Passengers delighted to be flying on cheap airplane tickets or having snagged cheap vacation packages or discount hotel rooms might not have been so happy if they were aboard one of the planes that were directed by children at John F. Kennedy International airport on February 16th and 17th.
An air traffic controller and a supervisor were suspended Wednesday, March 3rd, after recordings were released of the controllers son speaking to pilots were posted on the Internet and then played by a variety of news outlets. The controllers young son (all we know is that he is in elementary school) was recorded giving radio instructions to pilots.
This controller must have thought this was a great experience for a child since the next evening he brought his daughter into the control tower. The daughter communicated with pilots twice.
The controller explained to pilots why his son was on the air this is what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school. In a second exchange with a pilot, the pilot responded Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job! In one of the recordings a pilot is laughing and the boy giggling.
One pilot wistfully commented I wish I could bring my kid to work.
The controllers actions were described by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) as a lapse in judgment (that) not only violated FAAs own policies but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable.
The boy appeared to repeat instructions to the pilots given to him by his father on the recording.
Until it has completed a review of its policies, the FAA has barred unofficial visits by friends or relatives in air traffic operational areas.