Last week, Australia-based Adacel announced it had signed a $59 million contract with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for air traffic control tower simulator technology, targeting the market for training new ATC personnel in the U.S. According to Adacel, the contract “will encompass a comprehensive range of services connected with the existing installed network of Tower Simulation Systems [TSS], including maintenance and support of TSS hardware and a full-scale technical refresh for all major components within the TSS large and small systems and TSS Mobile Units.”
The TSS program support platform includes Help Desk support and Air Traffic Control Subject Matter Experts, access to Adacel’s Training System Support Center, on-site Field Service Representatives/Technicians, and access to Adacel’s Web-Based Integrated Data Environment (WIDE) data repository.
Daniel Verret, Adacel’s CEO, said, “Our industry track record spans over 35 years, including over two decades of supporting the world’s largest TSS program. It is an honor to partner with the FAA in ushering in this new era of TSS program support and to continue the longstanding commercial partnership between our organizations.”
Seeing what these simulators look like in person is impressive. Now the investment into virtual towers (ATCT’s) should be pressed forward hard. There are so many tax dollars used to maintain the infrastructure of these FAA towers. HVAC systems, elevators, water for drinking and fire protection, electric and lease space. Then the multi-million dollar salaries of controllers, technical specialists and support staff at each individual ATCT. We are in the 21st century of camera and infrared technology to look through low visibility. Aircraft cockpit to aircraft cockpit communications and automation that can reduce the number of controllers required for an ATCT operation. And airports have become so vast that the high point of the ATCT’s suffer blind spots. The FAA needs to move towards the future. I have heard there are virtual tower test beds in private sector. I hope they are acknowledged as a cost saving and safer way to run local ATCT operations.