Heathrow ATC simulator
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Heathrow ATC simulator
I was just wondering how many of you have experienced the new simulator to train people to work at Heathrow. Whats it like? Is is very realistic?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4978598.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4978598.stm
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Heathrow has the most international departures, which gives it the title of, 'Worlds busiest international airport', Chicago has the highest frequency of domestic traffic thus the title, 'Worlds busiest airport' 
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HA! Good advertising then for Heathrow...bit of a con title!..last time I checked it was something like 14th busiest in the world in terms of actual aircraft movements! I believe Paris outstrips it now in European terms.
Oh for that 3rd runway eh!
BTW Was the tower simulator bought from NAV Canada or did NATS develop it?
Oh for that 3rd runway eh!
BTW Was the tower simulator bought from NAV Canada or did NATS develop it?
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Hong Kong had a 360 tower sim in 1998.It was used to train Kia Tak controllers on the layout at CLK.A lot of experienced controllers said it was only semi realistic,but it got them used to the green field airport.
You could fly targets on circuits ,and weird patterns which was good fun.Gweilo Airlines and Gweilo Regional saw to that.
It's a good system to get people up to a certain level before going live.
Also it was bleedin freezing in there as well,and the snow simulation outside was cool.
You could fly targets on circuits ,and weird patterns which was good fun.Gweilo Airlines and Gweilo Regional saw to that.
It's a good system to get people up to a certain level before going live.
Also it was bleedin freezing in there as well,and the snow simulation outside was cool.
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Originally Posted by Married a Canadian
HA! Good advertising then for Heathrow...bit of a con title!..last time I checked it was something like 14th busiest in the world in terms of actual aircraft movements!
Last edited by Felix Saddler; 27th May 2006 at 02:25.
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Proximity of other airfields has little relevance to how busy an individual airport is, nor is how many runways it has, the main thing is how many aircraft and passengers it serves. However these things can have a certain effect on the frequency of the traffic.
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Heathrow never has been, is not and probably never ever will be the "world's busiest" airport. Back when we were handling 1000 movements a day O'Hare was doing three times that much. I am Heathrow's greatest fan but it makes me cringe every time I hear all the media claims for the place.
However, I'd sure like to know of any other major airport which handles the same amount of traffic as Heathrow in such a confined space, both on the ground and in the air.
On the simulator bit.. I was to be the first trainee radar controller to experience the first sim there back in 1972. Unfortunately they couldn't get it working so all my training was "live". That sim was quite realistic, built to exactly resemble the Approach Control Room. Some years later they threw it away and introduced a simulator using PCs - I kid you not!! PCs to train radar controllers at Heathrow!! This at a time when aircraft simulators were becoming truly realistic. Thankfully someone, somewhere seems to have seen sense.
However, I'd sure like to know of any other major airport which handles the same amount of traffic as Heathrow in such a confined space, both on the ground and in the air.
On the simulator bit.. I was to be the first trainee radar controller to experience the first sim there back in 1972. Unfortunately they couldn't get it working so all my training was "live". That sim was quite realistic, built to exactly resemble the Approach Control Room. Some years later they threw it away and introduced a simulator using PCs - I kid you not!! PCs to train radar controllers at Heathrow!! This at a time when aircraft simulators were becoming truly realistic. Thankfully someone, somewhere seems to have seen sense.
