Excursions of the Aviation Management program (B.A.)

During the tour of the freight hall, we passed many stations for cargo processes. What did we see? Mainly shelves several meters high, a lot of forklifts zipping around, and different kinds of containers. The refrigeration room was definitely a highlight as it contains lots of perishable goods and medication. The freight hall is used for exports, which are usually shipped at the end of the week. Due to the fact that the tour took place on a Monday morning there was not a lot going on. On a Thursday or Friday it would have probably looked different.

Since the second semester class deals with logistical processes in the production of the flight, this excursion was a great supplement to the theoretical content.

Report: Christina Klodt

After this lively exchange of ideas, we were off to the next station. The students took a trip around the premises of the Frankfurt Airport, which covers roughly 22 square km. Since this airport tour was moderated by the organizers of the excursion, we were able to address the lecture by Dr. Prümm one more time. During the airport tour, we gained insights into the operation of the Frankfurt Airport. This included the check-in of the largest passenger aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380, which is a guest in Frankfurt every day under the name of six different airlines. In addition to other wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747-8 or 787-10, we were also able to marvel at the latest member of the Lufthansa fleet: an Airbus A321neo.

Afterwards we went to lunch at the Fraport cafeteria, which is located on the 7th floor of the terminal building and provided a great view of the apron.  

After this short refreshment, we went by bus to the southern area of the airport. Here, the group was received by a Senior Project Manager of the Fraport Ausbau Süd GmbH. In a brief and interesting presentation, he informed us about the big construction project for Terminal 3 and provided an overview of the current construction status. After this, we needed to put on helmets and safety gloves: We had the exclusive opportunity to get a close-up look at the construction site and its dimensions. During the tour, we saw different construction techniques and partly finished buildings.

After getting many different impressions of the Frankfurt hub, the students began their weekend!

Text: Johannes Bestgen and Niklas Schäfer

 "Meeting at 9 pm …": This sounded quite unusual, when the LVM students received the e-mail from the two-second semester students organizing the event. But express air freight is a night business. All the students knew this from different lectures.  

After some students explored downtown Cologne during the day, all the participants met up at 9 pm at the agreed meeting point in Terminal 1. First they looked at the rooms of the visitor service, where they sat in for a brief presentation covering some general information on the Cologne/Bonn airport.

From there, they started on a tour through the two passenger terminals with brief stay on the visitor terrace, where they could see almost the entire airport and everyone could observe the nocturnal action on the aprons. After the obligatory security control, the students took a visitor bus on a small airport tour that came to a temporary end at the UPS buildings.

As agreed, the students were welcomed by employees of UPS. After first receiving some general information on the UPS company and its organization and history, the core section of the excursion started: the guided tour through the package sorting systems of UPS. The participants will certainly remember the impression of the countless packages that were sorted through different conveyor belts, flap mechanisms, and slides depending on their destinations. Despite the late hour, there was vivid interest in the operations and the UPS representatives answered many of the students’ questions.

After the students continued on the visitor bus to take a look at the freight apron and loading of the UPS vehicles, they returned to the passenger terminal where the excursion ended. Some of the students, however, discovered a few exotic airliners parking on the way there. The bus driver of the visitor service was delighted to have such curious guests and was persuaded to make one more short detour to other parts of the apron, even though it was almost two in the morning.

After this successful conclusion of the event, the students said farewell, taking with them many new impressions of the friendly employees of the visitor service.

Report: Lars Berkefeld

In the past year, the Düsseldorf Airport registered more than 220,000 aircraft movements and 24,6 million passengers. This makes it the biggest airport in NorthRhine-Westphalia in terms of passenger numbers and number three in Germany. The students went on a 90-minute airport tour in order to take a close look at the activities on the apron. The highlights included seeing a turboprop aircraft of the type  DHC-8 in Air Berlin colors and an Airbus A380 of Emirates, which lands twice a day at DUS.

Afterwards, the students headed for the skies, namely for a visit to the former tower. In two groups, Hartmut Antoni, Director of Flight Operations, presented the shut-down tower and told the students about the history of the former tower, the move to the current DFS tower, and his department. After a snack, the tour came to its last phase in the heart of the airport. The Airport Control Center forms the interface for the partners taking part in flight operations, including airlines, ground handlers, and the Federal Police. After a lecture on the A-CDM process by Ms. Linda Gerritsen, the students were able to tour the ACC and ask questions. At around 5 pm, the first excursion to the Düsseldorf Airport ended with many new impressions and the students hit the road for their well-earned weekend.

