Radar · approach and departure
You are the radar controller for Zurich. Arrivals enter at 16,000 ft from five entry points and have to be descended, sequenced and cleared for the ILS of the landing runway; every landing scores +10. Departures wait at the two departure runways for your take-off clearance, then climb on their SID until you have cleared them to FL120, where they are handed off at their exit point (DEGES, VEBIT or GERSA) for +5. Penalties come off the score. Keep everybody 3 NM apart.
Reading the scope
- Tag: callsign · type and origin or destination · altitude in hundreds with ↑/↓ and the cleared altitude · speed · next fix, ILS, H270 for a heading, AMIKI-H for a hold; departures show next fix → exit.
- Arrivals cyan, main-runway departures yellow, second-runway departures orange, green when cleared ILS or FL120, yellow-green when cleared ILS but the cleared altitude is still above the capture limit at the final approach fix (fix the altitude, or it ends in NO ILS), red in conflict. Blue dots are the arrival entry points. In the 28 concept the DEGES departures are dimmed once cleared to FL120, so the arrivals they overfly stay readable.
- Drag to pan, pinch or scroll to zoom, double-tap to reset. The Layers panel toggles procedures, holdings, constraints, rings and the minimum vectoring altitudes.
- New arrivals announce themselves above the departure list with callsign, entry point, altitude and stand. The notice flashes briefly and then stays, steady, until you have given that aircraft its first instruction; tapping it opens the aircraft's panel.
Controlling an aircraft
- Tap an aircraft to open the command panel. Nothing happens until you press Transmit; Cancel discards.
- Heading: drag the ring or use ±5°. A heading takes the aircraft off its route.
- Altitude: 1000 ft steps; flight levels from FL80. Departures have an FL120 button. Expedite descent gives 2500 fpm to the cleared altitude; the speed creeps up while it lasts.
- Direct to: pick a fix from the list, or simply click or tap a fix on the scope while the panel is open. The aircraft flies there and then continues along its procedure.
- Speed: slider in 10 kt steps, quick buttons 210 kt and 180 kt, and the modes in the next card.
- Hold: enters the holding at the next holding fix on the route (tag shows e.g. AMIKI-H). Published holdings at AMIKI, RILAX, GIPOL, RAVED and MOSIT, plus backup holdings at DOPIL and BLM, so every entry has one. Press again to continue the route.
- Go around for an arrival on the ILS: the published missed approach, free of charge.
- The readback line tells you in plain words what will be transmitted; with voice on, it is spoken.
Speed modes colour of the speed in the tag
- Own speed (default): the aircraft keeps its speed and slows by itself on final: 210 kt by 12 NM, 200 by 10, 180 by 8, 160 by 6, 140 from 4 NM.
- 160 → 5: 160 kt until 5 NM, then approach speed.
- Assigned: exactly what you set, all the way. Turns red when it is faster than own speed would allow at that distance.
- Below FL100 everybody is capped at 250 kt; the reduction starts at FL110. Departures fly their own profile until you assign a speed.
Catching the ILS
An arrival captures the ILS only if all of this is true when it reaches the final approach fix of the concept:
- it has been cleared ILS (its tag turns green),
- it is at the fix altitude, not more than 300 ft (14) or 500 ft (28, 34) above it,
- its intercept angle to the final approach course is 45° or less,
- and it is not faster than 160 kt when it reaches the runway.
Otherwise the tag shows NO ILS or UNSTABLE, the aircraft flies the missed approach of the concept and you pay for it. Use the Go around button yourself when a sequence goes wrong: that one is free. About 3 % of approaches go around on their own (amber GO AROUND), also free. A go-around accelerates to 210 kt and is not counted against departures until it has reached its initial altitude.
Releasing departures
The list in the lower left shows who is waiting, with type, destination, stand, runway, SID and how long it has been waiting (amber from 15 min, red from 30). The first aircraft per runway has a T/O button. Each runway has a timer since its last take-off: green when the aircraft may go, red while a rule still applies, with the reason in a red line under the row. You may release anyway, but it costs points.
