The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) showcased a new air traffic control simulator in the ship’s carrier air traffic control center on March 22.
Carl Vinson is the first carrier to be fitted with this new simulator program which affords air traffic controllers the capability to immerse themselves in real CATCC flight operations scenarios without the necessity of actual flight operations.
CATCC Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO) Chief Air Traffic Controller Keith Thompson, said: “Normally we don’t have any flight operations we can simulate while we’re in port. Now that we have this simulator, we can come here and simulate flight operations any given day.”
The new software was installed recently during Carl Vinson’s chief of naval operations planned incremental availability (PIA) period and provides the embarked air traffic controllers a mission-ready edge over others in the fleet.
Carl Vinson is currently undergoing a CNO planned incremental availability period in preparation for future sea operations.