As part of my PVT ground school, the CFI arranged a tour of the Tower@CAE. Wonderful view and great guys in the tower. Truly an experience I will never forget. I'd love to go back, but in these times, I don't think it's going to happen. Early 90's

 

ATC - so easy a caveman could do it.

Just kidding. ATC has always been very good to me in a single engine piston. I'm sure I threw a kink in to their plans @ ATL, DCA, IAD, but they always were professional and worked me in to the flow. DCA even apologized for the extra vectors. Those guys/gals do a great job. The JFK guy should be applauded and recognized for showing his kids "how daddy works". There is nothing as more comforting as hearing a familiar voice at the home airport after 3 solid hours of hand flying in solid IMC. It's home!

 

It is funny to see the FAA hoisted on their own petard. And BTW, why are you guys hating on Fox News? This isn't their story, it's all over the networks. I first heard it on my local NBC news.

 

Check the requirements at a Cat X airport since the FAA/TSA "reviewed" protocols a year or so ago. The "incident" didn't occur at Middleville Muni. It was a tightly controlled Cat X airport that a number of agencies have a say in access controls. If I'm incorrect with the comment I previously made, I'll stand corrected. Realize also that each facility may have their own specific access controls.

I've been in the cab at dozens of airports, including several Cat X facilities as an active pilot. With proper credentials and a "sponsor" pilots can access and are welcomed at most FAA ATC facilities. Again, let's stay on track...this was at JFK.

As you for personally, I don't know you. If you say you're a "bad man", then possibly you should be locked up.

I guess you're guilty ! G'Luck Mate

 

What the hell is the matter with people nowadays? If this had been a problem then reports would have been possibly filed by the pilots and since there were no reports filed that I am aware of then this is a moot issue about absolutely nothing !
Some have waaay to much time on their hands and look for just the slightest thing to BnM and I imagine this is because their life is just so dull and this gives them something to do in order for them to feel self important .

How did this leak out ?

Fred

 

Unfortunately the internet...The same one we are using to discuss this can be sourced as the genesis of this. While we use this forum to hash topics on aviation, there is an entire sub-culture of people that want to be in aviation or feel they are aviation experts because they have ridden on an airplane. These same people sit at home with JFK tower up on their computers all day long listening in to liveatc.net. They archive and save everything because they want to listen to a Iberia 605 get his take-off clearance. I don't know about you but the last thing I ever want to do when not flying is to listen to ATC. It is bad enough when I HAVE to, but much less doing it just for so-called fun.

It is these people (the armchair experts) with their scanners and computers that are now the extended arm of the FAA. They will report what they think is unsafe or dangerous, even if they haven't a clue what they are talking about. In this situation I am sure it was one of the folks that saved the recording and sent it off to be procreated in the news world as an outrage.

So the venue that we use to communicate here on the forum is being used by others to help police our industry. Thus the good and bad of technology. 20 years ago this would have been a non-event I suppose. But now we are a country of people that are predisposed to being offended at the slightest hint of anything out the normal.

If I was king for a day, I would ask that in fairness of freedom of information, the person that sent this to the media or released this information should be made public. Let the nation put a face to this person. This person is the Steve Bartman of aviation. We should all know who he is.

Finally, this is a great lesson for the new order of flying. Don't say anything on the radio you would not want Babbit to hear, because it might just wind up in the media. Truly disgusted with how this has industry and flying in general has evolved. It has lost much of the fun factor it once held.

L

 

You can thank the media for blowing this out of proportion. Now the FAA has to act on this and put out a statement that the incident was unsafe so the FAA doesn't get thrown under the bus. Obviously the FAA can't put out a statement that says "hey, lighten up a little", even if they are saying it behind closed doors.

"Adios Amigo!!" haha

 

Very well stated and right on target !

Your last comment is of importance to all of the younger pilots coming up through the ranks. Remember that everything that's said over any frequency (UHF,VHF,HF) is recorded by someone, somewhere.

Thanks Mate

 

[QUOTE=MrBigAir;


Heck, I remember getting into ATC towers and trans-Atlantic airliner cockpits when I was a kid, in the 80's and 90's! En-route!

[/QUOTE]

That's only because the guys in the cockpit were trying to scam on your mom!

 

This controllers kids are going to remember this for a long time and depending on how this turns out in the long run ,it may or may not affect whether or not they pursue this field as a career some time down the road and I hope this turns out well for all involved.
Today I turned one year older and some of the things that we were allowed to do as children ie cockpit visits while in flight ,etc my grandchild will never be able to do and that is truly sad in its own right .



Fred