- Wake turbulence: ICAO intervals behind the previous departure: 2 min behind a Heavy, 3 min behind an A380 for Medium and Light, 2 min for a Light behind a Medium. None for Medium behind Medium. In the 32/34 concepts both runways share the counter.
- Runway: the previous departure must be airborne.
- Crossing runways (14 concept): the last departure from the other runway must have passed the 16/28 intersection.
- Arrival on final: the second runway (and in the 34 concept both runways) may not be released with an arrival inside the concept's distance, see "Playing scenarios".
Departures climb on their own to the concept's initial altitude. Clear them to FL120: the tag turns green and they are handed off automatically when they reach their exit point, come within 5 NM of it, or pass it outbound on a heading within 30° of its direction (so you can vector around a thunderstorm sitting on the exit). Until then they stay on your scope and in your separation, all the way out along the SID. A departure that reaches its exit without a clearance to FL120 keeps flying and is only handed off once you have cleared it.
Separation and penalties
The minimum is 3 NM laterally, or 1000 ft vertically, everywhere. In the optional pro mode wake turbulence adds distance on final for some pairs.
Aircraft in a loss of separation turn red. Hovering or selecting an aircraft shows its separation ring; the layer panel can show all rings.
Not counted against you: departures on their initial climb, departures against ILS traffic until they have completed their initial turn (the procedure's independent segment; in pro mode the second runway gets no such exemption), the straight part of a missed approach against ILS traffic, and a go-around against departures until it has reached its initial altitude.
| Event | Points |
|---|---|
| Loss of separation | −20, then −10, −20, −30 … every 30 s unresolved |
| Missed approach (ILS not caught) | −15 |
| Unstable, faster than 160 kt at the runway | −15 |
| Aircraft leaves the area (80 NM) | −20 |
| Early release: wake, runway occupied, crossing, arrival on final | −10 each |
| Thunderstorm cell entered (pro mode) | −10, then −5 every 30 s inside |
| Altitude assigned under vectors below the minimum vectoring altitude (pro mode) | −10, then −5 every 30 s it stays assigned |
Tap the score badge for the violation log: every penalty with time, reason and a snapshot of the scope at that moment.
Making it easier or harder
- ARR 100% in the top bar cycles through 100, 80, 60, 40 % of the scheduled arrivals and off. DEP on switches departures off entirely. Arrivals only or departures only are both good ways to learn.
- Time compression 1× to 8×, and pause.
- Tap the clock to restart at another time of day; the timetable is a real Zurich day with about 400 arrivals and 400 departures.
- Pro mode, wake turbulence on final (checkbox on the start card or in the Layers panel): between aircraft established on the ILS the ICAO wake minima replace the 3 NM: 4 NM Heavy behind Heavy, 5 NM Medium behind Heavy, 6 NM Light behind Heavy, 5 NM Light behind Medium, 6/7/8 NM behind an A380. The separation ring of the follower grows accordingly.
- Pro mode, second departure runway versus the final: the second runway's departures are separated from ILS traffic like any other aircraft as soon as their initial climb is over, and in the 14 concept runway 16 may only be released with the final clear inside 7 NM (DEGES) or 10 NM (VEBIT, GERSA). The release rules of the 28 and 34 concepts (3 NM for runway 34, 5 NM for both) apply in every mode.
- Pro mode, thunderstorms: one, two or three storm systems about 10 NM across drift through the area at 20 kt, drawn like a weather radar return in green, yellow and red. They keep clear of the airport (10 NM), the final approach fix (7 NM), the final approach corridor and the immediate surroundings of the SID exits (2 NM), nothing else: a system may sit over a holding fix or next to an exit, so it is up to you to route around them, to use the backup holdings at DOPIL and BLM when AMIKI or GIPOL are covered, and to hand departures off abeam their exit: an aircraft entering the yellow or red part costs 10 points and 5 more for every further 30 s inside, and its tag shows IN WX. The first minute after an aircraft appears is free, since an arrival may show up inside a cell. A replacement system forms 5 to 15 minutes after one has left. Each storm adds 25 % to the difficulty.
