Child directs airplanes over radio transmissions at JFK

[Cubby]

Child directs airplanes over radio transmissions at JFK airport

Updated: Wednesday, 03 Mar 2010, 11:32 AM EST
Published : Tuesday, 02 Mar 2010, 10:17 PM EST

(FOX 25, myfoxboston.com) - The voice is unmistakably a child's giving the all-clear to a pilot from the air-traffic control tower at one of the nation's busiest airports.
Harmless? Or a problem? I think this is one of those stories where people can form their own opinion.
The FAA is certainly taking the matter seriously.
They have confirmed for FOX 25 that the recording we have with a child directing airplanes is an authentic recording from the JFK tower and an <NOBR>investigation</NOBR> is now underway.
The child makes five transmissions and the pilots respond enthusiastically to him.
JFK TOWER: <NOBR>Jet Blue</NOBR> 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)





http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news...lanes-over-radio-transmissions-at-jfk-airport

This may not be popular opinion, but I don't think this as big of a deal as some are making it as it appears the child was being closely supervised. Stupid to do without first getting permission, like a bring your kid to work day kind of thing..... but I don't think anyone was in serious danger.

jmo

 

[Askalice]

I agree Cubby. I'm sure he was sitting on his fathers lap and the dad was telling him exactly what to say. Way to big a deal but I suppose it's the media with nothing better to do. Children need to see what the parent is doing all day.

 

[kbl8201]

im not amused.

one slip up, a plane crashes, people die, the dad goes to jail, the kid lives with guilt the rest of his life

 

[Annie]

If I am on a plane, I do not want the person giving instructions to pilots,let a child do his job, or even be distracted by having a child there with him. It only takes a second for something to happen and this is a job that requires the full attention of the person directing traffic. Some jobs are fine to bring a child in, but this in not one of them in my opinion. There have been accidents in just the time it takes to make a phone call or text a message. Train engineers, pilots, air traffic controllers, bus drivers should give their FULL attention to their job and use good judgment.

 

[VespaElf]

I too thought it was cute as did the pilots who responded positively.
Its not the kid was left alone to do the job by himself.........I know why the FAA is pissed & yes the guy should be reprimanded but it was cute!

 

[Cubby]

I too thought it was cute as did the pilots who responded positively.
Its not the kid was left alone to do the job by himself.........I know why the FAA is pissed & yes the guy should be reprimanded but it was cute!

I agree. It's not like an unruly toddler or preschooler was playing games causing distraction. I agree the guy should be reprimanded, but we do allow children to participate in go to work with parents day. The only thing I see the guy doing wrong is not getting the ok from higher ups first.

 

[kbl8201]

i think you'd all have a diffrent outlook if something happened to that plane.

 

[Cubby]

but nothing happened with the plane. This didn't happen in the middle of a storm, and most likely happened at a time of 'lighter' air traffic.

If we lived our lives always worried about what if and never allowed growth we'd become stagnant.

jmo

eta: a 15 year old with a drivers permit is a lot more dangerous than what this child did under the close supervision and direction of an adult. From what I read the child followed the traffic controllers instructions specifically. At no time has it been determined the air traffic controller was not in full control of what was happening. It wasn't like the kid was left alone to make any decisions alone.

 

[kbl8201]

but nothing happened with the plane. This didn't happen in the middle of a storm, and most likely happened at a time of 'lighter' air traffic.

If we lived our lives always worried about what if and never allowed growth we'd become stagnant.

jmo

eta: a 15 year old with a drivers permit is a lot more dangerous than what this child did under the close supervision and direction of an adult. From what I read the child followed the traffic controllers instructions specifically. At no time has it been determined the air traffic controller was not in full control of what was happening. It wasn't like the kid was left alone to make any decisions alone.

so whats next? a 5 year old soldiers kid takes a call for artilery and punches in the cooridnates?

im sorry but if im flying onn a pllane i dont want a kid, under any circumsatnces, giving the piot instructions

 

[zadari]

i think a pilot would know if an instruction was right or wrong if they have done it enough ..but im not a pilot lol .. only thing i see wrong is the person should have gotten permission first from the higher ups cuz i think the person was right there with the child telling them exactly what to say god forbid a pilot wouldnt know what to do if the instructor passed out for some reason and became unresponsive and couldnt do his job the pilot would have to know what to do in an event like that wouldnt they ?. i think things were fine there ..

 

[Cubby]

the child was not giving instructions, the child was repeating instructions given to him or her by someone fully in control of the situation.

kbl'- I think your example is a bit apples and oranges as you were suggesting allowing the child to pick the coordinates. The child in this situation was NEVER allowed to make a decision without the specific instruction of the person in charge.....

'Of course not' to answer your question, but plenty of parents safely teach their children how to hunt and use guns safely. Not everything ends in catastrophe including this case.

jmo

 

[zadari]

the child was not giving the instructions, the child was repeating instructions given to him or her by someone fully in control of the situation.

