Touring MTSU's Air Traffic Control Lab

MTSU's Air Traffic Control Simulator


This week I had the pleasure of being able to tour MTSU’s ATC lab! The lab consists of a 360-degree tower simulator and radar simulators. The tour was led by two current MTSU aerospace majors, which was nice. The students explained that there are three different areas of air traffic control: tower, TRACON (Terminal Control Approach Facilities) and Air Route Traffic Control Centers- which is knowns as simply “center”. My classmates and I were first able to tour the radar side of the lab, which houses TRACON and en route simulators. In all honesty, the bombardment of new terms was somewhat hard to follow, but it definitely gave me a better appreciation of the complexity of air traffic control. It was interesting to hear how the three different components of ATC interact and learn more about the purpose of each one. Unlike the tower and TRACON, centers are not located at the airport but outside of major cities across the US. This was something I have never heard about and was very intriguing. For the second part of the tour, my classmates and I were able to view the inside of the ATC tower simulator. Opened in 2011, the 3.2-million-dollar simulator is the world’s most advanced 360-degree ATC simulator. Being able to go inside the tower simulator was an awesome experience.
            I was also able to meet Gail Zlotky, who is the head of the ATC lab. She helped explain the four classes that are required to complete the ATC minor. Overall, I had a great time learning more about the ATC lab and being able to see firsthand how the different aerospace concentrations work together.


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