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Departures (21)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
AAL136 KLAX EGLL Enroute 0532
CES586 KLAX ZSPD Enroute 0912
DLH5416 KLAX EDDM Enroute 0847
DAL395 KLAX KATL Enroute 0105
QQE580 KLAX ZSNB Enroute 0949
KLM8 KLAX SFAL Enroute 0956
BOX585 KLAX KATL Enroute 0135
JBU2074 KLAX KEWR Enroute 0251
DAL1434 KLAX KATL Enroute 0109
AAL1675 KLAX KPHX Enroute 1654
SWA882 KLAX KLAS Enroute 0218
KLM606 KLAX EHAM Enroute 0856
AAL73 KLAX YSSY Enroute 0704
DAL515 KLAX KATL Enroute 0138
SKW5430 KLAX KSMF Enroute 0929
SWA3535 KLAX KSLC Enroute 1600
MCA108 KLAX PANC Enroute 1600
FDX10 KLAX KMEM Enroute 1600
QNTS12 KLAX KSFO Enroute 1952
REACH24 KLAX KGJT Enroute 1600
SWA1621 KLAX KPHX Enroute 1600

Arrivals (18)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
CPA882 VHHH KLAX Enroute 0829
AAL72 YSSY KLAX Enroute 0742
BOX500 VHHH KLAX Enroute 1600
SWA6624 KMDW KLAX Enroute 1600
AAL3056 KDFW KLAX Enroute 1600
KLM36 KDFW KLAX Enroute 0846
UAL3906 KDEN KLAX Enroute 1143
DAL816 KBOS KLAX Enroute 1129
FFT3308 KSFO KLAX Enroute 2106
QTR52X OTHH KLAX Enroute 1938
WWI2518 KDEN KLAX Enroute 0955
N121DR KATL KLAX Enroute 0806
DAL1356 KLAS KLAX Enroute 1216
AAL3152 KMIA KLAX Enroute 1228
FDX97 KDFW KLAX Enroute 0952
SWA170 KLAS KLAX Enroute 1411
N6221E KLAS KLAX Enroute 0852
SJX597 RCTP KLAX Departing

Los Angeles (SoCal) 39

Arrivals (1)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
UAL794 KSFO KONT Enroute 1600

Empire (SoCal) 1

Departures (1)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
ASA664 KSAN KSLC Enroute 0932

Arrivals (2)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
ASA211 KBDL KSAN Enroute 0944
ASA894 PHKO KSAN Enroute 0731

San Diego (SoCal) 3

Departures (1)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
N63482 KSNA KATL Enroute 0118

Arrivals (2)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
SWA3426 KSMF KLGB Enroute 0907
FHV2 KSMF KSNA Enroute 1600

Coast (SoCal) 3

Departures (5)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
PEEP17 KVNY KATL Enroute 0110
N430EP KVNY PHOG Enroute 0532
N299CX KVNY KFTY Enroute 0006
SJE45 KVNY PHKO Enroute 0646
DAL483 KBUR KATL Enroute 2352

Arrivals (1)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
DAL4836 KPHX KBUR Enroute 1249

Burbank (SoCal) 6

Departures (1)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
FFL412 KPSP KATL Enroute 0045

Palm Springs (SoCal) 1

Departures (10)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
NKS227 KLAS KDTW Enroute 0044
BAW89T KLAS KSEA Enroute 1949
N3982B KLAS KSAF Enroute 1600
JBU1520 KLAS KBOS Enroute 0457
VTX754 KLAS KJAC Enroute 0905
DAL1356 KLAS KLAX Enroute 1216
SWA170 KLAS KLAX Enroute 1411
N6221E KLAS KLAX Enroute 0852
SWA1779 KLAS KORD Enroute 0143
DAL1698 KLAS KSLC Enroute 1600

Arrivals (7)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
DAL107 EDDF KLAS Enroute 1138
WJA1788 CYVR KLAS Enroute 1400
SWA2220 KDAL KLAS Enroute 1003
AAY45 KFSD KLAS Enroute 1044
SWA1709 KHOU KLAS Enroute 0824
SWA882 KLAX KLAS Enroute 0218
DAL834 KATL KLAS Departing

Las Vegas 17

Arrivals (1)

Callsign Dep Arr Status ETA
N725HW KMRY KSBA Enroute 0908

Santa Barbara 1
  • Flights To/From ZLA: 71
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  • Controller Schedule

    July 26th, 2025

    Lindbergh Tower
    Charlie Wu

    Session with ER

    1800 - 1930 PDT / 0100 - 0230 Zulu

    Lindbergh Tower for Aspiring Controllers

     

    Welcome to SAN_TWR! Just like initial ground training, this is where initial tower training takes place. SAN is a great playground for both VFR and IFR, and attracts a respectable amount of traffic on VATSIM. SAN is a beautiful airport surrounded by a city, shoreline, and other airports. As you know from Ground, SAN is almost always in West operations, so this article will mostly focus on West ops.

