Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO) is the first airport in the nation to test a new remote air-traffic control system that eventually could be used at airports all over the country. According to a report at LeesburgToday, air traffic controllers from across the country began participating this week in mock trials to see how well they work with the system. The system won’t be used to manage actual airport operations because the technology hasn’t yet been approved, but the tests will yield suggestions and feedback from controllers.
For the test, an array of cameras were installed on the top of the airport terminal designed to digitally produce a 360° view of the airport on 15 video panels in a control room. Air traffic controllers have the ability to filter the screen for better visibility and can zoom in to specific areas — options not available to regular traffic controllers who monitor airspace by looking out a window.