College of Engineering

Colegio San Agustin Bacolod

Bacolod City
Report on Educational Tour
February 7, 2015
Bacolod-Silay International Airport
Silay City, Nergros Occidenal

Klark Lester T. Baja

BSECE - 4
Engr. Vicente Buenconsejo
Professor
Introduction
Education is the greatest treasure of all and the greatest weapon a
person can use to attain success in all walks of life. For this mere reason, the
Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, College of Engineering provides high standard
of learning to the students with the incorporation of educational field trips.
By conducting the educational tour, the students will be more knowledgeable
not only for their subject but for their course itself. Moreover, it is important
to every student since it is a part of our learning process and to acquire more
knowledge through the actual exposure to the different machines and
equipment and system operations of the plants.

II.

Objectives of the Tour

The specific objectives of the tour are:

1.
Real-world experience - Students practice their skills and critical
thinking abilities outside of the controlled class setting. Being about able to
ask experts about their particular area of study on the spot requires thinking.
He is able to learn real-world lessons.

2.
Reinforcement - The tour can reinforce or support what a teacher has
been instructing in class about a subject and help students understand a
topic better.
3.
Engagement- Teachers turn tours into mobile classrooms, and engage
students to collect data then assigning a project based on what they learned
during the duration of the tour.
4.
Socialization- Taking students into a new environment give us the
experience of traveling in a group and teach us to socialize and to be
respectful of the locations they visit.
5.
New Insights- The tour can give new insights of the things outside the
school which can raise encouragements.
6.
Bonding -They may be able to connect on more of a personal level
without the structure of the normal school days. Students may be able to
spend much of the trip day in small groups, observing, chatting and learning
about each other, and it will form a new bond among the students.
7.
Fun - No matter how much the students learn during a tour, their
favorite memories may be based on their enjoyment of the day. Students will
have fun with their friends and they also may return to the classroom with a
renewed focus on their schoolwork
III.

Significance of the Tour

The tour provided valuable educational opportunities away from the

classroom, without using textbooks and other used in normal school setting.
Students on educational tours can often learn while having fun in a more
informal environment.
Part of how students benefit from educational tours is by gaining new
perspective on the world. This is especially true for more extensive
educational tours or trips where students travel farther away from home. By
coming into direct contact with a different environment or even a new
culture, students can better understand their place in the community and
develop openness to differences in others.
IV.

The Educational Tour

Prior to the actual visiting on Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines

Operations Center, we were assisted by staff and personnel, which provided
us insights and chances for our questions to be entertained. Relevant
information was acquired and actual exposure to the Operations Center
environment and control systems was experienced.

Equipment Room
First we entered was the equipment room where all of the
operations of the runway are being controlled, monitored and being
managed. These equipment are able to show or display the numerical values
which is obtained by the satellites. By means of the computers connected to
the machine, they are able to identify easily problems and as a result they
are able to troubleshoot it fast. These equipment room are having their own
backup electricity for it is very crucial to have these equipment turned off if
sudden black out happens.

Staff explaining the different functions of

showing status of the
found in the room
equipment

Weather viewer

Mira recorder
Mira recorder was at the 5th floor of the Operations Center. This
are is where we are not allowed to take photos due security purposes against
terrorist according to the staff. Mira recorder records all the conversations
between the pilot and the tower personnel. These conversation are being
reviewed if ever something accident happened. In that way this serves as the
evidence that can be reviewed to be able to determine where the faults are.
Basically it is an audio and call recording machine, the data recorded was
being put to CDs.

Air Traffic Control Tower

And last part of the Operations Center was at the air traffic
control tower. We are able to experience the real and actual situation at the
tower. We are able to meet the head which is also an Agustinian Engineer. Air
traffic controller regulates that the traffic in the runway and maintain the
safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. There is one in charge for the
aerodome and one for approach. Aerodome is when the range is with-in 10
nautical miles and after it reaches more than 10 or should say 10-60 nautical
miles, it is Approach, here it is being handed over by the aerodome to the
approach. So either way from approach to aerodome. Air traffic controllers
must coordinate the movements of thousands of aircraft, keep them at safe
distances from each other, direct them during takeoff and landing from
airports, direct them around bad weather and ensure that traffic flows
smoothly with minimal delays.
Power Plant
We were not able to go to the equipment found on runways
because of the fact that we dont have a vehicle and it is way too far to walk
instead we are able to visit the power plant. There are 3 generators before
but because it was being bombed by the NPA, 1 of them was destroyed.
Power are being managed here on the plant. One machine there produces
constant current. Runway lights are being provided by the power plant.
Runway lights have 2 different lights, the white-white and the yellow-white.
Runway lights consumed a lot of electricity due to the fact that it should be
luminous enough to be seen far away from the aircraft to distinguish its
position from the runway.

V. The Reaction
As for my own point of view, I think that the field trip was very
informative because as we go along from place to place, our tour guide
keeps on telling us everything related to a particular place. They are in fact
very knowledgeable that he is able to relate everythng he said to our course
and in that alone we already gain informations. And in that field trip, we were

able to explore and saw with our own two eyes the real scenario behind the
Operations Center. The field trip was very successful and very satisfying and
I really had a great time spending these very special moments with my
friends, classmates, batchmates and our beloved instructor. Indeed a very
epic educational field trip.