So last week was “Bring your kids to work week” in the US. Well at JFK anyway.
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Apparently an air traffic controller thought it would be a laugh to let his kid chat to an aeroplane that was about to take-off from one of the world’s busiest airports. He allowed his kid to give the planes clearance to take off. OK, so it wasn’t just a random thing – the father told the kid exactly what to say and when to say it.
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But the icing on the cake is that he brought another kid in the next day to do exactly the same thing! During his visit, the boy got to squeak out a few instructions to pilots before signing off, including telling the crew aboard a departing Aero Mexico flight, “Adios, amigos.”
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Pilots were delighted, the FAA not so much! It has also barred unofficial visits by friends or relatives to FAA air traffic operational areas while it reviews its policies. The ATC has also been suspended.
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Read more about it here or listen to the recording here.
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1 thought on “"JetBlue 171, cleared for takeoff."”
ErikaJean
(6 March 2010 - 14:18)I can’t decide how I feel about this. Part of me says it’s no big deal…. part of me worries about who sits up in those towers!