Air Traffic Control: So Easy a Caveman Could Do It!

[Andy9o8 2]

Apologies to JM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35683779/ns/travel-news/

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JFK tower allowed a kid to direct air traffic
FAA opens probe; child, apparently with supervision, made 5 transmissions

NEW YORK - Air-traffic control tower employees at New York's Kennedy Airport are under federal investigation for apparently allowing a school-age child to direct pilots.

The FAA said the child was brought to the tower by its parent, a controller, on Feb. 17. The controller and the controller's supervisor at the time have been relieved of their duties.

"Pending the outcome of our investigation the employees involved in this incident are not controlling traffic," the FAA said in a statement. "This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees."

[airdvr 210]

What a bunch of control freaks.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[tdog 0]

They just showed this story on TV. They spun it on the local news that this was gonna be instant death.


They played the audio file. The kid did a good job, clearly was supervised by his father and told what to say word for word, and the pilots knew the kid was doing the work and said after receiving the takeoff clearance, "good job" and "I wish I could bring my kid to work too".

I say - the FAA needs to get a life and appreciate this, not punish this. The kid learned more in a few calls on the radio than anything his teachers at work could teach that day. There is no proof that he caused any harm or distraction. The audio files show the radio was calm and not busy with traffic...

I am sure - there will be a congressional hearing on this within a few days...

[Squeak 17]

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They just showed this story on TV. They spun it on the local news that this was gonna be instant death.


They played the audio file. The kid did a good job, clearly was supervised by his father and told what to say word for word, and the pilots knew the kid was doing the work and said after receiving the takeoff clearance, "good job" and "I wish I could bring my kid to work too".

I say - the FAA needs to get a life and appreciate this, not punish this. The kid learned more in a few calls on the radio than anything his teachers at work could teach that day. There is no proof that he caused any harm or distraction. The audio files show the radio was calm and not busy with traffic...

I am sure - there will be a congressional hearing on this within a few days...

there needs to be a congressional hearing into your teachers if you think that is true

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[tdog 0]

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there needs to be a congressional hearing into your teachers if you think that is true

Ok, maybe not in a few radio calls, but in the fact that he was at work all day learning all about real-world working... Teachers can only do so much in the classroom... Why do you think colleges have internship programs and international study programs!!!!!

Now that his father and his father's supervisor is fired (or very soon to be, right now suspended without pay) - he will learn even more, such as how to collect unemployment and how one little thing can make you lose your livelihood.

[Glitch 0]

I've got two kids in the system... my wife works for the local school... I'm inclined to agree w/Tdog. I'm getting numb to ever constant 'dumbing down' of the educational system. As required by law, thanks to 'no kid left behind', they can only teach what is explicitly on the 'End Of Grade' test. I know some excellant teachers who have been diciplined by the administration for deviating from it!

I do agree though, that there need to be congressional hearings, or something, into wtf is going on in the schools.

Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...

[Squeak 17]

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I've got two kids in the system... my wife works for the local school... I'm inclined to agree w/Tdog. I'm getting numb to ever constant 'dumbing down' of the educational system. As required by law, thanks to 'no kid left behind', they can only teach what is explicitly on the 'End Of Grade' test. I know some excellant teachers who have been diciplined by the administration for deviating from it!

I do agree though, that there need to be congressional hearings, or something, into wtf is going on in the schools.

I'm a teacher, and i looked into teaching in the states, i decided to forgo it, because of how your teachers a forced to teach. A friend came back from there saying that she had to teach the Same Biol class to 5 classes on a specific day because the other schools do it on that day. So she teaches 5 grade 10 biol classes in one day, the SAME lesson 5 times in one day and taught in a Prescribed manner.
It didn't matter that the student make up were different or the learning capacity of students differed, ONE LESSON ONLY to all students
I don't know how exaggerated she made it (if at all) but there is no way on this Green/blue planet you could get me to teach like that.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[stratostar 5]

um, yea, in NYC airspace, right after another controller was talking about a "pussy" and the heli and plane had a mid air just months ago. While I understand a dad wanting to show the child how he dose his job and maybe even asked permission of the supervisor and it was a slow day, yadda, yadda yadda.

The FAA dose not see humor nor the educational experience of a child as a safe thing to do in one of the most busy sections of airspace at one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world. This dose call in to question the thinking of the grown ups considering the midair just months ago, you would have to be a total moron to not know that if the FAA got wind of this it would turn into a shit storm.

Might have gotten away with it had this been in po dunk Iowa or some other fly over state's small GA airport, but not going to be over looked @ JFK.

Really how fucking stupid to do you have to be, think people!

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[wayneflorida 0]

To really form an opinion I need to here what the President thinks and what the conclusions of a congressioal hearings are. Surely a law must be passed.

The problem with living nowadays. Years ago this would have stayed local and handled locally.

[Taylor610 0]

To really form an opinion I need to here what the President thinks and what the conclusions of a congressioal hearings are. Surely a law must be passed.
***

Well, until we get Health Care passed, things like this will continue to happen! It is obviously the fault of the Bush Administration and the very fact the the right winged extremist and Tea Party extremist have bashed the current administration with falsehoods concerning overspending and trillion dollar deficits!!!

[Halfpastniner 0]

Never let school stand in the way of a good education!

