What if you were on a plane and heard this on the air radio?
Boy Directs Air Traffic From JFK Airport
By SHELLEY NG
wpix.com
NEW YORK (WPIX)
An air traffic controller and his supervisor have been relieved from their duties after the Federal Aviation Administration discovered the controller allowed his young son to give directions to pilots at John F. Kennedy International Airport last month.
The boy’s father is a veteran air traffic controller and apparently brought his son, who was home from school, to work.
The FAA says the boy was heard on five different transmissions on February 17.
He appeared to be supervised when he got onto the headsets and spoke to the pilots.
The transmissions were posted online on a website for air traffic control enthusiasts last month.
The FAA stated only licensed controllers or controller trainees under direct supervision of certified controllers are allowed to communicate with pilots.
The pilots, however, seemed to be amused and one even says “awesome job” to the child.
Another pilot said to the controller at the JFK tower, “I wish I could bring my kid to the office.”
But the FAA said in a statement, “Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic. This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees.”
A union representing air traffic controllers also stated, “We do not condone this type of behavior in any way, and it is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and every day in the advancement of aviation safety.”
It is unclear how long the FAA’s investigation will take.
The name and age of the child, as well as the names of the controller and controller-in-charge were not immediately released.
New York City school children experienced two snow days this year on February 10 and 26. Also unclear is if the child was off from school due to the snow storms.
Hear Audio here: JFK