June 2022 Group Watch: Pioneering Remote Aviation Control Tower Landing in Selma
Craig Field, the airport and industrial park in Selma, will soon become to the nation’s first remote Tower Air Traffic Control Center as well as a unique training academy as part of a project that could revolutionize control services in the United States. Advanced ATC Inc., an air traffic control academy in Valdosta, Georgia, is leading the project with plans to invest nearly $4.7 million to set up the Remote Tower Air Traffic Control Center (RTC) at the former U.S. Air Force base in Dallas County. Remote tower technologies allow air traffic controllers to perform all the functions of a traditional control tower from a different location through the extensive use of cameras, real-time video and other advances. The remote tower center in Selma will be equipped to support aviation expansion and air traffic control services for up to 40 airports across the nation. Advanced ATC plans to hire 28 people for the Craig Field operation in the first year, with a $3 million annual payroll.
