An air traffic controller at New York’s Kennedy Airport was suspended for allowing his young son to radio instructions to several pilots.
The few quick exchanges between the elementary-school-aged child and jets waiting to take off from JFK, one of the nation’s busiest airports, appeared to delight pilots at the time.
“I wish I could bring my kid to work,” one said, wistfully.
But the Federal Aviation Administration suspended the controller and a supervisor on Wednesday after recordings of the calls were posted on the internet, then reported on by a Boston television station.
“This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA’s own policies, but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement. “This kind of behaviour does not reflect the true calibre of our work force.”
On the recording, which lasts about a minute, the boy appears to repeat instructions fed to him by his father. At no time does the child tell aircraft how to manoeuvre or where they should go.
Should he have been suspended? Must have been a thrill for the kid.
I don’t see a REAL threat given this situation. Listening to the tape, I could pick apart numerous phraseology errors, utilizing ATC frequencies for non-ATC related transmissions. This isn’t exclusive to JFK, it happens EVERYWHERE. Where it becomes dangerous is when the BS transmissions affect safety of flight. There are NUMEROUS safety controls in place to prevent what the “chicken littles” are spouting off on this thread.
Since websites like liveatc.net streams control tower, approach and center frequencies, much more scrutiny is placed on the National Airspace System by the general public. I’m sure someone with nothing better to do dialed in JFK tower and asked, isn’t he a little young.
$14, awake, get real:
1) The kid is with his air traffic controller dad and is clearly being told *exactly to do and say*.
2) The kid is giving takeoff approvals, not movements. If the kid managed to screw up the ok the dad would have more than enough time to stop the problem.
3) We also don’t have the audio *before* the clip. I’m betting the dad prepped the pilots and told them what he was doing before he let his kid on.
4) The kid clearly made the pilots’ day.
Obviously kids should not be controlling our air traffic systems or our planes but this was not some kid screwing with pilots in an uncontrolled manner.
this was an appropriate reaction to an employee breaking the rules..why is this story even on here?
#15 said, “Air traffic controllers make mega tons of bucks.” You also used the word “brilliant” in a sarcastic manner, indicating that you believe air traffic controllers are paid too much and have it easy.
Sir or Madam, you know NOTHING about it – LESS THAN NOTHING.
Air traffic controllers have some of the most stressful jobs in the world. The lives of thousands of people are in their hands every moment they work. Many burn out at a young age. Some fall into alcoholism – as did two of my instructors. Many get ulcers – as did another of my instructors. The stresses put severe strains on family life also. They don’t get paid NEAR what they should.
It was nice of you to put your name on the post. Now we know exactly what to expect next time we see it – ignorant BS.
I have 3 years of ATC (military) experience.
PS – Greetings to Nik (no C)
#23–whip==your comment is totally appropriate in response to a breaking news story, why are you posting?
Stress? Stress is CAUSED BY not knowing what you are doing or having sensory overload.
ATC does require attention and concentration. Not the same thing.
So much for bring your kids to work day ha!
If the planes are in danger because of this, then we have no business flying planes.
It was obviously a slow time on the air as air traffic control goes. The pilots enjoyed the experience. The kids might have grown up to be the best damn air traffic controllers ever… if not for the negative experience that the FAA is giving them.
Air traffic controllers have families?
#29 – Yes, we do.
I think the real issue here is that the kids were doing a better job than the adults…
All that happened was the pilots were instructed to change frequencies at the appropriate moment in their flight to do so. They heard children being instructed by adults. Was it the right thing to do? Probably not. But the only person who needs to be disciplined is the supervisor who allowed children into the tower. Now get over it.
Unbelievable. It’s not about terrorists winning or people getting their “panties in a bunch” over nothing as some have commented. This is not nothing. Its about professionalism in a job where mistakes can result in serious injuries or deaths of passengers and crew. What if your mother or sister were on a plane that crashed as a result of some kid giving out instructions to the pilots?
There have been near misses at airports where the ATC gave conflicting directions to incoming pliots. Yes, the job is stressful, not because the ATC’s are incompetent, but because they are aware that they could accidentally hurt or kill someone if they screw up. I think that the ATC and his supervisor should be summarily fired, thereby sending a clear message that this cannot happen. They obviously do not value their jobs enough to be concerned for the safety of passengers and crew or exercise even a modicum of common sense.
This would have gone unnoticed and probably quite common place if it wasn’t posted online. Personally don’t feel it is a big deal even if i was in the plane. The kid was supervised.
I love how all the TV “newscasters”, many websites and assorted pundits have been spinning this as the kid was directing the planes. He was doing no such thing, he was parroting the words his father gave him, period. And the entire time his father was on a headset with him. And NONE of the instructions being given were in any way the type that requires any sort of split second decisions on ANYONE’S part, not the controller nor the pilot.
Much ado about nothing.
I think the child actually did a great job, but what an idiot the parent is. What do you expect is going to happen if you let your child direct airplanes at one of the world’s busiest airports. After second thought, keep the kid at the controls, anything to keep the idiot parent away.
http://www.failpick.com/2010/3/child-directs-air-traffic-at-busy-jfk-airport
The stuffed shirts got their undies in a wad.
Why does the response to every one of these screw-ups have to be that the person gets fired? Demanding that everyone do their jobs perfectly will result in no one left to do work. If this controller had a good work record, the correct response would be to note the lapse on his record, issue some sort of reprimand, and get on with work. It pretty clear that this guy will be very careful in the future. Probably more careful than the person who replaces him. You have to consider what will result in the safest skies going forward, and I doubt firing this guy gives that result. Where is the common sense?
I have to ask a question here, Hands up who went to work with their dads growing up? My hands in the air. My dad used to work on the railways in the UK (pretty dangerous environment) and as a 12 year old I can remember going to work with him for his full 12 hour shift during the school holidays. Guess what happened I ended up becoming a locomotive engineer and driving trains because of those experiences when I grew up. Now I think this guy and his supervisor had a pretty big lapse in judgement, but his kid did as instructed and the dad took care of all the safety related commands. What is the big deal. I wish the world wasn’t so uptight (especially here in the USA) and always looking for someone to blame or string up. The crazy part is people none of us and I repeat NONE OF US are perfect and at some point we have had a similar lapse in judgement, we were just lucky and didn’t have someone post our lapse on the internet for everyone to see and comment on. Slap the guy and his supervisor on the wrist and move on!
martfin: i remember being encouraged by my dad to achieve what i wanted, and i remember him providing everything he could to help me.
to everyone, what if this child wanted to be an ATC when he grew up? to be a pilot? hell, to be ground crew even?
I would be very surprised now if this kid wants to do that any more, especially with the furore that has happened around what is essentially a lapse in judgement by the adults involved.
All the planes involved were on the ground, taxing to the runway.
I have never been in a working cockpit (due to never flying in a plane till after 9/11) but I have seen through the windscreens of junked planes and I am 100% certain, had the child issued an incorrect order, the pilots would have compensated for it with their professional experience.
Especially since the “don’t run up the arse of the big white plane in front of you” rule is probably pretty cemented in their minds by now.