[Anonymous]

[VintageKrug]

So, on the one side it is a pretty cool thing to have a go at being an Air Traffic Controller.

On the other, if it was me inside a plane on those crowded JFK taxiways, I would rather not have a child directing the aircraft, however well supervised.

You can listen to the audio here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/03/inquiry-child-direct-planes-jfk-airport

And, excitingly, the link opens in a new tab when using Chrome!

[Inquisitive]

One Russian pilot did similar thing with a plane. Now an American did the idiotic drama. I shiver with the thought that people from these two big brothers country controlled our fate for so long and will be controlling in future.

[flyingdutchman]

Nothing went wrong, not the busiest time at JFK and the controllers there are not stupid, a simple message, child was probably sitting on the controller’s lap and he would correct anything immediately.
No harm done.
Flying a plane is quite different !

[Inquisitive]

How would you feel when you call your banker to deposit or invest some money and his kid sitting on his lap providing you instruction from the computer monitor that the dad is typing? This is even true for flying as auto pilot could do the job. Or at office the boss has written the instruction and ask his kid to deliver the same? No harm will be done!.

[VintageKrug]

I am in two minds about this.

I think it’s good to involve children in workplace visits etc. However, ATC is a safety critical environment, and you are working with people who have never met you and might have been startled to hear a child’s voice; should they trust the instruction or not?

Even a split second can make all the difference in a critical situation; just have a listen to the great work ATC did when BA38 777 crashed at Heathrow two years’ ago. That was on a normal, quiet day, and then all Hell broke loose.

While an extreme example, I just don’t think people charged with safety should “take their eye off the ball” for even a second, and having considered it I think it was a poor decision on this controller’s part to let his young child communicate with active traffic.

[Author]

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