The Minister of Development, Ana Pastor, placed Leon "as a good example" in technological innovation through engineers and engineers who are trained at the University of León and "spearhead in technological innovation in the air sector and also in the world of drones ». The holder of the portfolio of Development in functions extolled the commitment being made by the academic world of Leon for these "strategic" sectors during the signing of the agreement that will allow the School of Engineering to have the license to use the Sacta system -during the next four years and with automatic annual extensions-, the same one used by air traffic controllers from more than 90 countries and whose software is owned by the Government of Spain.
"The engineers of the University of León will be much better prepared to enter the labor market with a system that is the most advanced in the world," the acting minister said, adding that the Automated Air Traffic Control System (Sacta) already is being installed in the Leon school which will allow the students of the Master of Aeronautics and the Aerospace degree to simulate the job of a controller in an air traffic control center and from the next course start to perform interactive exercises as well as real exercises through "a pioneering agreement" reaching from the Ministry of Public Works and the University of León.
Specific training
The new engineering laboratory, which is a clone of a real control tower, is installed in the facility with the same six screens that the real air traffic controllers face, which will allow them to learn from the management of all phases of the flight "and will have specific training of all air traffic". Pastor also stressed that the Sacta system "is being the basis for the development of the future air control system within the Single European Sky."
The simulator will be installed by the company Indra and will be carried out during the summer to be operational in September, at the beginning of the course. The training plan for the students of the University includes about five hours a week of internships with students during the 30 weeks of the annual course, about 150 hours a year, without counting the time of preparation of the practices that the professors will need. The team in which the students will work will have a simulation exercise corresponding to the geographical area managed by the Madrid Air Traffic Control Center, where the management of the entire flight will be simulated.
The professor responsible for Aerospace Engineering, Jesús Gonzalo de Grado, recalled the importance of the practices for the training of these engineers and the fact that "Spain is a power in air navigation", along with the management of Indra. To all this he added: "Our engineers will come out very well prepared." The agreement was signed by the minister and the rector of the University, Juan Francisco García Marín, and the president of the Enaire Business Entity, Julio Gómez-Pomar Rodríguez, and had the support of the mayor of León, Antonio Silván, General Director of Indra, Rafael Gallego Carbonell, the director of León Airport, Ángel Rubal Díaz, together with numerous personalities.