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Take your child to work day... JFK Tower

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:10 am
by Final Approach
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/nat ... fk-airport

The child makes five transmissions and the pilots respond enthusiastically to him.

JFK TOWER: Jet Blue 171 contact departure

PILOT: Over to departure jet blue 171, awesome job.

The child appears to be supervised as a controller explains the reason for the young voice.

JFK TOWER: That's what you get guys when the kids are out of school. (laugh)

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:59 am
by skydriller
I personally think that its great that its still possible for kids to still be able to get a great aviation experience like that in todays ridiculously paranoid "terrorist behind every curtain" experience that is called commercial aviation.

It was an incredibly sad day when they stopped cockpit visits. I remember my first ever flight when aged 7 to this day, as I was asked if I would like to visit the flight deck about half way through the flight. Im sure many an aviation career has been started like that.

Regards, SD..

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:48 am
by harry remmington
The 100 plus passengers on an Aeroflot flight really enjoyed dieing when the Captain let his 11 year old son take control

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:49 am
by PeteSpencer
Don't see the problem:

My son did a mean hysterectomy when he came to work with me age 14. :wink: :wink:

Peter

Smilies added :roll:

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:38 pm
by JonnyS
harry remmington wrote:The 100 plus passengers on an Aerflot flight really enjoyed dieing when the Captain let his 11 year old son take control


Slightly different.

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:49 pm
by Rich T
Pete S wrote:My son did a mean hysterectomy when he came to work with me age 14.

I did a Hickman line with my aunt at a similar age. And helped on a hysterectomy with my uncle. They'd probably be shot nowadays, as would you :)

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:10 pm
by wessex boy
My Dad flew a Viking from Southend to Jersey most Sundays when he was 12, swapping with the FO just after take-off and just before landing, he moved onto the Ostend route in a Viscount when he hit his teens...

Re: Take your child to work day... JFK Tower

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:13 pm
by JonathanB
He sounded less of a jibbering wreck than I probably just did on my first Radar Sim run!

Strip scans and global radar scans are hard, even with only a few aircraft on frequency and no radar vectoring - just climbs, descents and overflights!

Actually my R/T wasn't too bad, but my brain was certainly gradually melting!

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:24 pm
by rodan
skydriller wrote:I personally think that its great that its still possible for kids to still be able to get a great aviation experience like that

It isn't, technically. Hence the vigourous boot/botty interfacing the ATCO is experiencing as a result.

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:07 pm
by chipmeisterc
On the fence with this one..I don't really get the issue with the kid giving instructions to change frequencies when being watched by his dad...however I can see how the idea that the kid also issuing clearences to take off etc could cause big problems if he got any of the details wrong..

I'm sure its also probably a grey area as to whether a clearance is valid or not if the instructions are given by a non qualitifed atco???

Ultimately it probably wasnt the wisest thing to do..I wonder if he had permission from his supervisor. Bit sad that the dad showing his son his job may now be jobless.

All the pilots seemed to be enjoying the event! Hope it works out ok for the controller!

Re: Take your child to work day... JFK Tower

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:18 pm
by Charles Hunt
Haven't checked all of the calls made , but hopefully 'we' can see the difference beteween a 'change frequency' call, and 'after the landing 747 which has declared a mayday...'

My risk assessment (oh god who doesn't exist what has the world come to that even I should type this?) is that this was incredibly low risk; sadly in our current world this will be seen as unacceptable.

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:35 pm
by skydriller
Well,

It was just on the Beeb with a very somber serious looking reporter "how could this happen" etc...

From what I heard on the beeb the kid sounded alot more proffessional than some pilots - and even ATCOs!! - Ive heard over the airwaves....flight crews thought it was OK, even quite impressed and amused by their tone of response....

Shame it has now gone so public that the "cool dad" and his supervisor might now lose their jobs over the issue.

Regards, SD..

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:48 pm
by Lloydy
I'm sure that even if the kid did make a mistake, he wasn't sitting there alone, and he's dad would have been straight on the case.

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:49 pm
by kilburnflyer
OK, so they he was in the tower with his dad standing right next to him, probably on a clear day, on paper it looks bad. Frankly it's a bit stupid of the dad knowing full well everything is recorded and at one of the nation's flagship airports.

It's a shame because now it's gone global, and based on what happened to the laptop pilots, they will have to revoke his position otherwise it wont seem even handed.

PostPosted:Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:09 pm
by johnm
It's a shame because now it's gone global, and based on what happened to the laptop pilots, they will have to revoke his position otherwise it wont seem even handed.


Actually they went off route and out of communication to some tune. The issues are in no way comparable.

The captains of the aircraft receiving the messages were responsible for the safety of their aircraft, if they were content it's nobody else's business really.

That said you wouldn't want it happening regularly so a little gentle management chat might be required.