SUNY is rolling out a new air traffic controller program that involves a heavy hands-on component. Educators hope the new state-of-the-art simulator will energize the next generation.

It’s billed as the largest, most comprehensive air traffic control simulator at a community college east of the Mississippi River.

“This particular setup is the same exact setup that exists in Oklahoma City that’s training the National Air Traffic Control Academy students,” SUNY Schenectady Director of Aviation Programs Eric Savage said.

The simulator offers people interested in an air traffic career a more affordable opportunity to learn, train and get certified in one location over two years.

“Being able to talk to a pilot and just being able to see aircraft take off on a runway, it’s really fascinating to me,” Reggie Wilson said. “I never knew I loved aviation.”

The 31-year-old came to upstate New York from Dallas, Texas. Having had experience with other programs around the country, Wilson called this one the most compatible.

“It puts you into a position to where, 'hey, is this for me? Actually, can I actually do this job?” he said. “I’m getting the most experience possible, getting the best hands-on experience possible.”

Experts say a program like this one couldn’t be any timelier. Over the course of the next decade, it's expected there will be a turnover of about 15,000 air traffic controllers.

“That’s a huge need that colleges and universities are going to fill,” Savage said. “We’re only the fifth one in the country. The early bird gets the worm, and we’re certainly going to be one of the first movers on it.”

If the flashy technology and comradery found at a community college weren’t enough to entice aspiring controllers, the starting pay of a new air traffic controller might be.

“They’re going to leave here after two years making $73,000 and some change,” Savage said. “That in itself is life-changing.”