Child directs traffic at major airport
By Ted Daniel from MyFox National From: NewsCore March 03, 2010 12:50PM
AN investigation is under way after a child was heard giving instructions to a pilot from the air-traffic control tower at one of America's busiest airports, reports say.
In a recording that has been confirmed as genuine by the Federal Aviation Administration, the child makes five transmissions - with the pilots in each case all responding enthusiastically to him, MyFox National reports.
One conversation between the tower at JFK Airport in New York and a pilot goes as follows:
JFK TOWER: Jet Blue 171 contact departure.
PILOT: Over to departure jet blue 171, awesome job.
The child appears to be supervised, with a controller explaining the reason for the young voice to the pilot.
JFK TOWER: That's what you get guys when the kids are out of school. (laugh)
The airport is the sixth busiest in the country with thousands of planes taking off and landing every day.
The control tower is a highly secure area and the FAA says only licensed controllers are supposed to communicate with planes.
“I have never ever heard a small kid in the tower giving instructions for an airplane to take off or cross a runway or any kind of instructions,” Jim Baker, a retired chief pilot at Delta airlines, told FOX25.
The FAA said: "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."
The union that represents air traffic controllers said: "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."
For the full story, head to MyFox National
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