A two-week training program at the Eig-Watson School of Aviation at the Homestead campus of Miami Dade College is helping air traffic controllers from China expand their skills.

When 100 million visitors descend upon Shanghai for World Expo 2010, they won't know that a training program in Homestead played a role in their safe arrival and departure. But a select group of 30 Chinese air traffic controllers will.

The Chinese are training in two-week stints at the Eig-Watson School of Aviation at the Homestead campus of Miami Dade College, where they are scheduled to receive classroom instruction and simulator training and take observational visits to the Kendall-Tamiami and Miami International airports.

Financed by the Chinese government, the first group -- nine men and one woman -- completed training last month. The second group arrived last week, and the final group begins training Monday.

The Eig-Watson School, started in 1992, offers degrees and noncredit programs, from aviation administration to aircraft maintenance to piloting.

The school, at 500 College Terr., provides an exceptional opportunity for the Chinese to observe an efficient model of air traffic operation and to increase their technical know-how, said Jeanne F. Jacobs, president of the Homestead Campus.

Jacobs worked to make the program happen after the Civil Aviation Administration of China approached the school.

"Certainly, Miami International Airport is the first attraction to CAAC," Jacobs said. "We are a model for them. From there, they can see the real way we handle complex operations at the airport."

The expectation of millions of visitors in less than two years to Pudong International Airport, the primary international airport serving Shanghai, was the impetus for the program, said Victor Fernandez, one of the instructors in the Air Traffic Control Program.

"Now they are handling 600 or 700 airplanes per day, but what happens when it turns to 2,000 per day?" said Fernandez, who has 31 years of air traffic experience. "They know what they need, and they are looking for answers."

The World Expo, which spans 150 years, is regarded as the Olympic Games of economy, science and technology. The Shanghai expo -- "Better City, Better Life" -- will focus on urban living and takes place May to October 2010.

Hai Hong, who led the first delegation of air traffic controllers, said he and his peers will use the training to meet the demands that will come with increased air traffic associated with the expo.

"As China has experience such great growth of air traffic in a short time, we need to get ourselves prepared to be exposed to a more complex situation," Hong said.

"During peak air travel times in the United States, there are about 5,000 airplanes in the sky every hour," Hong continued. "If with such excessive pressure on the air control system they can still maintain an orderly flow of air traffic, there must be some valuable concepts and techniques we can borrow."

Engulfed in semi-darkness amid blinking signals and bleeps on radarscopes in the school's air traffic control simulator room, the Chinese impressed instructors with their professional knowledge as they accurately interpreted signals and made quick decisions to smooth the mimicked air traffic challenges presented in the simulation.

The air traffic controllers, who range in age from 28 to 45, come mainly from Pudong International Airport and from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, formerly Shanghai's main international airport before the construction of Pudong in 1999. All participants were selected by CAAC and had a technical working knowledge of English.

"They are the elite of their peers," Hong, 45, said.

The group, which was housed at a nearby condominium during the training, also had a chance to sample South Florida's culture and sights. The Chinese spent a half day touring downtown Miami, which included a Miami Heat game.

After completing the program, the group will write a report of their experiences and share the information with their colleagues.

The Chinese were disappointed that plans did not work out for them to go to Miami International Airport.

Blaming the missed opportunity on "security issues and paperwork," Fernandez said he also regretted that the students' experience did not include time at MIA.

The training, though beneficial, could perhaps be even longer and offer more hands-on and observational experience, Hong said.

"Two weeks are too short for theoretical learning," Hong said. "If we can go to Miami International Airport, witness the real way they operate the air traffic control system and exchange experiences with our American peers, it would be much more helpful."