ATC tower simulator project completed for Qatar Civil Aviation Authority

Micro Nav has completed a project to design, deliver and commission a 360° 3D Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower simulator for Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) at Hamad International Airport, as well as a technical refresh of the existing Micro Nav ATC simulators. This included hardware, software, consoles, training and a ten-year support agreement, and civil works by Bayanat Engineering.

“We thank Micro Nav for having successfully provided us with this flagship 3D tower simulator system which will allow QCAA to put into operation a brand-new and world-leading ATC training facility,” said Gabriele Marca – Projects, Contracts & Procurement for QCAA.

The Beginning to End for Simulation and Training (BEST) simulator was delivered to Qatar’s ANSP to support the country’s growth, and accommodate increased airport demands. In addition, it will be used for supporting the development of operational procedures and testing proposed changes. The BEST 3D Tower simulator was installed in the new Air Traffic Control Centre and Training facility at Hamad International Airport and provides them with the next generation in high fidelity ATC simulation capability.

The simulator utilises 18 high-performance Norxe projectors, each operating a solid-state optical engine and providing stable high performance, reliability and longevity. Comprising the latest Micro Nav Visual Display System, the simulator features a curved Glassfibre Reinforced Plastic (GRP) screen and Automatic Display Alignment System (ADAS) with split mode display operations and enhanced viewing capability to complete the 360° 3D tower environment. The ADAS solution allows the customer to save time and money through the fast projector alignment process, matching brightness and colour across the full 360° display, with no need for third party involvement, or specialist skills.

Following a full technical refresh, BEST Remote is now used to connect with the new 360° BEST 3D Tower simulator to run joint simulations and enable the sharing of resources, such as pseudo pilots and data.

The 3D tower simulator will be used for individual tower simulation training, or will be connected to the APP/ACC simulator to run combined exercises for integrated training.

“Micro Nav’s BEST simulator provides us with an excellent platform for the training of new controllers, as well as the validation of new procedures and airspace design for capacity enhancement ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2022,” said Andy Morrison, ATC Simulation Specialist at QCAA.

“We are delighted to have once again worked with one of our outstanding partners, Bayanat Engineering, in delivering a full 360° tower simulator to QCAA. The QCAA are now able to use their recently upgraded BEST simulator and this newly installed simulator to connect for integrated exercise scenarios and sharing of data and resources,” said Greg Pile, Managing Director of Micro Nav.