Report: David Paetz

In good weather, you can even see the Cologne Cathedral. Then they were off to the two terminals. Around 10 pm, they watched a presentation in the visitor cinema of the Cologne/Bonn Airport, in which they were introduced to a few special features of the airport, like the 24-hour operation or the airport bees. In the end, they took time for a small snack break during which they chatted and shared their impressions.

After this, they passed through the security control and went directly into the bus, which took the students to the UPS building, of course only after first observing the loading of the large freight aircraft on the apron. Since the Cologne/Bonn Airport has permission to operate at night, there is quite a lot going on here at night, especially in the freight area.

Once they arrived at the UPS facility, the students watched a presentation on the company, before getting to the highlight of the evening: a guided tour of the package sorting facilities of UPS! UPS has its European hub at the Cologne/Bonn Airport, and hence there was a lot to see here. On countless conveyor belts, everything ranging from the smallest packages to huge ones is sorted and then loaded on containers that go into the aircraft.

After another drive past the freight aircraft, the tour ended around 1:00 in the morning; the students said their farewells and either spent the night in Cologne or traveled back to Frankfurt.

Report: Isabelle Altevogt

After this, there was a presentation by the LIZ (situation and information center) - where the data collected by the DFS on flight paths statistics, etc. is processed further.

The highlight of the excursion for many of the participants was probably the 3D Tower Simulator in the air traffic control academy. In an exciting demonstration, they saw the Frankfurt Airport in a 360° panoramic view from different visual angles and received an explanation about the training that tower air traffic controllers receive. In particular, the represented view of an airline pilot was definitely not for the faint-hearted... The view from an aircraft during take-off was vertigo-inducing, in particular if you could not get one of the few seats in the simulated tower.

After a long lunch, the students were off to another nice walk in the sun across the DFS campus to the research center. There, they were able to take a closer look at the different simulation types for research projects. In addition to the different projects in the area of fast-time simulation, individual research objects like the Concept Desk and Head-up Displays were introduced. Finally, there was a real-time simulation in which the students saw a demonstration of sector-free flying and, as another highlight, were given virtual reality glasses with a 3-dimensional airspace depiction.

In the afternoon, the students finished their tour and were able to admire the clear skies and the aircraft that glided under safe, orderly, and smooth control through the air.

Report: Marcel Trinder

The building, which was opened in 2016, is an extension of Terminal 2 and its modern construction was very impressive. A former LVM student guided the students through the different levels and showed them all the architectural particularities in a private tour. The market place in the heart of the satellite terminal stood out with restaurants like "Hans im Glück", Schuhbecks, and a replica of the Viktualienmarkt farmers market, and it reflects the typical Bavarian flair in a modern atmosphere.

Then the students were picked up by a bus and started on a one-hour tour of the airport in which they got a good overview of the different structures and the general apron subdivisions at the airport. After a nice lunch in one of the cafeterias on the campus, they continued refreshed to the center subsidiary of the Deutsche Flugsicherung DFS (German air traffic control). The students learned more about the responsibilities and activities of the DFS in a presentation adapted to the knowledge that the students already had. The highlight at the DFS was the opportunity to be able to witness the interaction of radar operators and air traffic controllers for a specific sector. The day ended with some spiced wine at the airport winter market.

Text: Jessica Schinner

About 20 students were invited to the headquarters of Hahn Air in Dreieich – about half an hour from Frankfurt. Upon arrival, there was a brief round of welcome and introductions headed by the chaperon of the students and trainees.  Then the Director of the Corporate Services department gave the students an overview of the areas of activity and products of Hahn Air. After this presentation, three employees introduced their respective department in a bit more detail. They departments were: Distribution, Treasury Management, and Hahn Air Systems. This allowed the students to get to know the otherwise somewhat unfamiliar cooperation partner and get an idea of their business model. After a tasty lunch, the students’ attention during the presentations was rewarded with ice cream from the company's own ice box.

Refreshed, the students continued to the practical part of the excursion: the tour of Hahn Air own hangar in Egelsbach. The small airport is just a short drive from the headquarters and is used by General Aviation. This is where the somewhat amusing comments about the size of Hahn Air's fleet ended, because the hangar and the aircraft it housed were quite impressive. Finally, Hahn Air you can touch! The students ended the day in the sleek new hangar with a look at the runway that was just a few meters away and the small aircrafts.

