The FAA has opened investigation into an incident at JFK air traffic control last month, when a young boy was allowed to communicate take-off instructions to pilots.
Until recently, it was possible for authorized visitors to spend time in the tower, and it appears as though the boy was with his father. At one point the father joked to pilots, “That’s what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.”
The recordings from the day’s goings on in the JFK tower reveal several instances of conversation between the boy and pilots from major commercial airlines, none of whom seemed to question the authority of a child air traffic controller. At one point the boy says, “JetBlue 171 contact departure,” in reply to which JetBlue 171 states, “Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job.”
In another exchange the boy directs, “MS 4-0-3, contact departure” and then adds, “Adios, amigo”. The flight nonchalantly replies, “Adios, amigo.”
The FAA released a statement saying, “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.” [via Ananova]
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