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