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Kid Directs Air Traffic at JFK, Controllers Suspended Pending Investigation

Airlines & Airports, CBS News, Plane Crashes — on March 3, 2010 5:40 pm

Early Show LogoWere air traffic controllers behaving irresponsibly when they invited a child to give directions to pilots preparing for departure at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport?

The FAA, which is responsible for air traffic control and has opened an investigation into the matter, seems to think so.

Wach Peter’s take on the situation in a CBS News report.

JFK Airport is among the nation’s busiest, with almost 50 million passengers annually.

Learn more about the incident with this video:

Read more about the incident in this CBS News report.

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:

  • Ray

    Im disgusted at how the media is blowing this out of proportion. What about the dads that are taking there kids with them on drug runs…or to topless bars! its going to cost this guy his job and all because the media is riding this thing into the ground…Let it go.

  • Whitebear

    WOW! An FAA controller took his son to his workplace and let him talk on a radio! Holy smokes, what’s next? He should be denied bail!

    I am a pilot.

    This is being completing sensationalized and blown out of proportion. Imagine! I used to work for a government agency doing accident investigations. I took my children into the office several times (while I was off duty) because it was healthy for them and me to know that they understand what I am doing.

    My father was a policeman. He used to take me for rides in his police car and put on the lights and siren for me and my friends. We all wanted to be police when we grew up.

    What is this world coming to?

  • Bill

    I have been an Air Traffic Controller for over 30 years. I haven’t read much on this occurance, but a kid talking over the radio with his father directing every word that’s said is a HECK of a lot safer than allowing some of the people that the FAA has hired over the last 7 years or so even in the building!!! I don’t know where the FAA has failed in acquiring quality people to train in Air Traffic, but the people that have been coming to work live traffic are WORSE on the microphone than a child would be and even THEN….those people are just doing the same thing that the kid was doing!! PARROTING what the instructor tells them to say! I would say that there was NO danger to anyone…EVER…except to the poor controller who has worked his tail off to GET to one of the busiest airports. It might take 20 years, but I’ll bet the kid might make an outstanding controller someday!