KSAN Tower: practise arrivals and departures on one runway

July 16, 2026 · Updated October 3, 2026 · San Diego International · Tower practice

San Diego International is a useful place to learn Tower because arriving and departing aircraft share runway 09/27. A landing clearance, a departure at the holding point and an aircraft still vacating the runway all affect the same decision. ProjectATC lets you rehearse that sequence at KSAN and read the debrief when the shift ends.

Set the runway from the weather

Start with the METAR and the runway shown in your session. KSAN can use runway 27 or 09; the flow in a particular shift depends on the weather and setup. Do not assume that yesterday's runway is still active. If you are writing the broadcast yourself, the ATIS guide covers the details to check.

Build an order before you transmit

Before clearing a departure, identify the next arrival, its distance and speed, and whether the runway is occupied. The number on the final approach marker is only part of the picture: a departure that is ready to roll differs from one still taxiing or waiting for another instruction.

1. Check the runway and the arrival's position on the traffic list or scope.
2. Check whether the previous landing aircraft has vacated and whether the departure is ready.
3. If the gap is uncertain, keep the departure at the holding point and handle the arrival first.
4. Listen to the pilot's readback and correct a wrong runway or instruction before moving on.

For example, if an arrival is on short final while a departure is still waiting at runway 27, hold the departure. Clear the arrival to land only when the runway is safe. Once that aircraft has vacated, reassess the next arrival before issuing a takeoff clearance. Tower 101 explains line up and wait, takeoff and landing clearances, and go-arounds in more detail.

Try a short Tower shift

1. Create a free account and open KSAN in a desktop browser.
2. Choose Tower, low traffic and a ten-minute session. Guided Aerodrome is available if you want step-by-step prompts first.
3. Watch one arrival and one departure at a time. Use the contextual instructions or type the clearance.
4. End the session and check the debrief for runway conflicts, readbacks and missed calls.

Repeat the same position before increasing traffic. If a go-around occurs, check what was on the runway and what clearance was still missing. The useful result is knowing which decision to change on the next shift.

Continue through the airport

Tower is one of five free KSAN positions. Ground controls taxi routes to and from the runway; the taxi guide covers hold-short and crossing instructions. Clearance Delivery prepares IFR departures; start with the CRAFT guide if you want to practise the complete flight from the stand. Approach manages arrivals before the Tower handoff.