Kids in the Tower at JFK

Greenskeeper · Post by **Greenskeeper** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:58 am

Just curious what others think of this. I'm torn. On one hand I'm thinking: a guy in the wheel well of a jet one week and kids in the tower the next. What the &$*#* is going on at JFK. Fire the guy for his poor judgement.

On the other, I think the dad was trying to be a good dad and expose his kids to what he did for a living and didn't mean any harm.

shoemak38 · Post by **shoemak38** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:23 am

Greenskeeper wrote:Just curious what others think of this. I'm torn. On one hand I'm thinking: a guy in the wheel well of a jet one week and kids in the tower the next. What the &$*#* is going on at JFK. Fire the guy for his poor judgement.

On the other, I think the dad was trying to be a good dad and expose his kids to what he did for a living and didn't mean any harm.

my vote
I think the dad was trying to be a good dad and expose his kids to what he did for a living and didn't mean any harm.

djmom · Post by **djmom** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:27 am

I believe the dad was trying to be a good dad.

I also believe that of all of the jobs out there, the trait/skill of "good judgement" and "decision making" is absolutley essential and he demonstrated the absolute worst judgement and decision making I can think of.

Unfortunately, his decision was clouded by his love of his children I guess...

But it doesn't matter why to me...what if the worst had happened?

So I would say sadly, he should lose his job.

When my children disobey safety rules and they try to justify this by saying "well, no one got hurt"...they are still going to get in trouble.

I wonder if he would get as much sympathy if he let his wife or girlfriend take over....no, he wouldn't.

And would he want his kids on a plane that is being directed or cleared for flight by someone else's 7 year old?

That's my opinion. I think the whole thing is sad.

XOXO · Post by **XOXO** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:39 am

I disagree. Clearly, the dad was sitting right there telling the child what to say and listening to the pilots responses. The pilots seemed comfortable and I could hear a little humor in their voices. If the dad was in the restroom or at the break table letting the child take control that would be different. But, come on, common sense tells me that the dad was right there coaxing him along.

Adios Amigos!

Gina

djmom · Post by **djmom** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:09 pm

What if Captain "Sully" had his kid in the cockpit (not even "driving") the day of his emergency? Would he have been able to handle the emergency so efficiently?

Every single second counted. Even if he had to take 30 seconds to get his kid out of the way..

"Get out of the way, son"..."it's an emergency".

"Why?"

"It's an emergency, GO"

"Why? What happened"

"NOW"

"Why? Tell me why, I will understand what you are talking about! What did we hit? What happened? TELL ME! Where do you want me to go? There is no where for me to sit! I don't know anyone back there! What can I do? I didn't bring my Nintendo! I'm hungry! Did we hit birds? Are they dead? Oh the poor birds! You are mean daddy! Can we go back and save the birds? I SMELL BURNING!

Sully then clunks the kid over the head with his carry on bag.

Splash, crash, too late.

Maybe that is an exaggeration, but if you think I'm kidding, then you don't have kids.

You don't bring kids to places like that.

They don't call me djmom for nothing

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:24 pm

What if something happened to one of the flights that the kid communicated with even if it was no fault of anyone in the tower?

What would that do to the kid?

Severe disciplinary action. I cannot bring my daughter to where I work and even let her watch what I do for a living. IT IS AGAINST THE RULES! It puts lives at risk. It just cannot be justified.

jigzmom · Post by **jigzmom** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:24 pm

I agree 100% with djmom and I don't have kids ("jigz" is my dog). Every second counts, many lives are at stake. Very poor judgement on the part of the father. Where was the tower manager/supervisor when this was happening? He/she should be accountable as well.

pjayer · Post by **pjayer** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 1:31 pm

I agree with djmom, too. IMO, he jeopardized the safety of 100s of passengers and showed very poor judgement as did his supervisor. I'm not sure if he should be fired, but he should never be allowed to work as a controller again. I would not want to be a passenger on a plane under those circumstances.

I do believe he was well intentioned. But, as my former MIL used to say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." And she should know.

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 1:58 pm

Are there any rules against having children in the tower?

Who let him have his kid there anyway?

I can't believe that the dad is so stupid as let his kid do this. I just don't get.

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:42 pm

Connie wrote:Are there any rules against having children in the tower?

Who let him have his kid there anyway?

I can't believe that the dad is so stupid as let his kid do this. I just don't get.

Who let them in? I suppose it was the supervisor who was suspended with the dad.

One aviation reporter said he has spent time in tower cockpits, and when he is there he is afraid to speak because he might distract one of them from what they are doing. Can you imagine the level of distraction from having children there? What about the dad? How can he focus on the job with them there? It would have been different if they were there as observers. They crossed another line when they spoke on the air.

I think keep him or fire him is a false choice. He is an experienced controller and should be kept. I think a suspension of 10 to 30 days depending on their standards, would be appropriate. The most important thing is that the FAA can do is send a message. The message needs to be, don't do it. Look what happened to the guys in JFK.

JIM

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:04 am

My BIL and SIL are air traffic controllers. One is in the tower at Charlotte, the other is at an in-flight center in Hampton, GA. Visitors are allowed in the tower/control room with a controller. My take? I think the chances of something happening were nil, but I think that JFK has a supervisory problem. The supervisor shouldn't have allowed it, period.

Carolyn · Post by **Carolyn** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:24 am

alw1977 wrote:My BIL and SIL are air traffic controllers. One is in the tower at Charlotte, the other is at an in-flight center in Hampton, GA. Visitors are allowed in the tower/control room with a controller. My take? I think the chances of something happening were nil, but I think that JFK has a supervisory problem. The supervisor shouldn't have allowed it, period.

My husband works for the FAA but in the software end. When I asked him his take on the situation, he pretty much summed it up as you did. The supervisor was as much at fault as the Dad bringing the kid into the tower. There probably are 'rules' in place for disciplinary action that will need to be followed, but I haven't heard.

usvi-on-line