FAA puts two air traffic control employees on admin leave after teen directs aircraft over JFK
CBS News reports that a child was allowed under supervision of an adult ATC employee to direct traffic at JFK's Air Traffic control center. The FAA announced today that two employees have been put on administrative leave while it investigates the incident which occurred on Feb. 17th of this year.
As a pilot I would have no problem with such directions given the scenario described. This is particularly true if this was bring your kid to work program. I would actually encourage such participation. Indications are, the FAA is reviewing the incident with a heavy hand. FAA air traffic controllers have back up, supervisors and redundant systems in place that while not perfect are very well managed. The technology used in air traffic control is complex. It's a high stress job that will need new controllers in the future that are high-tech savvy, motivated and experienced. In fact, it could be argued that controllers will face a hiring problem in the coming decades as air traffic volume increases and becomes completely computerized.
Regulations were technically violated, among them radio frequency transmissions require licenses and training. While it is true that simulators can offer similar experiences, there's nothing like doing it for real. Air transportation is under severe political pressure to maintain aviation safety and security at all times. CBS News is owned by CBS, the parent company of ZDNet.
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