Want to Listen to the Tower?

In October of 2005, LiveATC.net began broadcasting Missoula Air Traffic Control live on the internet. Currently, MSO is the only ATC facility in the state of Montana available on the web.


 Click to listen to Missoula Air Traffic Control


After you click the link above, you may not immediately hear anything. Controllers don't talk all of the time, so there may be periods of silence. If you're unsure, look to see if your media player is counting seconds on it's timer.

Once connected, you will be listening to air traffic controllers at Missoula International Airport, TRACON controllers in Spokane, and Center Controllers in Salt Lake City. The live feed you hear is from a scanner located near the airport, so rather than hearing just one frequency, you are actually hearing several different frequencies and ATC services.  You will hear aircraft and controllers engaged in a variety of activities such as Ground Control, Missoula Tower, and Approach and Departure Control.  The scanner jumps to whichever frequency is busy at the moment, so you never know what you will hear next.

Missoula's live air traffic control is for entertainment purposes only. Missoula live ATC is provided by an outside source. Missoula live ATC may occasionally be unavailable due to system resources or unfavorable atmospheric conditions.

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How Does Missoula Live ATC Work?

Radio communications between aircraft and air traffic control facilities at the Missoula International Airport (fig. 1 and 2 below) are picked up and received through and antenna located 7 miles south of MSO (fig 3). The radio signal is fed into an air band receiver which is connected to a computer (fig. 4). The audio signal is then uploaded through a broadband internet connection to the LiveATC servers (fig. 5). The audio feed is then broadcast over the internet to listeners around the world. (fig. 6) The entire process, from the time the pilot or controller talks until you hear it, travels thousands of miles in about 6 seconds.

What Types of Aircraft Operate at MSO?

Missoula International Airport is a primary commercial service airport serving over 167,000 people. On any given day, you'll hear anything from homebuilts, single engine trainers, corporate aircraft, helicopters and fighter planes, to the daily regional jets, Airbus series aircraft, MD80's, Boeing 727's, 737's, 757's, cargo planes, and classic biplanes and warbirds.

You'll also be able to listen to military aircraft, US Forest Service operations, and Missoula's two medical helicopters, Life Flight from St. Patrick's Hospital and Health Sciences Center, and Care Flight based at Community Medical Center.

Airline activity at MSO begins around 6AM as the early morning flights depart. Afternoon arrivals and departures occur between 10AM and 6PM. The late night arrivals and cargo flights start around 10PM.

The following frequencies are being continuously scanned and broadcast on LiveATC.net.

•  121.90MHz - Missoula Ground 
•  118.40MHz - Missoula Tower 
•  124.90MHz - Approach  Control
•  124.90MHz - Departure  Control
•  132.40MHz - Salt Lake Center 
•  122.45MHz - Miller Peak RCO - GTF Flight Service
•  122.95MHz - Minuteman Unicom 
•  123.30MHz - Northstar Unicom.

Missoula Live air traffic control requires Windows Media Player available below. Ensure your PC volume is turned up. Once you're connected, you may not immediately hear anything. Give it a few minutes, then have fun listening. Please stop by LiveATC.net and thank them for providing MSO, as well as over 90 other airports from around the world.

For new listeners or listeners unfamiliar with the Missoula valley, it is important to understand that aviation communications depend on "line of sight." Simply stated, the pilot's radio transmitter in the aircraft must be able to "see" the receiver on the ground in order for that message to be clear and readable. This is important because the city of Missoula and the airport are located within a valley surrounded by rising mountainous terrain. This rising terrain obstructs the radio signal and may prevent you from hearing one side of a pilot/controller conversation clearly. This is an unavoidable condition, however transmissions from the aircraft will generally improve considerably as they cross over the terrain and enter the Missoula valley.

Please visit LiveATC.net today to let them know how much you appreciate having Missoula on the web.

Missoula International Airport
5225 Highway 10 West
Missoula, Montana 59808
Website: www.flymissoula.com
Airport Information: (406) 728-4381
Email us for more information: Click here