Originally Posted by
HEATHROW DIRECTOR
<<The sounds of the airport are also played over speakers, to make this virtual world more realistic - potentially noisier, in fact, than some insulated control rooms - after trials showed it helped controllers. “It sounds a bit silly pumping noise into a control room but it’s something they need to do the job,” Anderson added.>>
Really? What about major airfields where the Tower maybe some distance from the runway? I don't recall any extraneous noises at Heathrow Tower. If there were they were probably drowned out by internal noises.
Sorry, just playing catch up after a few days off...
HD there are various situations where hearing the sounds from an airport provide additional situational awareness for controllers.
For some aircraft types in particular the timing of, and differences, in the sounds created when engines are spooling prior to take off can affect how a controller deals with a tight gap.
The sound of an engine "popping" could be the first indication of a problem (particularly in low visibility operations)...birdstrike on departure? Engine failure on take off roll?
There are many, many more examples when air crews will be prioritising aviating and navigating rather than communicating with ATC, and hence why sounds are important to alert a tower controller.
Just because the tower you used to work at was so far from the runway(s) that sounds were seemingly irrelevant doesn't mean that they couldn't be beneficial at your previous location, or indeed other locations.
I have no problem with people offering opinions, sometimes they can be insightful and thought-provoking and raise relevant points.
Experience is important, however I can't help but think that your apparent lack of experience/knowledge of other operations and new technology clouds your judgement somewhat. You seem to base most of your posts on your experiences at EGLL (understandably) without even contemplating how, and why, other operations may be different.
Perhaps a more appropriate response would have been "Why are airfield sounds important to your operation?" (with or without your additional experience of sounds at your former workplace.)