Inside Room H-132 at Catonsville's community college sits the sprawling runway complex at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Starting this fall, students will take off and land from there using a $20,000 flight simulator. Along the way, these would-be pilots will encounter fire in their plane's cockpit, run out of fuel and be forced to land under foggy conditions.
To deal with such hair-raising emergencies, however, students will only have to step outside the simulator and solve problems with their professor.
"By duplicating these conditions, student learning is reinforced in a way that cannot be done in an airplane," said Douglas Williams, program instructor for the two-year Aviation Management Program at Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville campus.
The new flight simulator will enhance the school's aviation program, keeping it competitive with larger, four-year institutions. Catonsville is the only two-year college in Maryland with such technology. More than 90 students are expected in Catonsville's aviation course in September, paying $180 for two semesters.
The meticulous and exhaustive study required to fly an airplane starts in the seat of the Personal Computer, Aviation Training Device, known as the flight simulator.
Resembling an arcade ride, the virtual airplane features an intimidating array of dials, digital readouts and instruments, complete with sound and visuals. The simulator provides the look and feel of flight conditions, teaching prospective pilots how to interpret instrument readings in 12 different types of aircraft and correct problems ranging from altitude to air speed to a jammed landing gear, said Williams.
After two years of being buffeted by high winds, dipping horizons and loss of radio contact -- all in the secure confines of the computerized simulator -- graduates earn an associate of Applied Science degree. With the required in-flight training, they can then test for a Federal Aviation Administration license to operate either a private or commercial plane. The course also prepares students to take the FAA's test to become instrument-rated, indicating the ability to fly in bad weather without seeing the horizon.
If they pass, Catonsville's student aviators will step proudly into the ranks of Maryland's 8,800 pilots, nearly 3,000 of whom are commercial fliers.