BASE 1384

[cocheese 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FucbvoFFy0&feature=related

[BillyVance 34]

I was watching TV just a bit ago and Al Roker was saying as they were showing shots of the space shuttle being hooked up at the launch pad for next month's mission, that NASA was gonna have a 12 year old give the launch command.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Thanatos340 1]

Not sure which is scarier... The Kid in ATC ... Or certain Skydiver ATC`s I know after a Boogie weekend in the tower.

Given the choice.. I might have to say.. Someone get the Kid back on the mike.

[BillyVance 34]

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Not sure which is scarier... The Kid in ATC ... Or certain Skydiver ATC`s I know after a Boogie weekend in the tower.

Given the choice.. I might have to say.. Someone get the Kid back on the mike.

Hmmm good point. Remind me never to ride a plane into Pensacola after a boogie.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[JohnMitchell 16]

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um, yea, in NYC airspace, right after another controller was talking about a "pussy" and the heli and plane had a mid air just months ago. While I understand a dad wanting to show the child how he dose his job and maybe even asked permission of the supervisor and it was a slow day, yadda, yadda yadda.

The FAA dose not see humor nor the educational experience of a child as a safe thing to do in one of the most busy sections of airspace at one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world. This dose call in to question the thinking of the grown ups considering the midair just months ago, you would have to be a total moron to not know that if the FAA got wind of this it would turn into a shit storm.

Might have gotten away with it had this been in po dunk Iowa or some other fly over state's small GA airport, but not going to be over looked @ JFK.

You're pretty much on the money on this one. Twenty years ago, maybe, but not in today's enviroment. Was safety compromised? No. Was professionalism and common sense compromised? Yes. I think it deserves some kind of punishment, but I hope the guys don't lose their jobs over it.

The midair thing? I don't know if the phone call was a contributing factor or not. Sometimes planes run together when they are out of reach of controllers and the pilots aren't doing their job of see-and-avoid. Still, the guy's a moron for yukking it up like that on the job.

Sometimes the punishment in the FAA doesn't fit the crime; it depends on who you are. A facility union rep (read: trouble maker to management) took a 12 second phone call in the tower from his day care provider, worried that there might be trouble with his kids. There were no safety incidents from this, but he was fired. In another incident, a supervisor was yakking on his cell phone while he was training the facility manager, the top boss of the tower, and the FM had a severe runway incursion with two aircraft. It was hushed up and written off as "well, the pilots waved at each other, so how serious could it have been?" They both still have their jobs.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Alot has to do with what is actually said on tape and what phone calls are made after the fact. Some people are just assholes set to cause trouble for other people. I'm betting some fucktard heard the kid on the radio and made a call.

[NickDG 23]

When I was about 12 years old my father drove a bus in New York City. One night, with the bus empty, he let me drive it across Central Park. Let kids be kids . . .

NickD

[billvon 2,989]

> the FAA needs to get a life and appreciate this, not punish this.

And the first time a kid screws up and causes a problem, then people can get hurt.

This wasn't a big deal. Heck, had the kid done it at a control tower in New Mexico, no problem at all. In the fifth busiest airport in the nation it was a bad idea. Best response would be for the FAA to say "hey, don't do that, bring him to Albany if he wants to talk to airplanes."

But of course there are no middle of the road positions here. Either the kid was a hero, exemplifying everything good about America, and the FAA area bunch of fucktards, or the kid is death on a stick who deserves to be thrown in prison by the ever-vigilant FAA. So everyone just pick one position and defend it to the bitter end!

[skyrider 0]

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When I was about 12 years old my father drove a bus in New York City. One night, with the bus empty, he let me drive it across Central Park. Let kids be kids . . .

NickD

No shit, My son was steering My Harley at the age of 6...Dangerous? Probaly, something he will remember for ever, Absolutely!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/onekick/mewil.jpg

[skyrider 0]

BTW, same kid about 3 months ago, on his 47!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/onekick/Bikes/003-1.jpg

[cocheese 0]

As a caveman, I resent the title of this thread. I'm calling the unfrozen caveman lawyer.

[jtnesbitt 0]

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Twenty years ago, maybe, but not in today's enviroment.

Funny you mention that, because I did the same thing this kid did around 18-20 years ago but i cant remember exactly how old i was. At the time we had just sold our FBO and was operating our charter service out of a the airport in Huntington, WV. My cubscout troop took a field trip to the tower and since i had "experience" (talked to my dad on our radios at our old operation ) I was allowed to hop on and make a call. I was young, and it could have been fake, but i definitely remember making a call from the tower. Unfortunately I can't remember if there was a response.

"If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

[skyguy78 0]

Was this a safety incident, absolutely not!! The monitor or trainer has over ride capability and can key up and over ride anything the person in the student jack is saying. The father keyed up a few times and he was making sure everything was getting done and safe. yes, a very dumb move but yet another incident the media is blowing way out of proportion.

There is a fine line between being a hopeless romantic and a stalker

[stratostar 5]

Yes see and avoid, VFR, but the ACT guy was hung on that, so in my book, why give any FAA person a reason to eyeball you by doing that, so soon after the mid-air, you have to assume the FAA are watching that area/airspace and ACT for additional fuck ups.

And Spence is right here, I bet some up tight asshole who heard it calle it in.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo