Teaching Airport
The Teaching Airport, a partnership between Embry-Riddle and Daytona Beach International Airport, is a program where theory, practice, and public good come together. The Teaching Airport is a great resource for students who will deal with our next generation of airport, aviation, and aerospace systems, as well as operational technologies, practices, and policies. The operation of these new systems will vastly improve the safety, security, efficiency, and economic strength of the nation's aviation and aerospace industry.
The Teaching Airport encompasses programs that include the creation of education and research programs for university, community college, and K-12 curricula. The programs focus on high-technology sciences, engineering, aeronautical and aerospace applications, internship and career-building programs for students of all ages, and the growth of high-tech industries in the Daytona Beach area, resulting in increased jobs, wages, and economic growth for the region.
Teaching Airport activities revolve around three major areas: teaching, research, and public outreach.
To date, more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students have participated in Teaching Airport-related activities, ranging from guest lecture series to site visits and internships. Research activities associated with the Teaching Airport cover the spectrum of airport operations and other aviation industry interests.
Past projects have focused on air service development research and research about the public perception of airport facilities. Potential future projects include the testing of new technologies to enhance airport safety, security, and operational efficiency.
The Teaching Airport provides a unique environment for industries to develop technology using a fully functioning airport facility as a test bed.
Research activities from the Teaching Airport have been applied as part of the program's public outreach agenda. One such application is the operation of the Teaching Airport Flight Tracking and Weather Information Center, which provides real-time air traffic and weather information to the public, with the aid of Teaching Airport students and researchers. The potential for public dissemination of knowledge from academia and industry through the Teaching Airport is truly exciting.
The Teaching Airport is a partnership between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona Beach International Airport, a department of Volusia County Government.
Weather and Flight Tracking Information Kiosk
One of the highlights and most visible successes of the Teaching Airport has been the development and operation of the Teaching Airport Weather and Flight Tracking Information Center.
The Center is an interactive, multi-use kiosk, located in Daytona Beach International Airport's (DBIA) domestic commercial airline terminal. The Center provides enhanced real-time aviation meteorology and air traffic information of interest to airline passengers, airport and airline operators, and public visitors to the airport.
Operation of the Center is assisted by a staff of Embry-Riddle student Teaching Airport ambassadors. These ambassadors provide a unique service to the users of DBIA by providing an educational experience to the users, education that the students themselves have gained during their coursework and other experiences while at Embry-Riddle.
The Center has also served as a focal point for research programs conducted at Embry-Riddle, ranging from airport passenger satisfaction surveys to further understanding the impacts of various meteorological conditions and the current air traffic control system on the efficiency of commercial and general aviation airport operations.
The Teaching Airport Weather and Flight Tracking Information Center has received significant praise from as high as national levels of government. In particular, the Federal Aviation Administration has expressed interest in expanding the Teaching Airport program by developing a similar Center at a large commercial airport in the Washington, D.C., area.
The Teaching Airport Weather and Flight Tracking Information Center provides meteorological information provided by Embry-Riddle's Aviation Weather Center and real-time flight tracking information through a partnership with Flightexplorer Inc.
CLICK HERE to view the Teaching Airport Weather Information Center.