Report: Carlotta Claußen / Marina Thein
Pictures: Marina Thein

During lectures, the Cologne model of security control was discussed frequently, so this was, of course, the first item on the tour’s agenda. An employee of the security company responsible for the building explained it to the students and then took some questions.

The students continued to a guided tour of the terminal and apron and got very close to the airplanes, which also roll across the tarmac at night in Cologne. A 1:00, when the freight area of the Cologne/Bonn Airport is the busiest, the students toured the UPS package sorting facility. On 42 km of conveyor belts, up to 190,000 packages are fully automatically sorted per hour - this left a few students standing with their mouths open.

After 5 hours, the night tour ended at 2:00 am and many students turned back to Frankfurt, while a few stayed behind in Cologne to sleep at a friend's place.

Text and pictures: Timon Beigel 

A special highlight of the trip was the guided tour through the Perishable Center. Once we were equipped with a protective cape, hair net, and shoe covers, we entered the warehouses where perishable products like meat, fish, fruit and medication, but also flowers and eggs for breeding are stored. From the beginning, we were welcomed by a slightly pungent odor, which was clearly due to the fish deliveries. Due to the upcoming May Day holiday, the warehouse was not as full as usual, but we still got to see a few fish, flower, and fruit deliveries from all over the world, which waited for their connecting flight in the Perishable Center. In the rooms, which were cooled down to 0°C, the entire group felt a real hint of winter.

Afterwards, the bus took us to lunch in the Terminal 1 cafeteria. According to our guide, we had to expect a few frowns on the faces of the other guests, because recent visitors to the Perishable Center often still have fish odor.

Once we were refreshed and equipped with warning vests and helmets, we continued to the baggage handling system of the Frankfurt Airport - the oldest and most reliable baggage handling system in the world! 20,000 transport carts transport the baggage from one aircraft to the next or back to its owner. All halls and sections of the 81 km conveyor system can be monitored in the control center.

A big thank you to the Fraport AG for the interesting insights. We already look forward to getting to know the other cooperation partners of our program.

Text: Franziska Hornyai
Pictures: Sandra Reinstorf

After the apron tour, we toured the Terminal. T2 was first and then came the newly opened satellites. With the aid of our visitor passes, we also had the opportunity to look at areas behind the security controls. For instance, we saw the replica of the famous Munich farmers market known as the Viktualienmarkt, which is a market place for passengers. We received a lot of first-hand information through the practical experience of the students from Munich.

We then had lunch at the Airbräu. Refreshed, we continued to the center of the Deutsche Flugsicherung DFS (German air traffic control). After an introduction into the responsibilities of the DFS by the director of the center, we looked at some practical applications and we were allowed to use the simulator to find out what it is like to be a air traffic controller. We performed the Munich approach and after a brief introduction phase, we were given microphones and we uttered commands like "Munich radar identified" and "Speedbird 123 contact feeder" almost automatically. It was really exciting to get to know the work of an air traffic controller. Afterwards we were allowed a brief glimpse into the center in which the real controllers performed the tasks we had just practiced in the simulator. Despite the high level of concentration required, they took the time to answer some of our questions and explain some particularities. One highlight was definitely the controlling of the GAF (German Air Force) plane with a special guest on board: Angela Merkel! 

It was a full day at the Munich Airport and an exciting excursion. We used the weekend to get to know Bavaria a bit better. In beautiful weather, a part of the group made an excursion to the Castle Neuschwanstein on the following day. Due to the Security Conference (SiKo) event, there was a lot of police in the city and downtown was partly blocked due to demonstrations, so that we used the time to visit a cultural highlight away from the bustle of the city of Munich.

Thanks to many new experiences, an exciting, entertaining weekend went by much too fast. The students now have a better picture of Munich Airport if it becomes a topic again in a lecture ;). The excursions to the Frankfurt and Cologne/Bonn airports are already scheduled so that we will still be able to visit all of our cooperation partners this year.

Text: Mailin Gerlach
Pictures: Mailin Gerlach and Theresa Stadler (group image)

For the dual students of the Tourism Management and Aviation Management programs, the excursion to VERITAS and AMAZON opened completely new insights into both a production business and a very logistics-focused company.

As part of the course on Logistics & Purchasing Management, the bus first took us to VERITAS in Gelnhausen. The Director of Business Communication guided us through the production halls, where we were able to observe the production of vehicle parts. He was able to give the students some real insider know-how, in particular on the production of hoses. Their curiosity was finally rewarded with a tasty lunch in the company's cafeteria.

