Watch video on the ATC flight simulator

This summer, Kent State University spent more than $2 million on brand new equipment that went to Van Deusen Hall, home to the College of Technology’s Air Traffic Control Program.

The equipment is in the form of brand new, high-tech air traffic control simulators. The simulators, which take up two large rooms on the second floor of Van Deusen, are so realistic they give students in the program unprecedented experience before they step foot in a control tower, said Don Masarik, a College of Technology adjunct professor.

Masarik, who was an air traffic controller for 27 years before teaching at Kent State, said the simulators, which depict an exact replica of the Daytona (Fla.) Airport, are amazing because of how comparable they are to real equipment in air traffic control towers.

Chris Bennett, an ATC lab technician, said he can key up any weather or traffic situations he wants to give students experiences in any type of scenario.

Maybe the biggest surprise of all surrounding these simulators isn’t how real-to-life they are, but that barely anyone realizes they are at Kent State. Masarik said that only within the past month or so President Lefton visited Van Deusen and saw the simulators.

Contact KNN assistant Web editor Justin Armburger at [email protected].