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West Bridgford
Monday, February 10, 2025

Villagers invited to East Midlands Airport control tower 25 years after their first visit

East Midlands Airport granted the wish of a group of Diseworth residents who visited the Air Traffic Control tower when it was built 25 years ago and felt it was high time they returned.

Ten villagers were given a special trip up the 51-metre tower, which can be seen from Diseworth, a village neighbouring the airport – six of whom were there in April 1999 when construction had been completed.

EMA’s Community Engagement Manager, Colleen Hempson, organised the return trip as a way to mark the silver anniversary of the tower – the fourth tallest in the UK – and to give residents an insight into what goes on inside the landmark they see daily from their homes and gardens.

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They also saw behind the scenes in the radar room at the foot of the tower, which monitors aircraft movements in the 150 square miles of airspace up to 10,500 feet around the airport. They were also given a demonstration of a training simulator that creates highly realistic computer images of the airfield, providing operatives with a safe way to test various scenarios.

 

The group was given the opportunity to see the spectacular 360-degree views across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire from the visual control room, while ATC staff explained what they do and the high-tech equipment they use to safely control around 200 daily flights at EMA.

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One of the Diseworth residents, Caroline Jarrom, said: “We came 25 years ago – quite a few of us came from the village. You could walk straight across the airport back then, and the buildings that now surround the tower weren’t there – it stood all on its own.

“There was also no equipment in it at the time – but at least they had installed a lift before we got there! It has been fascinating to see it again and get an insight into the work people in Air Traffic Control do. It’s nice when you see the tower every day that you can say, ‘I’ve been up there!’”

Colleen Hempson said: “It was a pleasure to give residents from Diseworth an opportunity to see what goes on inside our ATC tower. They see the tower and planes every day, and now can make more sense of the effort and expertise that goes into keeping the skies around the airport safe.”

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