I think your example is a bit apples and oranges. 'Of course not' to answer your question, but plenty of parents safely teach their children how to hunt and use guns safely. Not everything ends in catastrophe including this case.

jmo

i know they were lol .. i doubt a child would know how to land an airplane and i guess i was just saying its not a big deal for something like that to be done unless instructor didnt have permission from his boss ..also im just saying say the child hadnt been there and it had been a different senerio .. like the instructor had a health issue and passed out and couldnt speak . im assuming there are others in the room with him to take over .. im just saying things like that could happen too .. then what would ppl be saying ..

 

[Dr.Fessel]

I think it is utter nonsense. They guys job is to direct planes not to babysit his child while he is at work.

This is a high stress work area where just a small missed thing can cause multiple deaths. Kids have no business being in there.

 

[MagicRose99]

the child was not giving instructions, the child was repeating instructions given to him or her by someone fully in control of the situation.

kbl'- I think your example is a bit apples and oranges as you were suggesting allowing the child to pick the coordinates. The child in this situation was NEVER allowed to make a decision without the specific instruction of the person in charge.....

'Of course not' to answer your question, but plenty of parents safely teach their children how to hunt and use guns safely. Not everything ends in catastrophe including this case.

jmo

I don't think kbl's example is "apples and oranges". Both have lives depending on the accuracy of the data given. If it's "ok" for a child to direct a pilot, they why isn't it "ok" for a soldier's child to input coordinates?

This is a very serious job. One screw up and it's endangering 100s of people. To have a child there distracting the men and women from doing such an important job is unbelievable. To have a child "telling" a pilot what to do is unbelievable. So what if dad is there telling kid what to say? What if the kid says the wrong thing regardless? Touches a wrong switch? Knocks a wrong button?

No... the "tower" is the absolute wrong place for a child or unauthorized / unknowledgable person to be.

I hope these people get their butts canned. If I, or any member of my family were on that plane I'd thing about suing for endangering our lives.

 

[Annie]

This pilot thought it was okay for his two children to sit in the pilot's seats of a plane, but it went disasterously wrong and many people lost their lives. A child has no place in the pilot's seat of a plane OR in the control tower doing the communicating with pilots. That isn't a game. If the child was in a play or in a video on YouTube giving instructions, now that would be cute. But a real control tower, with real planes, and real people on board, NO WAY!!!!!
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593[/ame]

 

[Dr.Fessel]

This pilot thought it was okay for his two children to sit in the pilot's seats of a plane, but it went disasterously wrong and many people lost their lives. A child has no place in the pilot's seat of a plane OR in the control tower doing the communicating with pilots. That isn't a game. If the child was in a play or in a video on YouTube giving instructions, now that would be cute. But a real control tower, with real planes, and real people on board, NO WAY!!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

Jesus

Aeroflot Flight 593, was a "Russian Airlines"[1] Airbus A310 passenger airliner, registration F-OGQS, operating on behalf of Aeroflot, which crashed into a hillside in Kemerovo Oblast on 23 March 1994. All 75 passengers and crew were killed.

Voice and flight data recorders revealed that the pilot's 15-year-old son Eldar Kudrinsky, while seated at the controls, had unknowingly disabled the A310's autopilot's control of the ailerons, which put the aircraft into a steep bank, and then an uncontrolled dive. The pilots were not aware of the partial disconnection of the autopilot, which occurred with no audible alarm, and did not regain control of the aircraft.

The accident sparked outrage in the aviation community around the world, and ultimately helped re-write many regulations on flight deck protocol and sterile cockpit environments. In addition, airlines around the world almost immediately began inspection and retraining of the autopilot devices onboard aircraft.[ci

 

[passionflower]

Just play air traffic controller at home............not at the work place where a tradgity COULD happen.............

 

[wallflower67]

I have to comment...has anyone seen the movie Pushing Tin? Air Traffic Controllers have a VERY stressful job...they are responsible for a lot of lives. It's very, very difficult. This is just not something you play around with. A kid who makes mistake with his learners permit kills a handful of people at worst. A kid who makes a mistake doing ATC could kill two planefuls of people. (and I don't mean to pick on the poster who mentioned the learner's permit...it was just the example I could think of)

JFK, even it's "down time" is still a very busy airport.

I have family members who are Air Traffic Controllers, and my husband also has some friends who are/have been ATCs. They think this is highly irresponsible and the ATC should be fired...for good.

Off my soap box now

 

[angelmom]

I could see both sides of this...on the one hand, the dad was right there and I'm sure he wouldn't let the kid do any tricky work. The pilots obviously knew there was a kid on the mike, and wouldn't make any decision based on his instructions that was unreasonable or unexpected. OTOH, it only takes one wrong turn or instruction to kill hundreds of people.

...UNTIL I just heard the audio. One of the kids (yes, he did it twice!) was so young you could barely understand his little baby voice. It was not good.

The other thing that really alarms me is that none of the pilots who responded seemed surprised...so how often does this really happen?

YIKES!

 

[raeann]

There are very specific rules about who can be in the control tower, even more specific about who can communicate with the flight crews.....the ONLY thing that this dad taught his kid was to disrespect authority, to defy rules, and to completely devalue the lives of other people if it seems like it might be a fun thing to do. The father should lose his job, the supervisor who was supposed to be in control should lose theirs. Sorry, but coming from a family full of pilots, this was a HORRIBLE mistake that in one single second could have killed hundreds of people! Sorry, done with the rant now!

jmoo