Richmond Airport Road-Tests New Driving Simulator

Aug. 4, 2006
Drivers can try their hand at everything from regular sedans around the airport grounds to the more difficult task of driving a fuel truck.

At Richmond International Airport, Fire Chief Jim Nilo takes the wheel of a computer-based driving simulator.

"We're one of five airports in the country participating in a study to develop a low-cost driving simulator," Nilo said.

The FAA's Office of Runway Safety and Operational Services joined the airport in buying about $2,700 worth of driving simulator hardware. Much of the technology was developed at Volpe National Transportation Systems, a federally funded research center in Cambridge, Mass.

Nilo said he hopes to build a customized program with many of the airport's nooks and crannies - all the while using off-the-shelf material.

Drivers can try their hand at everything from regular sedans around the airport grounds to the more difficult task of driving a fuel truck.

"We began building a virtual Richmond airport," Nilo said, grasping a steering wheel from a PlayStation 2 video game. "It's specific to Richmond. That's what's unique."

Work on the simulator began long before the fuel-truck accidents this year, he noted.

"Can you wreck this?" he asked in response to a question. "Most certainly you can."

A visitor to the virtual driving range gunned the engine of a virtual fuel truck. The truck quickly turned over, sending tiny puffs of white smoke into the simulated sky.

Better here than in real life.

Grounded

The Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, a nonprofit group that studies aviation safety, says airport incidents cost airlines and general aviation operators nearly $11 billion a year in property and personal-injury costs. Here are some mishaps reported this year by American carriers:

* Jan. 5, Seattle: An Alaska Airlines 737, parked at boarding gate, was accidentally pulled forward by a tug. Result: Fuselage scratched, no injuries reported.

* Jan. 16, El Paso, Texas: A mechanic was killed when he was sucked into the jet engine of a Continental Airlines 737 as he checked an oil leak.

* Jan. 17, Chicago: A United Airlines A319 jet collided at the gate with a baggage loader. One engine had minor damage; no one injured.

* March 22, Boston: A US Airways jetway collapsed while it unloaded 120 passengers. A mechanic and passenger were injured.

SOURCES: Seattle Times and Federal Aviation Administration.

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