Starting this spring, training opportunities for air traffic services specialists will be enhanced by a new digital tower. In the coming years, there are plans to add ground movement surveillance software and voice recognition capabilities to the simulator.
Until now, the simulator complex has consisted of a radar simulator, a tower simulator, and pseudo-pilot positions. The addition of a new tower simulator will make training schedules more flexible while increasing their frequency. It will also allow for better accommodation of the training needs of external partners.
“The availability of two working positions creates the conditions for more flexible and broader provision of air traffic control training. We are no longer dependent on the schedule of our higher education curriculum when offering training. Our increased capacity allows us to respond to the training needs of companies both in Estonia and neighbouring countries, including simulating remote tower operations with one or multiple positions,” explained Anu Vare, Head of Training at the Estonian Aviation Academy.
The new simulator features a 4K video wall and provides a 180–360-degree field of view. The system can be used together with a modern electronic flight data processing system. The simulator expansion creates greater opportunities for various training and development activities and allows for flexible configuration. In cooperation with customers, the simulator allows the display of any airport, enabling it to fulfil the needs of a customer-specific unit training plan. Among other uses, the new solution can be applied in training airfield vehicle drivers and in testing unmanned aircraft systems operations in an aerodrome control environment.