It\u2019s my turn now, to talk about the napping controllers. This is mainly for the benefit of the non-flying public; most of us who fly realize pilots and passengers face little danger in the case of sleeping controllers at 1 a.m. or 5 a.m. The only time it comes to question is when the controller falls asleep during high-density traffic operations in the middle of the day. I have never heard of that happening, though. Too many others around to let you sleep.<\/p>\n
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) nailed it right on the head in one of their e-newsletters last Thursday. Under the headline, \u201cAre We Pilots Or Wimps?\u201d J. Mac McClellan leads off by saying, \u201cControllers asleep on the job is a fiasco for the FAA that is growing worse daily. But I am afraid that in the nonstop news coverage of the ATC system failures, we pilots have come off more as wimps than pilots in command of their own airplanes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem, as it is oftentimes with the media, is the publicizing of a problem that is not really a problem. However, it is a great way to sell newspapers and airtime through\u00a0sensationalism to a public ignorant or uneducated about a subject.<\/p>\n
The non-flying public does not realize that of the more than 11,000 airports in the country, less than five percent fall under the purview of ATC controllers. Of those, very few are open 24 hours a day. Amazingly, we still fly and operate off those airports after hours\u2014all without the adult supervision of an Air Traffic Controller!<\/em><\/p>\n Oh, the humanity!<\/p>\n Each time I hear of another media outlet crying about sleeping controllers, I wonder how I ever learned how to fly. The airplanes I learned to fly in lacked electrical systems, radios, navigation equipment, lights, batteries, and starters. They must have been really dangerous airplanes and by virtue of my survival during that dangerous period, I must be some kind pilot extraordinaire\u2014NOT!<\/p>\n Controllers have their place. During times of bad weather or in areas of congested air traffic, yes, we need controllers. But at two in the morning, a napping controller is not a dangerous thing. The real crime is not the napping controller; it is the punitive action\u00a0being\u00a0taken against a human being forced to work outside his or her natural circadian rhythm. Of course,\u00a0anyone in this situation is going to be tired and may inadvertently<\/em> fall asleep.<\/p>\n The FAA needs to revamp how they schedule controllers\u2019 work periods. Managers do not need to resign from their positions and controllers should not lose their jobs. Pilots can still land and fly airplanes safely<\/em> without talking to controllers.<\/p>\n And most importantly, the public needs to realize it is not the dangerous situation newspaper publishers and the talking heads on TV are making it out to be. \u00a0<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n \u00a9 2011 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s my turn now, to talk about the napping controllers. This is mainly for the benefit of the non-flying public; most of us who fly realize pilots and passengers face little danger in the case of sleeping controllers at 1 … Continue reading