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The man's daughter communicated with pilots twice, NBC News' Tom Costello
reports.
His young son had several quick exchanges with pilots. The recorded clips
were played repeatedly across a variety of news outlets on Wednesday.
Some of the exchanges 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.
"This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA's own policies, but common
sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are
totally unacceptable," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement.
"This kind of behavior does not reflect the true caliber of our work force."
On the recording, which lasts about a minute, the boy appears to repeat
instructions fed to him by his father. At no time does the child tell
aircraft how to maneuver or where they should go.
The FAA said it has also barred unofficial visits by friends or relatives to
FAA air traffic operational areas while it reviews its policies.
Radio chatter between air traffic controllers and pilots is routinely
streamed live on the Internet. A user of one popular Web site devoted to
controller talk, LiveATC.net, posted a recording of the child's radio calls
not long after they happened on Feb. 16 — a date when many New York
schoolchildren were on a midwinter break.
The boy made five transmissions to pilots preparing for departure, according
to the recording.
"JetBlue 171 cleared for takeoff," the boy says in his first call. His
father follows that up with a more detailed instruction for the aircraft,
which was headed to Sacramento, Calif. He then offers an explanation to
pilots on the air: "This is what you get, guys, when the kids are out of
school."
In a second exchange, the boy instructs the same JetBlue flight to contact
departure controllers. The pilot responds: "Over to departure JetBlue 171,
awesome job!"
There are a few more similar exchanges. A pilot laughs. The boy can be
overheard giggling.
In his last call, the youngster signs off, "Adios, amigo." The pilot
responds in kind.
Based on the flight numbers called out during the exchange, the episode
appears to have happened in the early evening, when JFK is often bustling
with international flights.
The controller’s 8-year-old daughter was in the tower on Feb. 17 between 4
and 4:30 p.m.
"JetBlue 57 contact New York departure," the girl said. The pilot responded,
saying "JetBlue 57 thank you, good day." The controller then adds, "That's
the next generation of air traffic controller going here."
The FAA offered scant detail on its investigation and wouldn't reveal the
name of the controller or supervisor. Control towers are highly secure
areas, although the agency does sometimes give employees permission to bring
their children for a tour.
The union representing air traffic controllers condemned the worker's
behavior.
"It is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers
set for themselves and exceed each and everyday in the advancement of
aviation safety," the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a
statement.
LiveATC founder Dave Pascoe, a pilot and radio enthusiast, said he was
sickened at the thought that the controller could be disciplined.
I absolutely believe that this is being blown out of proportion," he said.
"This is just a completely controlled situation. A child was being told
exactly what to say."
He added: "I think it's just fantastic that this guy cared enough to take
his kid to work. How many parents take their kids to work these days?"
The episode comes less than seven months after a controller at an airport in
nearby Teterboro, N.J., was placed on leave for his actions in the moments
leading up to a deadly crash between a helicopter and small plane over the
Hudson River. The controller was recorded joking on the phone with his
girlfriend as he dispatched instructions to the doomed plane. He ended the
call when he realized the plane had dropped out of radio contact, just
seconds before the crash.
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