SubscribeBEST and Micro Nav were featured in a recent prime-time BBC 1 TV programme. The series was called "Should I Worry About ..." and covered a wide range of worries from mobile phones through sausages to, in the case of our episode, flying.
The theme was that Richard Hammond, of "Top Gear" fame, picked a tabloid scare story and went on a personal journey to discover the facts behind the headlines.
In order to look at how aircraft are controlled and how air traffic controllers are trained Richard took a session on a BEST radar simulator running an approach exercise. It gave him and the viewers an impression of the controller's task and the extent of their regulated training. The realism of the simulator was evident and added to the reassurance of the programme. A desktop version of BEST was used. Two workstations complete with radar and information displays and simulated radio communications were configured to run as a controller and as a supervisor position.
The programme also looked at topics including: the emergency evacuation of passengers from aircraft; near misses; the high standards of aviation safety and deep vein thrombosis.
The Micro Nav session was planned and filmed in a very short time. The speed and professionalism of the BBC team was impressive. The filming was unscripted and unrehearsed and, as they predicted, it was fine after the edit. The BBC have been very pleased with the viewing figures for the series. We have been pleased by how many people have contacted us because they recognized BEST.
Richard Hammond, of "Top Gear" covers all levels and all types of air traffic control training. Micro Nav have a 16-year track record of developing, supplying and supporting air traffic control simulators for both civil and military authorities world wide.
