First...go back and read the first line of my last Blog posting...
Yeah, yeah, yeah...we've heard. Some poor Controller at JFK brought the kids to the tower, coached them word-for-word and let them transmit hand-offs and departure instructions to departing flights...and yeah -- obviously, a couple of the planes flew for foreign carriers...yes, we know all that.
Now, Fox, MSNBC, ABC, everybody, hear this: This was a zero-threat act of a hard-working father trying to cope with a snow day or something...
It was not -- not, Not NOT! -- a threat to the nation's air-transportation system...the children were not managing or making traffic decisions, period. Dad told them, "say this, say that" and, wow, the children, with more articulate voices than some of the TV talking heads crying about this, repeated what Dad told them to say.
That's it, people. Oh, yeah -- Aero Mexico..."adios, Amigo..." You idiots obviously just discovered the ATC sites and don't know that a bit of friendly familiarity occurs between controllers and pilots who routinely, repeatedly talk to one another. And English is certainly a second language for many pilots of Foreign carriers..."Duh!" is not a strong-enough word for this one.
English is THE LANGUAGE of international ATC; that's why we pilots are all getting new licenses that show our English proficiency is demonstrated. Yes, international pilots actually have to demonstrate English proficiency.
Besides, the AeroMexico pilot sounded almost as young and American as the kids...certainly as good or better than Glenn Beck or George Stephanopolous...
Yes, Dad screwed up; so did a supervisor that let this continue...and they more than know that.
So please exhale -- the blue glow you TV people are giving off with your breathless inanity over this interferes with my ability to channel the Aliens laughing their antenna off listening to you folks milk this story for more than a grade-school lunch-room's month-of-March moo-juice allotment.
Geez...that feels better...
Dave
Now, Fox, MSNBC, ABC, everybody, hear this: This was a zero-threat act of a hard-working father trying to cope with a snow day or something...
It was not -- not, Not NOT! -- a threat to the nation's air-transportation system...the children were not managing or making traffic decisions, period. Dad told them, "say this, say that" and, wow, the children, with more articulate voices than some of the TV talking heads crying about this, repeated what Dad told them to say.
That's it, people. Oh, yeah -- Aero Mexico..."adios, Amigo..." You idiots obviously just discovered the ATC sites and don't know that a bit of friendly familiarity occurs between controllers and pilots who routinely, repeatedly talk to one another. And English is certainly a second language for many pilots of Foreign carriers..."Duh!" is not a strong-enough word for this one.
English is THE LANGUAGE of international ATC; that's why we pilots are all getting new licenses that show our English proficiency is demonstrated. Yes, international pilots actually have to demonstrate English proficiency.
Besides, the AeroMexico pilot sounded almost as young and American as the kids...certainly as good or better than Glenn Beck or George Stephanopolous...
Yes, Dad screwed up; so did a supervisor that let this continue...and they more than know that.
So please exhale -- the blue glow you TV people are giving off with your breathless inanity over this interferes with my ability to channel the Aliens laughing their antenna off listening to you folks milk this story for more than a grade-school lunch-room's month-of-March moo-juice allotment.
Geez...that feels better...
Dave
posted by Dave Higdon at
5:33 PM
8 Comments:
Well what's just as bad is the FAA instead of explaining that this really is no big deal is caving to the nonsensical outrage surrounding the whole incident.
I think the FAA and NTSB are just as resopnsible for making a huge deal out of this as the news networks are. Have you heard the crap Ray Lahood has been spouting about this?
-ryan
Sorry, but the breathless, over-the-top trajectory of this story reached apogee well ahead of any pronouncements from the FAA or DoT. It's a YouTube world!!
I can't in any way see the reaction of Babbitt or LaHood as contributing -- succumbing to the prevailing breathlessness, maybe.
But for days now I've watched a series of anchors and reporters push this Sky if Falling!! attitude with their repeated, "But..." and "Then, but..." or "Yeah, but..." following every expert's calm and reasoned explanation about how not a national ATC meltdown this was.
As for the Feds...what else can they do at this point but suspend the repeat offender (he did this twice that we know of) and the offender's boss -- and respond that they want to make sure this never again happens.
Meanwhile, was anybody in that tower actually thinking? We've been in a hyperbaric security and safety atmosphere for going on a decade...the big surprise would be if this happened and nobody noticed.
Respectfully,
Dave
It could be they are all ticked off because a rank amateur sounded almost as professional as the trained professionals themselves ... you know, the Wiz doesn't look all that impressive when you pull back the curtain.
National Security threat...no. Safety issue...probably not. Poor judgement because it would reflect badly on you and your team...absolutely.
completely agree ^
-ryan
I hear ya Dave. It's good to vent!
I think it's pretty cool. Let's hope the kids remembers his experience for all the right reasons.
pilot_ngb
I sure hope nobody finds out about the 'opportunities' I was allowed as a kid... And I fully intend to provide my son 'opportunities' to expand his horizons when I can. I just hope I don't get tarred and feathered for doing it!
Ruckin.
Unfortunately I've heard the kids are traumatized as they feel responsible for the scrutiny their father has come under.
Can we please see that there was no risk to anyone at any time from this. The kids made directly supervised radio calls which as Dave pointed out is FAR from actually controlling the aircraft.
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