This June, ASTi welcomed three representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to its facility in Herndon, VA for two days of on-site demonstrations and discussions about the role of immersive Simulated Air Traffic Control Environment (SATCE) technologies in flight simulation and pilot training. ASTi was selected to participate in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the FAA to support industry research as part of its National Aviation Research Plan (NARP) for 2024–2028 in an effort to "develop a path for certification for simulated ATC environments.”
Grant Morfitt, Research Engineer; Somil Shah, Aerospace Engineer; and Larry McDonald, Senior Technical Specialist for Flight Simulation Systems joined members of ASTi's development team to see and hear ASTi's immersive Simulated Environment for Realistic ATC (SERA) product in action. SERA is the industry-leading SATCE solution, shipping over 300 systems and integrating with more than 20 simulator manufacturers around the world.
The ongoing study will take place over the next three years in multiple phases. The FAA will install SERA on an Airbus A320 flight simulator at the William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC) in Atlantic City, NJ. Follow-up installations at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) in Oklahoma City, OK will find SERA hosted on an A330/320 Level D full-flight simulator for evaluation. ASTi anticipates that the initial results of this research will lead to the issuance of FAA policy, guidance, and best practices for SATCE technologies.
ASTi looks forward to working closely with the FAA throughout its research plan to better understand how SATCE systems can improve the pilot training experience and reduce the number of incidents caused by pilot miscommunication.
Contact ASTi to learn more about SERA or to arrange an in-person demonstration.
