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A TRIP TO LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
by Jim McClenahen,
Air Traffic Control Analyst NASA's FutureFlight Central Facility
located at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
October 12, 2000
I work as an Air Traffic Control Analyst in the FutureFlight Central
(FFC) Facility at NASA Ames Research Center. I provide the air traffic
control technical information for projects being developed by FFC. FutureFlight
Central is a 360-degree airport control tower simulator. This report covers
a trip made to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to conduct research
for the development of a visual database of the airport to be used to
conduct simulations involving studies of runway safety issues. The database
being developed will be an exact model of the airport operation, simulating
all the different operations required to get the arriving flights to the
their parking gates and the departing flights to their departure runways.
The visual database, when completed, will use real air traffic controllers
and real pilots to simulate the movement of aircraft and ground vehicles
for the different issues to be studied. The following is the schedule
of events that were completed during a research trip to LAX.
| 640 AM |
Leave San Jose International Airport on a flight to Los Angeles
International Airport. While en-route-review areas of research that
will be conducted.
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| 750 AM |
Arrive Los Angeles International Airport, meeting two other researchers
at Los Angeles Air Traffic Control Tower.
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| 815 AM |
In the tower cab viewing controllers at the various positions of
operation providing service to the different arriving and departing
flights. There are nine different positions of operation in the
tower cab. Each position has a different area of responsibility,
some positions are responsible for the runways that are used by
the arriving and departing flights. Other positions are responsible
for the taxiways that lead to and from the runways. All of these
positions have to be research to establish a real representation
of their duties and responsibilities. Conducted interviews with
tower personnel discussing the different techniques used to move
traffic on the surface of the airport.
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| 1:00 PM |
Visited American and Alaska Airlines Ramp Towers conducting research
of their gate and ramp control operation.
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| 4:05 PM |
Depart Los Angeles International Airport on a flight
returning to San Jose International Airport. While en-route-reviewed
notes, photographs, and started writing a trip report to record the
results of research completed.
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