- What we're actually going to look at today is a cutting edge
technology for air traffic control simulation.
(upbeat music)
- Snow, lightning, storms, drones.
- Apply the 30 knot crosswind components onto the runway
which is pretty much hitting the limits.
- 747 had a go around. (plane blasts)
- Oh, Qantas is having a bad day.
Number one engine is on fire.
(uptempo music)
- No planes can take off now because they all kind of below
the snow right now.
It's so heavy.
- Sam, we're back in Dubai. (engine blasts)
Oh, and in fact the number one engine has just blown.
Unfortunately now he's having a really bad day.
- This is every pilot's nightmare.
Look at what we have on the screen there.
Simon made, we have Antonov 225.
(engine humming)
- People buy the cheap laser guns.
This is an extremely disruptive activity to do.
- Wow, look at that view.
Just flew past us.
Oh, look at that rendering. (Sam laughs)
I think I am lost. (wind whooshing)
- Sam, I've set up a pair of F35s to welcome you
to Heathrow for a flight rest.
Here they go, 200 feet and coming in hot.
(upbeat music) (plane engine roaring)
- Can you believe this?
Is this is for real>
Two F-35 just over-
Look at them banking hard just over Heathrow Central, crazy.
(upbeat music)
- So Sam welcome to Heathrow.
The world's busiest airport, twin runway operations.
We're looking at two seven rights and textual alphas getting
really filled up.
It gives us a view of the good old days of pre-COVID
activity and we really have to see it against soon.
(upbeat music)
(plane blasts)
Oh, Qantas is having a bad day.
Number one engine is on fire.
Now this is an emergency that we can simulate
for training purposes.
And in this example the fire service has already
been deployed.
Obviously, our traffic's role is to coordinate
all the on airfield services and a simulator like this
allows controllers to train in a safe environment
and hopefully never have to see situations like this
in reality. (upbeat music)
(helicopter engine roaring)
Sam, I'm sure like many people myself included
you have a drone.
One thing I will say is never fly your drone near
to any runway or any active airport anywhere
because it causes enormous disruption.
And for safety reasons the controllers
they have to clear the air space around the drone.
And actually you can get in a lot of trouble
with the police.
So one of the tools that we have here is the ability
for us to have a camera that snaps onto drone detection
that allows us to train the controllers on what to do
in the event of a drone.
You can see here we have an example of a drone
flying around.
Now that drone is actually beyond the line of sight
at the moment but you can see it just in the distance
down there.
And now that he's moved closer towards us and it means that
the controllers can go through a full scenario of what to do
if a drone comes in.
I'm not saying attack.
We're saying there is a drone close to the aerodrome
and unfortunately that costs a lot of money
and a lot of disruption to a lot of people.
- Very, very lofty.
Look it at that, the drones right on the busiest airport
runway right now.
(upbeat music)
- Hi, Sam, I'm Simon.
I'm the one running the simulator in the background,
engineering the individual flight plans.
I'm throwing in the scenarios.
Snow, lightning, storms, drones, all sorts of things to keep
the controllers on their toes when they're training.
- So in this scenario our engineers apply the 30 knot
crosswind components onto the runway which is pretty much
hitting the limits.
We've got a 747 Qantas on final.
He's at about one mile at this point
and obviously the aircraft is going to crab heavily
and we'll see if he's able to land
or he may have to do something like a go around.
(plane engine humming)
- I think the 30 knots crosswind exceeded the limits.
747 had a go around.
- All right Sam, I know who you love 747 so we're going to add
in a 747 BA108 to Dubai.
- They all have been retiring real but this is a simulator,
we have the technology to bring them back.
- One of the nice things about the simulators
we have the ability to move our eye points around.
Obviously we would normally be fixed in the talent position
for training but because you're here we want to show off
some of the nice features and toys that we have.
- Oh wow, I can see you are actually like a helicopter.
You're chasing the plane.
You're hovering just on top, behind the 747.
- Yeah, we have a tool called the space mouse which is used
for doing modelling work in the 3D environment
but it means that we can move the camera in actually
in six axis.
- Oh, you are really close now.
Can we go on top of the 74-
Wow, look at that.
That's the six axis, the space mouse, powerful.
Whoa, amazing.
