AERN 430 - Tower Operations

(3 hour(s)) Prerequisites: AERN 324. An undergraduate course that applies tower procedures to complex, integrated airport operations using advanced classroom and scenario work. Students will manage departures, arrivals, pattern traffic, and ground movements in multi-runway environments through structured case studies and written/role-play scenarios. This course stresses traffic sequencing, coordination with terminal radar approach control (TRACON) and Center, and recovery from disruptions using Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) orders and airport documents. Students integrate weather, equipment outages, and special operations into tower decision-making. Emphasis falls on prioritization, workload management, and maintaining situation awareness under pressure. This course prepares students for airport traffic control tower (ATCT) professional training and facility-level expectations.