CHAINSAW
Well-Known Member
First of all I want to make clear that I do not condone the actions of the Air Traffic Controller at JFK or his supervisor for allowing his son to "control" some flights. However, as a former military controller, I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. The child was under the direct supervision of his parent, was instructed exactly what to say and from all indication it was a beautifully clear day with no weather impacting operations. If, as former NTSB member Peter Goelz, stated yesterday on CNN with Campbell Brown; “Things in aviation happen in seconds and something could have happened”, then I say we should never allow Trainee Air Traffic Controllers on the radio. However, they are during their training and until fully certified, ALWAYS under the direct supervision of a fully certified Controller. Anyone that has listened to ATC communications via a scanner will have heard one Controller issuing instructions followed immediately by another voice correcting those instructions, which was a Trainee being supervised.
At the most the FAA should issue both the Controller and his Supervisor a verbal warning. Will this be their punishment, due to all the news media blowing this out of proportion, I doubt that will be their fate. It was a way, though misguided, to show his son the intricacies of the ATC profession and hopefully interest the boy in becoming a future Air Traffic Controller, God knows we need good people in this stressful and vital profession.
At the most the FAA should issue both the Controller and his Supervisor a verbal warning. Will this be their punishment, due to all the news media blowing this out of proportion, I doubt that will be their fate. It was a way, though misguided, to show his son the intricacies of the ATC profession and hopefully interest the boy in becoming a future Air Traffic Controller, God knows we need good people in this stressful and vital profession.
