The country’s very first Aerodrome Tower Simulator at the Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) in Parañaque City was inaugurated by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) via virtual ceremony earlier today.
This PHP84.9M project included supply, installation, and testing of the simulator, which was completed last 30 March 2021.
“Today, I must say, I am filled with glee and appreciation on projects like this pagkat ito po ay magpapakita ng ating dedikasyon sa pagsisilbi sa taumbayan,” according to Secretary Arthur P. Tugade during the virtual event.
Secretary Tugade personally expressed his gratitude and appreciation to CAAP Director General Captain Jim Sydiongco, Deputy Director-General for Operations Captain Don Mendoza, Deputy Director-General for Administration BGen. John Estabillo, AFP (Ret.), CAAP Chief of Staff Atty. Danjun Lucas and DOTr Assistant Secretary for Aviation and Airports Jim Melo for their continued hard work in implementing aviation-related projects despite challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual ceremony was also joined by CAAP service chiefs, officials, and representatives from DOTr and its attached agencies, stakeholders from Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP), General Aviation and Approved Training Organizations (ATOs).
The Aerodrome Tower 3D Simulator is a 315-degree horizontal field of view (HOF) visual simulator installed at CAAP’s Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) in Paranaque City.
The new simulator, the first of its kind in the Philippines, will help ATCs in training, testing, and maintaining proficiency in handling aerodrome control operations without involving any risk to property or lives, and at a much lower cost than training in actual air traffic control conditions.
The six (06) airport scenario settings installed in the simulator program can be used for ATC proficiency in the airport environments of Manila, Clark, Mactan, Plaridel, Davao, and a generic single-runway airport.
Prior to the inauguration of this new training facility, ATC instructors use miniature model airplanes, manipulating them tediously overprinted airport tarpaulins to recreate air traffic scenarios. With the arrival of our new Aerodrome Simulator, this practice shall now be obsolete.
The Aerodrome Simulator is planned to be used for the training of new air traffic controllers through the Comprehensive Air Traffic Service (CATS) Course offered at CATC. The course not only aims to promote the industry of aviation as a career option but also to support the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) New Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) initiative.
Within the next five years, an Air Traffic Service (ATS) program for recurrence training of tower ATCs in key aerodromes in the Philippines will also be developed.