and a prepared scenario. |
Mode names and optional network features can differ between releases. A protocol appearing in ATC-pie does not automatically make the program authorised for every public ATC network.
How do you install and configure ATC-pie?
The safest ATC-pie setup uses the packaged build for your operating system where one is supplied; source installations should follow the dependency versions documented with that release.
- Treat ATC-pie as a separate application. Do not copy it into Microsoft Flight Simulator’s
Communityfolder, X-Plane’sCustom Sceneryfolder or another simulator’s add-on directory. - Install the complete release. Extract or install every included directory rather than moving only the launcher. For a source build, use the stated Python version, Qt bindings and supporting modules instead of assuming the newest packages will work.
- Launch it from a writable location. ATC-pie needs to save preferences and location settings. If configuration changes disappear after restarting, move the application or its configuration directory somewhere your user account can write to before resorting to administrator privileges.
- Select an airport by ICAO code. Load the required location and verify that its runways, taxiways, fixes and navaids appear. An airport scenery add-on is not automatically valid ATC-pie navigation data.
- Check the data paths. If the release asks for FlightGear or navigation-data locations, point it at the compatible datasets specified in its documentation. A supported three-dimensional tower view may also require a local FlightGear installation and matching scenery; radar-only solo practice does not need to wait for that view.
- Create a solo session first. Choose the active runway and begin with a low traffic level. Leave advanced weather, networking and speech options alone until aircraft are appearing and accepting instructions.
- Configure the controller identity. Set the callsign, position and frequency fields exposed by the selected session. Push-to-talk and voice components matter for live multiplayer, but they are not normally required to issue instructions to solo traffic through ATC-pie’s controls.
- Run a basic control test. Select one aircraft, issue a simple heading, altitude, speed or taxi instruction appropriate to its phase of flight, and confirm that the target label or strip updates. Only then increase traffic or activate more runways.
Why does ATC-pie show no aircraft or airport data?
A blank scope usually means the wrong session, missing location data or an inactive traffic source rather than a graphics failure.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Program fails at launch | Incomplete extraction or missing Python/Qt dependency | Restore the complete package. For a source build, launch it from a terminal to expose the dependency error and install the versions named by that release. |
| Airport layout is blank | Unknown ICAO code, incorrect data path or unfinished data indexing | Test a known airport, recheck the configured data source and allow any supplied import or indexing process to finish. |
| No aircraft appear | Multiplayer mode has no connected pilots, or solo traffic is paused or disabled | Switch to solo mode and confirm that the traffic generator is running at a non-zero level. |
| Aircraft or runways are misplaced | Airport scenery and navigation records represent different revisions | Use compatible datasets and rebuild or reload the airport information where the release provides that function. |
| Voice does not transmit | Wrong input device, push-to-talk binding, frequency or voice connection | Confirm the microphone outside ATC-pie, then check the session’s communication component, callsign and tuned frequency. |
Can ATC-pie control Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane?
ATC-pie does not directly control Microsoft Flight Simulator, FSX, Prepar3D or X-Plane as a standard plug-in. Its principal live-pilot integration is the FlightGear multiplayer environment, while its solo mode operates with ATC-pie’s own simulated traffic.
If an installed release offers another network protocol, use it only with a compatible private server or a network that explicitly permits that controller client. Our explanation of how pilot clients, controller clients and voice systems connect covers the distinction; sharing an aircraft simulator does not by itself make two ATC applications interoperable.
What should you practise first in ATC-pie?
Start with one runway, one controller position and only enough traffic to learn the interface without losing situational awareness. Practise selecting contacts, maintaining strips, issuing taxi and take-off clearances, assigning headings and altitudes, and transferring aircraft in a consistent order.
ATC-pie can model the workflow, but it does not replace local procedures or automatically prove that every transmission is correct. Use a practical overview of pilot–controller communication to establish the basic exchange, then add denser traffic, voice input and multiplayer operations one element at a time.