Czech Air Navigation Services purchases new 3D tower simulator

As of Tuesday, the Czech Republic boasts new air navigation technology that will give the country’s aviation an edge over neighboring Germany and Poland. The newly acquired 3D tower simulator is capable of creating various weather conditions, day or night time work situations as well as simulating the towers of all international airports. This state-of-the-art technology will now be used to train future navigators. Miroslav Ehl of the Czech Air Navigation Services explains what makes this device so unique.

Photo: CTK

“It’s unique in the way it presents the visual scene to the air traffic controllers and students of air traffic controlling. It enables a complete 360 degree view of the airport on which the air traffic student is training.”

And why is it that conditions for all international towers can be simulated on this device, but only four towers here in the Czech Republic have been mapped for this technology so far?

“The mapping process of each individual airport is very time consuming and expensive. The reason only four towers have been mapped and put into the system is the fact that air navigation services of the Czech Republic currently performs air traffic services in only four airports in the Czech Republic, in Prague, in Brno, in Karlovy Vary and Ostrava.”

Photo: CTK

How long has Czech Air Navigation planned this purchase and who financed it?

“The project has been mapped out for four or five years, we initially thought about procuring the technology for two years, and then the installation and implementation of the entire project took about 4 years.”

Will this in any way be lucrative for the Czech Republic? Can this new technology be rented out to other countries?

Photo: www.rlp.cz

“Currently we have several uses of this technology in mind, it is going to be used not only for training for the Czech Air Navigation services, meaning for the towers of Prague, Brno, Karlovy Vary and Ostrava, but in its spare time, it will also be used for our other commercial clients that we provide training for. Those are for example other air navigation providers, such as the Polish air navigation services PONSA or the German regional airports, etc.”