Why are airport driving simulators necessary?

Imagine a place where you’d have time to let your imagine soar. For example, an airport – the ideal place to stop, think and reflect. Most likely, what comes to mind are the security checks, duty-free shops for passing the time and people from diverse cultures heading towards their respective flights. You could say that what we’re seeing is how everything flows autonomously, quickly and smoothly. However, there’s a complex and perfect web of operations taking place daily in airports so that everything flows in this manner.

Take a moment to think and ask yourself, for example, how complex it must be to drive in an airport? You might be at the wheel of a guidance vehicle to escort planes in adverse weather conditions, or a vehicle that collects and clears objects that endanger operations, or even an emergency vehicle or a fuel truck, among others.

Now imagine that it’s night time and there’s thick fog and heavy rain.  You're driving around a vast airfield with few landmarks to guide you. You must abide by strict access rules governing the different zones. And, you must be in constant communication with the control tower and be aware of changes to runway configurations that affect traffic. To top it off, you’re not alone but surrounded by vehicles like those already mentioned, all of them working hard so that the airport runs safely and on time. Driving around an airport in a four-wheeled vehicle can be a real challenge. Loose of situational awareness, inexperience, uncertainty,... these can be the perfect ingredients for a catastrophe.

Did you ever stop to think that airport drivers receive specific training to prepare them for each part of the airfield and to ensure they perform each function properly and in the correct vehicle? Investing time to train airport staff is an investment in everyone’s safety. Lander is currently contributing to the safety of this collective via its driving simulators and its wealth of experience, with a focus on all types of land vehicles involved in airport operations.

Want to know more? Stop, think and fly.

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