News>Feature - Tower simulator key to success on the flightline
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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Hickle, 27th Special Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, instructs a plane to land while completing a simulation on the Tower Simulation System at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 22, 2012. The TSS is a computer simulated airfield that allows trainees to practice and perfect various skills needed while working in the Air Traffic Control Tower. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Christian Kist, 27th Special Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, works on completing a simulation on the Tower Simulation System at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 22, 2012. The TSS is a computer simulated airfield that allows trainees to practice and perfect various skills needed while working in the Air Traffic Control Tower. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Hickle, 27th Special Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, begins his daily training on the Tower Simulation System at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 22, 2012. The TSS is a computer simulated airfield that allows trainees to practice and perfect various skills needed while working in the Air Traffic Control Tower. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom)
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Hickle, 27th Special Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, talks on his head set while completing a simulation on the Tower Simulation System at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 22, 2012. The TSS is a computer simulated airfield that allows trainees to practice and perfect various skills needed while working in the Air Traffic Control Tower. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom)
by Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
8/24/2012 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Aircraft hover above the skyline, trucks bear heavy loads down the road and everywhere there are people busy working on aircraft. The flightline is a beehive of activity that if not carefully organized would collapse upon itself and dissolve into chaos.
The Air Traffic Control Tower is the glue that holds the flightline together at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. Air traffic controllers watch all the comings and goings from the flightline, orchestrating each event like the conductors of a giant symphony.
Each person who works in Air Traffic Control spends a great amount of time studying their job to ensure their skills are honed to perfection. Airman know mistakes up in the tower can have deadly consequences.
Things read in a textbook do not always compute to real life. Trainees need hands-on experience in order to be able to complete their job to the best of their ability. To fill this need, members of the 27th Special Operation Support Squadron train with the Tower Simulation System.
The TSS consists of several large computer screens that give a simulated 360 degree view of the flightline. Trainees use real equipment and radio dialogue to run through scenarios that might occur while working in the tower. These scenarios are controlled by a trainer who feeds information to the simulator from a separate computer.
"It helps, dealing with situations you're going to run into up in the tower," said Airman 1st Class Matthew Hickle, 27 SOSS air traffic controller. "You're going to make mistakes during training so it's beneficial to be able to come down here and work out all the kinks."
Trainees will spend up to 240 hours working on the simulator throughout the course of their year of training. Its ability to provide life-like simulations without danger to real situations is immensely helpful.
"We can use this advanced system to practice and perfect various skills," said Senior Airman Jason Butrim, 27 SOSS air traffic controller. "You want to be comfortable communicating in the tower and the best way to get comfortable talking to pilots and directing aircraft is to practice with the simulator."