- Pro mode, minimum radar vectoring altitudes: the sectors of the ATC surveillance minimum altitude chart (AIP LSZH AD 2.24.13) can be shown as a faint layer at any time (Layers panel, "Minimum vectoring altitudes"). In this mode they are enforced: an aircraft flying a heading or a direct-to whose cleared altitude is below the minimum of the sector it is in costs 10 points and 5 more for every further 30 s the clearance stands; its tag shows MRVA 5000 with the applicable minimum. Aircraft on a published procedure, in a holding, established on the ILS or on the missed approach are not checked, since those altitudes are protected by procedure design. A climb clearance above the minimum is fine even while the aircraft is still below it. Adds 25 % to the difficulty.
Score weighting. Every landing, handoff and penalty is weighted with the difficulty in force at that moment: full traffic counts 1.0, arrivals only 0.7, departures only 0.3, reduced arrival shares in between; the wake, second-runway and minimum-altitude pro modes add 25 % each, and so does every thunderstorm. Half an hour in pro mode followed by half an hour in basic mode is credited exactly like that. The average difficulty of the session is shown next to the score.
Tips from the tower
- Arrivals on the transitions join the localizer already lined up, 12 NM out or further. Get them to the fix altitude and cleared ILS before the final approach fix and the rest happens on its own.
- Own speed does the slowing down for you on final. Assign speeds only to build or protect a gap, and switch back to own speed afterwards.
- A go-around climbs to its initial altitude towards the concept's holding fix and accelerates to 210 kt. Give it a new heading or direct-to early, before it reaches the hold.
- Second-runway departures need the biggest gap on final. Look at that runway's timer before you plan the next arrival onto short final.
- On an iPad, add this page to the home screen for a full-screen app. Your settings are remembered.
Tower & ground
The airport layout comes from the AIP aerodrome and parking charts: runways, taxiways, aprons, buildings and all 153 stands at their published positions. You work tower and ground at once, in the same three runway concepts. Arrivals appear on an 8 NM final and need a landing clearance by 1 NM; after touchdown they roll out to the exit you assigned (or the concept's default), stop clear of the runway and wait for a taxi clearance to their planned stand. Departures appear at their stand at off-block time and need push-back (or, from the self-manoeuvring stands, just a taxi clearance), a taxi route to a holding point of their runway, clearance for every runway crossing on the way, and the take-off clearance.
Giving clearances
- Tap an aircraft on the map, in the final list or in the waiting list to open its command bar. Everything is applied at once (and read back by voice if it is on).
- Arrivals: Land and GA are right in the final list; the command bar lets you choose the exit. The taxi clearance to the stand can be given early, on final or during the roll-out, and is applied once the aircraft has vacated.
- Departures: push-back, taxi, hold position, continue, Cross RWY at every runway on the route, then line up and take off or line up and wait followed by cleared for take-off. The holding point and, for arrivals, another free stand of the same sector can be chosen from a dropdown.
- Taxi routes: without instructions the aircraft takes the shortest taxiway route. To dictate it, tap taxiway designators on the map or press the taxiway buttons under the route line in succession; the route then follows those taxiways in that order. The dashed preview and the readback show what you are about to clear.
- Turn back resolves a nose-to-nose standstill by sending one aircraft back to the previous junction and around.
Rules
- No runway crossing while an arrival is inside 4 NM on approach, until it has passed the crossing point; a crossing with a departure rolling is as bad. A route stops 75 m short of every runway it crosses until you clear the crossing.
- Take-off clearances follow the radar's release rules: wake turbulence interval, runway occupied, crossing runway, arrival inside the concept's distance. Lining up and waiting is free; the rules bite with the take-off clearance.
- A blocked runway inside 1 NM, or no landing clearance by 1 NM, means a go-around.