Back on the bus, the focus was on completing our next objective: one of the AMAZON warehouses in Bad Hersfeld, which mainly ships fashion-related products. An employee in the "picking" area guided the students through the warehouses. As a"picker," she walks more than 15 km every day to pick all the products from the shelves. Since AMAZON has decided on chaotic warehousing, the products lie around individually in the numerous hall sections. The fact that she searches for the ordered products herself every day and sometimes also packs them as a "packer" made her the ideal person to talk to for the students.

The informative day ended with yet another bus trip through a sunny Hesse. The students from the service area were able to gain quite a few impressions on this day.

Text: Franziska Harnyai

"Logistics close up" was waiting for us on our excursion to delta pronatura in Egelsbach. We, the students in the 4th semester of the dual Bachelor program in Aviation Management and Tourism Management, had the opportunity there to get to know the production and warehouse operations and learn more about the products.

We were cordially welcomed upon arrival and our company tour began just as friendly. First, the Aviation Management students took a close look at the production and warehouse halls. While observing the production processes, the students who were unfamiliar with delta pronatura up to this point learned that it was the manufacturer of the products being sold under the trademark Dr. Beckmann and Co.

We were able to enter the rooms in which the products for laundry machines and laundry were being assembled and to view the machines during filling. Another highlight was the automated warehouse. In contrast to typical vertical constructions, the construction at delta pronatura had to be given a wide layout.

At this point, the Tourism Management students had already gathered information about the company in the meeting room. The other group still had to go through this step. The history of the company was very captivating, from its humble beginnings in a pharmacy in Berlin with a simple hand lotion to today’s sale of well-known products like the "Fleckenteufel" or "Blistex."

They did not want to tell us their strictly confidential formulations, but we will still remember the excursion very fondly - including taking a few sample products in our pockets.

Text: Franziska Hornyai

A highlight was the tour of the Airbus A380 assembly hall. We received an illustration of the innovative construction of the A380 using different components of the largest aircraft in the world. We received a lesson in the cost of the individual parts of an aircraft and were astonished to hear that special rivet screws cost up to €200 per unit. We also visited a production hall of the A320 family, which had mobile work stations. In this hall, the aircrafts were moved to the respective work stations depending on their construction progress using hovercrafts. As soon as one construction step is completed in this hall, the aircraft is fitted with the cockpit in the next hall, and then transported to the last hall for final assembly.

After this fascinating tour, we bade farewell and returned on a ferry across the Elbe River to the city center. The first day was concluded with dinner at a restaurant.

On the next morning, we hit the road in the direction of the Hamburg Airport. Here, we were received on the visitor terrace and received our visitor IDs. Ready to start our bus tour on the apron of the Hamburg Airports. During the drive, the particularities of this airport were explained to us. The Hamburg Airport is the oldest and fifth-largest airport in Germany; it is a hub for Germanwings / Eurowings and the British airline Easyjet and Ryanair. The airport started operations in 1912 and was mainly used by Zeppelins. Today, Hamburg Airport is one of the "greenest" airports in Germany. For instance, the majority of the airport vehicles run on natural gas or even solar power, thereby reducing or balancing the CO2 emissions of the airport. After an extensive airport tour, we were invited for some refreshments on the visitor terrace, before enjoying a presentation of the model of the airports.

After the tour of the airport, we went to visit the headquarters of the Lufthansa Technik AG, which is also located here. The tour began with an extensive business presentation and an image film. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to observe the cross-section of a jet turbine and how the propulsion of a modern aircrafts works.

During the subsequent guided tour through the maintenance halls, we saw several Boeing 747s and Airbus A380s, which were moving through the facilities of Lufthansa Technik for cabin equipment and renovation. Not only commercial aircraft but also a surprising large share of private jets are equipped and maintained in Hamburg by Lufthansa Technik. We were very interested in the special wishes of Lufthansa Technik premium customers and the fact that the private jets of the customers were stored in separate halls with visual barriers suggested how much Lufthansa Technik has specialized in this type of aircraft equipment. While we were not allowed to take a closer look at the aircraft, we were able to look at the equipment designs for exclusive living spaces in the aircraft and heard about the material warehouse where customized materials certified for airworthiness, sophisticated wood veneers, and polished marble plates are kept in stock. The focus always lies on weight reduction in order to maximize the range of the jets.

After these two exciting days, filled with interesting tours and exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into the aviation location Hamburg, we used the following weekend to tour Hamburg with all its sights at our own pleasure. Once we turned back home, we could look back at a successful final class trip and would like to thank everyone who made this excursion possible.

Text: Sophia Dunning