Love the view, one more time.
Wow, look at that view.
Just flew past us.
Cutting edge, leading technology simulator like this,
we can control all elements of the weather.
Visibility, rain, snow, sleet we can...
it also affects the performance of the aircraft
when they're on the runway surfaces for breaking actions.
Obviously, you know there's the big impact during the winter
months that need to be trained for which is snow,
snow clearance, de-ice procedures.
All of that is capable within a good simulator
and we'll show you some of the nice features now.
- Well, could you bring back the typical UK winter
weather now, please?
- Absolutely, let's turn it back on.
So immediately we start to get snow and one of the nice
things about the modern generation image generators
is that the snow actually accumulates.
The longer you leave it the snow starts to build up
to a certain level and then you'll actually start to see
that the seam will turn white.
Visibility is going to come down,
the clouds are going to get heavier and actually you can see
here we can do snow pairing as well.
So one of the tricky situations for any busy tower
is how do you balance the use of the runway
against the snow clearing?
So that's another item that could be trained.
Okay Sam, Heathrow's cold and wet and snowed in.
Not a nice place to be.
I'm going to fly you to Dubai instead.
(wind whooshing) - Whoa, look at that.
You flew all the way, you can see the curvature
of the earth.
Wow.
(upbeat music)
As Sam went back in Dubai we've got a 380 on 30 left.
Now, unfortunately, he's having an unstable approach
so it's likely that he will make a go around.
(plane engine blasts)
Oh, in fact the number one engine has just blown.
Unfortunately, now he's having a really bad day
so obviously with an engine fire such as that
he will have to land.
So now the pilot really has to work hard to get himself
onto the deck.
And the advantage of these tools again is we can take
the I point, we can take the scene and we can show it
to people from all sorts of different angles which means
they can really understand what it means to be
in the hot seat and those pilots work hard
when there's situations like this.
Look at this, engine number one flame out on landing.
This is the simulation.
This is every pilot's nightmare and the ADC has to deal with
this and it has to quickly respond to emergency like this.
(upbeat music)
(engine roaring)
So guys, I'm going to have a go at this simulation
and a space mouse here.
You can go low all the way to the ground.
You can go high very quickly out to the space
and now I'm going to pull down again.
Wow, I lost.
I think I had gone down into the ocean.
I feel like I'm flying a helicopter around.
Look at this, I'm flying around Dubai.
Look at this, amazing.
Dream angle, you want to see the 380 like this.
Now the 3D is backtracking on the runway, ready for takeoff.
Look at this, right on top of you.
Look at that.
380 taking off, 30 right,
We'll follow you.
I need to have one of these at home.
Isn't it amazing?
Oh, look at that.
(upbeat music)
Let's have a race.
Ooh, Why does it took off like a lonely dude?
Wow, look at this view.
(uptempo music)
Oh my God, I think I screwed it up.
The plane took off perfectly fine but I don't know why
my view are inverted. (Sam laughs)
Oh, look it at rendering. (Sam laughs)
I think I am lost.
- Okay, here's another scenario that is encountered
on a unfortunately on an increasing basis.
People buy the cheap laser guns or laser pointers
and they actually fire them at air traffic control towers.
People don't understand this is an extremely disruptive
activity to do.
It causes a lot of effect to the controllers where they have
to then go and report where the source of that laser is,
the police get involved.
(upbeat music)
Okay Sam, so when we left Heathrow they were Speed bug 108
that took off.
They finally caught up with us.
They're now on approach on 30 left.
Controllers kindly put them in the number one position
so he's about to touch down.
(engine roaring)
- I massively enjoyed it, your technology here.
I think this is the future.
Like you can literally simulate every scenario
and not only to ATC professionals,
even to aviation enthusiasts we will love to have
only a piece of software like this to play at our own
airport simulations and simulating all sorts of weather,
all sort of traffic.
Fantastic software.
And now it's the after geek after hour fun.
Look at what we have on the screen.
There Simon Knight we have antelope 225 and a bumper.
(upbeat music)
- Hello Sam, now the fun begins.
We've got Antonov 225.
The only Antonov 225 is about to take off from Dubai.
There it goes.
(upbeat music)
(wind whooshing)
(lid pops)