Currently Visits & Events specialist at Skyguide, Luca started at the company as a trainee with the aim of gaining an insight into the air navigation services and aviation professions in general.
Luca Tensfeldt's shares his experience
A look back at Luca’s experience at the Skyguide Academy.
After almost a year at the Skyguide Academy, I can look back on a very exciting, impressive but intensive internship within the simulation division. I joined Skyguide with the aim of gaining an insight into the air navigation services professions and aviation in general, and I can now confirm that it was the right decision for me to join the aviation industry.
Our main task as trainees in the simulation is to support the training activities. We assist our team by handling support shifts. During this time, we configure the simulator so that it is prepared for the appropriate training sessions, and we are the first contact persons to resolve any technical problems. You learn a lot in and around the simulator, but due to its complexity, there are of course also problems that we interns cannot solve independently. In these situations, we always have experts from our department and simulation engineers at our disposal. In addition to support, we also work together with our team in data preparation, such as adapting exercises to various airspaces.
We perform various administrative tasks and are allowed to work on different projects. The largest of these projects is the ATC@Work, which all Skyguide Academy trainees organise together. From planning to implementation, we are responsible for this event. It is unusual for a group of trainees to organize such an event, but it demonstrated the trust placed upon us to take care of such an important task. This event created great interest far and wide, and it was not surprising that 381 people attended our events, featuring various air traffic control disciplines. We were encouraged to contribute in many other areas, and not just limited to the above event.
To make the internship even more multifaceted, we also had the opportunity to attend ATCO Basic lessons, and to participate in visits to gain a wide-ranging insight into aviation.
“The internships at the Skyguide Academy are varied and interesting. They offer great insight into the world of Air Traffic Control and aviation.”
Needless to say my expectations have not only been fulfilled: they have been exceeded. I’m now sure that I have made the right decision to enter the world of aviation with this internship. I never thought I would learn so much about air traffic control and aviation within one year. I learned many new things that are unique to the aviation industry, but best of all, I met some great people.
The internships at the Skyguide Academy are varied and interesting. They offer great insight into the world of air traffic control and aviation, and are far removed from the idea that we are there to “make coffee”, as is the case in many other industries. I would therefore highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in air traffic control and aviation, especially those who would like to make aviation a career.