    As the tower controller at SAN, you’ll get the dedicated airspace as shown below:

    eRYq1zPwqiTu31svV9ntBqM_UkYUYDcw3OWd2vyz-v0XhqfMJJ9NEbXnfjIVXygbhOys71TLt3GuGFODolpQI4cS49tqmurMjs9-pWqY2_W68jbP3nSyhOs6YC2GczpchaD-2snG

    Let’s dissect this airspace map piece by piece.

    Airspace Shape

    SAN_TWR owns three sections of the San Diego Bravo surface area as depicted on the diagram. This is quite a large area to work with, meaning there is plenty of room to sequence and separate aircraft. However, remember that SAN_TWR’s airspace ceilings vary by area. Furthermore, always check the aircraft altitude! They might just be overflying your airspace.

    Area Alpha

    Area Alpha is a triangular piece of airspace just south of SAN. It is not the airspace labeled “A” to the west, but rather the airspace labeled “Area Alpha” just south of Lindbergh Field. It is shared by SAN tower and NZY (North Island) tower, and comes in handy during the Bay Tour which takes place at NZY (more on this later). Because the airspace is shared, coordination between the SAN and NZY controller is required.

    VFR Landmarks

    The VFR landmarks include the Ocean Beach Pier, PetCo Stadium, and more. The most important (these are the ones that should be memorized) are the Coronado Bridge, Crystal Pier, and Ocean Beach Pier, as they are common reporting points for aircraft looking to transition the Bravo airspace.

    One landmark not depicted in the ZLA diagram of SAN_TWR is Mount Soledad. Mount Soledad is a hill just northwest of the MZB VOR, and is another common reporting point or holding point for VFR aircraft transitioning or waiting to transition the airspace.

    As is often the case on VATSIM, it’s important to remember that different flight simulators will depict terrain and VFR landmarks differently and sometimes not at all. 

    Around SAN

    SAN shares airspace borders with NZY and MYF (Montgomery) towers, and of course SoCal San Diego (oftentimes referred to as “West”). Due to the proximity of NZY, this is the tower you will be coordinating with most often. You may sometimes receive transitioning aircraft directly from MYF tower. Note that MYF or NZY can be staffed individually or, if a radar controller is on, they will be providing top-down services.

    IFR Procedures

    SIDs and STARs

    SAN has 9 SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures), but the following are used in West ops:

    • PADRZ, the northwest-bound RNAV (Area Navigation) SID

    • ZZOOO, the east and south-bound RNAV SID

    • PEBLE, the conventional version of PADRZ

    • BRDR, the conventional version of ZZOOO

    • CWARD, a northwest-bound RNAV SID generally used only for TEC routes

    Any SID that eventually diverges will grant you diverging separation (1 mile for radar separation) every time. For example, an aircraft departing on the PADRZ after one departing the ZZOOO can be launched with only 1 mile between them. 

    As a tower controller, you won’t need to worry much about STARs (Standard Terminal Arrival Routes), as you receive aircraft already on the approach. Having a basic understanding of the popular STARs at KSAN (namely the COMIX and the LUCKI) will give you an idea of what to expect.

    SAN’s DVA

    SAN has a very generous DVA. From the DVA SOP:

    PyLgHkQpQlKh3MXJrBHun_AeQUr1hxTOymz1hlMfoSrHBi1qw_RN0FXwNLJXGh7iV4B9Lq-6xkZApFsOV26537js5JG262DHF0uCfLH-4L6yM5ucubSbeVwBHco4hdY21cpfNrYJ

    This means you can turn aircraft that you have control of almost anywhere within 12 miles without putting them directly towards the approach path. This can come in handy for producing diverging separation with aircraft on a radar vector.

     

    HOfcWHx5KxAa8Qr8kqLhB-zHfK4QVq1DbEdeYDrH50IgZp6x0w90U4Wc_By_rlMhjCO9jbMoTgIiJnWbhhP463shAZOx4YxF445CPHP0XuN340UKkti7HYz8UMKjx5Y0hl11eHoG

    The red area represents headings that cannot be assigned from runway 27. The white is the runway at SAN. 

    However, keep in mind there is no such DVA for runway 9. Aircraft departing runway 9 will require the obstacle departure procedure (ODP) or a SID. 

    Special IFR Procedures

    The LOC/DME-A and LOC/DME-B approaches to NZY use SAN’s runway 27 and runway 9 localizer respectively. The aircraft will circle to land a bit past midfield.

    sMGjOCC4VAYeWo4YRDbwljFw2r2UteTshTsnOsfdzUMxu7jz8dB_ZJLkF7-mC-XWNunC3w8gU6O_asE6lAnUuy2XNtrxGh-yr8jgK6KeCMzhZK7-u2d_y89LliK0uiyhKjjohkcL

    Once these aircraft are clear of any potential conflict, hand them off to the NZY controlling authority—there is absolutely no reason to hold onto them longer than necessary. Handoffs take time for both pilots and controllers to execute and it is YOUR responsibility to make sure there isn’t an airspace bust.

