Separation: heading, altitude and speed
In ATC7700, keep aircraft at least 4 nautical miles apart horizontally or 1000 feet apart vertically. Either is enough; losing both triggers a separation alert.
Practise at MadridRead distance and altitude together
Two aircraft 3 NM apart, one at 5000 ft and the other at 6000 ft, retain the game’s 1000 ft vertical separation. If the second descends to 5500 ft without increasing horizontal distance, both separations are lost. This illustrates the simulator’s rule, not a real aviation clearance.
Heading creates room
A heading change redirects a flight before a crossing. Watch the selected aircraft’s predicted path and allow time for the turn: changes are gradual. A manual heading cancels Guide to final, so you will need to set up the approach entry again afterwards.
Speed shapes the queue
A faster aircraft following a slower one towards the same runway closes the gap. Slow the following aircraft early and check its current speed, not only its target. A 60 kt speed difference closes roughly one nautical mile per minute when both fly in the same direction at constant speeds.
A hold buys time
Hold / 360° offers a left or right holding pattern or a single 360° turn. A hold repeats one-minute straight legs and 180° turns; a 360° turn ends by itself. Exit on current heading or issue a new heading to leave a hold. End the manoeuvre before clearing the approach.
Use the rings as references
The guides show a 4 NM ring and an inner 2 NM reference. The inner ring does not add another alert threshold. Compare the other aircraft’s centre with the reference and check its altitude; overlapping circles alone do not tell you whether a conflict exists.
The runway needs room too
The game requires 4 NM before clearing another aircraft onto the same runway’s approach and treats cleared parallel finals as independent. Runway occupancy still limits landings and departures. These simplifications do not represent every minimum or exception used in real air traffic control.