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NEW YORK - An air traffic controller at New York's Kennedy Airport was suspended for allowing his young son to radio instructions to several pilots.
The few quick exchanges between the elementary-school-aged child and jets waiting to take off from JFK, one of the nation's busiest airports, appeared to delight pilots at the time.
"I wish I could bring my kid to work," one said, wistfully.
But the Federal Aviation Administration suspended the controller and a supervisor Wednesday after recordings of the calls were posted on the Internet, then reported on by a Boston television station.
The media is freaking out. Nobody was placed in danger. Listening to the complete audio, the father even clicks in and makes several of the more complicated calls. An ATC position has more than one mic jack, usually used for training. The "instructor" jack can override the "student" jack at any time. The planes the kid was talking to already had their instructions for departure, so no actual clearances were issued besides the takeoff, which obviously occurred at the time coordinated by the Tower Dad and the departure control.
God damn I hate the media.
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