    VFR Procedures

    Sunny SAN is a perfect airport on VATSIM for VFR. Many ZOTSOT pilots will choose or be instructed to carry out VFR operations, so familiarity with them is critical.

    Traffic Patterns

    Aircraft will always fly the pattern north of the airport (right pattern for runway 27) because of NZY’s airspace not far to the south. The standard pattern altitude for prop aircraft is 1200ft, and for jets 2000ft. The high speed and high altitude of jets means you will likely need a pointout to SoCal approach above you. The altitude for props also poses some challenges which we will get to later.

    VFR Departures and Arrivals

    Both VFR departure headings are designed to achieve diverging separation. Convenient, isn’t it?

    Arrivals are generally put in a downwind for runway 27 from the north, or a more direct entry from the east. Plan ahead so you aren’t caught off guard by an extra plane in the pattern. With multiple aircraft in the pattern, provide traffic advisories as necessary (https://laartcc.org/stm/traffic-information-and-visual-separation).

    Taxiway Delta Transition

    The Taxiway Delta transition is a popular Bravo airspace transition that involves aircraft overflying taxiway Delta at 1500ft. In the real world it is always done from the south, although on VATSIM some pilots will choose to fly it from the north. 

    Here is a time when one of the VFR reporting points comes in handy: the Coronado Bridge is often used as a holding point for VFR aircraft looking to transition northbound via the taxiway Delta transition.

    This transition poses some separation challenges. Namely, transitioning aircraft may conflict with pattern traffic and aircraft executing a "go around." In this scenario, tower-applied visual separation is critical to safe and efficient operation of the airspace. By applying appropriate control visually to ensure aircraft are separated, radar separation minima can be safely disregarded. While this is perfectly acceptable for a real-world tower controller, VATSIM controllers do not always have the option to "look out the window." Consequently, radar separation minima and traffic pointouts still serve as important tools for separation in the VATSIM tower environment, but are by no means required if tower-applied visual separation is assured.

    60VxkY9sr2EPUIUn9xpnO9_Zm6jYCiBY6nYbBKge0Fw6eqs0imdDbmzlhUs-oFr2tS6TXudxmPSRxxdhgQbtsP0alemdQrQjVfXxMU_1eqqdChME7rwTn1R9gtR5cCUmL2BAqf_v

    The relevant aircraft (transitioning aircraft) is highlighted in orange. The pattern aircraft (the POV of the picture) is flying directly towards the transitioning aircraft with little vertical separation.

    Aircraft can be on an extended leg of the pattern to ensure separation with the transitioning aircraft. However, keep in mind that an extended upwind or crosswind may delay departing traffic. Remember that you can tell the pattern aircraft to make 360s or 270s to avoid unnecessarily long pattern legs. It’s also a good idea to time your transitioning aircraft such that the pattern aircraft doesn’t have to do much extending.

    What about arriving IFR traffic? You can’t simply make them do a 360 and you have the same issue with go-arounds. In fact, this can be even more dangerous because air carriers travel much faster, and on go-arounds are instructed to climb through 1500ft all the way to 5000. However, you generally receive IFR aircraft further out, so you have more opportunities to time a VFR transition perfectly. Additionally, traffic pointouts can help ensure (VATSIM) tower-applied visual separation.

    Remember that as a controller, you can deny a Bravo entrance of transition until you deem you can handle the workload. Leaving an airplane circling over the Coronado Bridge is perfectly fine — just don’t forget about them!

    Offshore Transition

    The offshore transition is a much less intrusive transition than the Taxiway D. It has aircraft follow the shoreline at or below 500ft AGL. The upshot of this is that the aircraft will be low enough that departures will climb right over them.

     

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    The aircraft on the transition (the POV of the picture) is low enough that an aircraft departing from SAN 4 miles away following minimum climb gradients (“400-2½ or std. w/min. climb of 353' per NM to 500”) would pass over the transitioning aircraft with no problems.

    The offshore transition begins at the Crystal Pier, and ends a little south of the Ocean Beach Pier. Aircraft on the offshore transition is below the radar floor in the real world, so if you desire to simulate that, reporting points such as the Ocean Beach Pier should be used. Aircraft on this transition southbound will enter NZY’s airspace, so start your controller coordination as soon as possible. 

    This is especially important because the Offshore Transition flows nicely into the Bay Tour at NZY, and many pilots will take advantage of this. You should also expect an aircraft in Area Alpha with a Bravo clearance from NZY if this happens, and plan accordingly.

    Conclusion

    SAN is a great training airport, and with high traffic it can be quite challenging. However, armed with local knowledge, you will be more prepared to handle any kind of traffic.