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The FAA said Monday that the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) will become the first air traffic control tower in the country to receive the modern Tower Simulation System. This will help to bolster controller training on airport operations.
Austin's new system includes a visual database to stimulate air traffic on an airport's layout, operations and airspace to improve safety. AUS controllers handled more than 250,000 flights in 2023. The FAA is planning to install the tower simulator at 95 facilities across the country by late 2025.
By modernizing the simulator system, the time it takes for a controller to be fully certified at air traffic facilities will be hastened. This is part of an ongoing mission to improve safety in the national airspace and to increase the number of controllers. The decision stems from recommendations given by an independent safety review team to improve the quality of operations in late 2023.
The FAA will continue to act on the review team recommendations, including filling every seat at the academy and conducting advanced training at regional facilities, hiring experienced controllers from military and industry year-round and advancing the onboarding process for new hires. Other actions include working with colleges and universities to enhance the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative Program so that graduates have the skills needed to immediately begin job training at a facility and placing recent graduates directly into the air traffic facilities.RELATED STORIES:NTSB public docket reveals pilot saw 'silhouette of plane in fog' before initiating go-around in Austin close-callNTSB: Overflight leads to loss of separation in Austin runway incursion
AUS experienced a highly publicized runway incursion on Feb. 4, 2023 when a FedEx Boeing 767 and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 suffered an overflight that led to a loss of separation. This was one in a string of incursions at the start of 2023. The NTSB has not revealed the official closest proximity but it is believed to be less than 100 feet between the two Boeing aircraft. The controllers could see the 767 but not where the 737 was in relation to the other plane because the Southwest plane was on the ground. The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the incident and opened a public docket as the agency continues the investigation. The AUS ACT noted low traffic volume at the time of the incursion and the FedEx pilots were given clearance, with the controller confirming the landing clearance and letting them know the 737 was departing runway 18L ahead of them. The incursion occurred shortly after.
Nearly one year later, AUS is changing to bolster safety. The FAA has a permanent leader now and change is ongoing as the agency and other members of the industry look to improve the state of aviation safety in all phases of flight and all types of operation, from the ground up.