UFA, Inc. (UFA), a leading provider of Air Traffic Simulation and Voice Technologies, announced that it has delivered its ATTower Tower Simulator to the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. The Buehler Foundation Air Traffic Control Simulator consists of a 7-channel simulator with three controller working positions (Local, Ground, and Radar), three pseudo pilot positions, and one instructor/data preparation position.
Cutting edge simulator to be used for ATC research at the University’s Transportation Center
While ATTower is widely used by ATC organizations around the world for controller training, the product has a long history as a research platform. UMASS researchers will use ATTower’s robust feature set, as well as the product’s application programming interface (API), to support a wide variety of transportation research projects. The API allows such information as traffic, weather, and flight plan data to be integrated with external systems or other simulators. For example, this interface can be used to integrate a flight simulator or air traffic tools such as ground radar, electronic flight strips, or weather/information displays.
Professor Michael Knodler, Director of the UMASS Transportation Center, adds, “The UFA Tower Simulator is another example of the interests and commitment the UMass engineering faculty have shown over 5 decades to employ innovative technologies to conduct cutting edge transportation systems research and education activities to make transportation in the U.S. safer and more efficient”.
No other single simulator product on the market offers the range of capabilities required for the University of Massachusetts ATC Research and Development simulator.
“This deployment of ATTower will unquestionably showcase our system’s capabilities outside its use case of providing a comprehensive training platform for air traffic control students,” says Joseph Campbell, Director of Special Projects. “The staff at UMASS are extremely motivated to exploit the simulator to its full potential and beyond.”