- Taxi speeds: 20 kt straight, 10 kt in turns, 8 kt near the stands; aircraft keep 45 m behind the one ahead and queue at the holding point by themselves.
- The side panel shows the aircraft on final, everybody waiting for push-back, taxi or take-off with their waiting time (amber from 3 min, red from 8), the score and the log.
Scoring
| Event | Points |
|---|---|
| Arrival at its stand · departure airborne | +10, minus 1 per minute the aircraft had to wait (minimum +2) |
| Go-around, no landing clearance | −15 |
| Go-around, runway blocked | −20 |
| Runway crossing with an arrival inside 4 NM or a departure rolling | −20 |
| Take-off against a release rule | −10 each |
| Push-back into the path of a taxiing aircraft | −15 |
| Two aircraft nose to nose without an exit | −40 |
Finish session & save score in the left panel enters your result on the ground board, separate from the radar's and without difficulty weighting.
Playing scenarios
The three runway concepts
Zurich changes its runway configuration with wind and time of day. Both games use the same three concepts; everything runway-specific follows the concept you pick on the start card: the landing runway and its ILS, the final approach fix and its altitude, the missed approach, the two departure runways and their SIDs, the release rules between them, and in the ground game the exits and holding points.
| Concept | Landing runway · ILS | Final approach fix | Missed approach | Departures | Rules between the runways |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 arr · 28/16 dep | ILS 14, course 134°, 3.0° glide path. The standard day concept. | OSNEM at 4000 ft (capture accepted up to 4300 ft), 8 NM out | Runway heading 5 NM, left to AMIKI at 4000 ft, holding | Runway 28 for narrowbodies (DEGES 4W, VEBIT 2X, GERSA 2W), runway 16 for widebodies (DEGES 2R, VEBIT 4S, GERSA 2S); initial climb 5000 ft | 16 and 28 cross: never a departure on both at once. Pro mode: no runway 16 release with an arrival inside 7 NM (DEGES) or 10 NM (VEBIT, GERSA, whose loop crosses the final). |
| 28 arr · 32/34 dep | ILS 28, 3.3° glide path. The easterly "Bise" concept; the transitions from RILAX, AMIKI and GIPOL lead around the north and south of the airport to the final from the east. | RAMEM at 5000 ft (capture accepted up to 5500 ft) | Left turn, via WIL to GIPOL, holding | Runway 32 via ZH580 (DEGES 5L, VEBIT 4N, GERSA 1N), B777 and A340 from runway 34 on the same routes; initial climb FL90, so the DEGES departures get above the ILS traffic | One shared wake-turbulence counter. No take-off from runway 34 with an arrival inside 3 NM; runway 32 has no minimum. |
| 34 arr · 32/34 dep | ILS 34, 3.3° glide path. The RILAX and GIPOL transitions run down the west and east side of the airport and meet at ZH490 south of it; AMIKI joins the RILAX transition at ZH478. | MILNI at 5000 ft (capture accepted up to 5500 ft) | Straight ahead to 5000 ft, left to GIPOL, holding | As in the 28 concept, initial climb 5000 ft | Shared wake counter. The final is also the departure axis: no take-off from either runway with an arrival inside 5 NM, in every mode. |
Tower & ground: exits and holding points
| Concept | Arrivals vacate on | Departures taxi to |
|---|---|---|
| 14 arr · 28/16 dep | H1 (default), H2 or H3 | Runway 28: A2, or B2 from the E stands; runway 16: E1 (default) or E2 |
| 28 arr · 32/34 dep | L7 (default) or B7 (default for the E gates); also taxiway E or runway 16/34, each southbound or northbound | Runway 32: H3; runway 34: E9 |
| 34 arr · 32/34 dep | E3 (default) or E5 | Runway 32: H3; runway 34: E9 |
Where the manual says "the final approach fix", "the landing runway" or "the second departure runway", these tables give the numbers for your concept. The game names them in the panel, the tags and the take-off queue.