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How many controllers does it take to land an airplane?

By: hertfordkc (Diary)  |  April 14th, 2011 at 08:40 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

The media is in a frenzy in their reporting of commercial airplanes landing while the airport traffic controllers were asleep.  As is usually the case, they are only reporting the most sensational aspect of the story.

In every case of which I am aware, the controllers were asleep at airports which experience only a few landings per hour during the period when the sleeping occurred.   I have a private pilot’s license and like most private pilots, would feel entirely comfortable flying into any airport where there was fewer than one landing every five minutes, regardless of time of day without an operating airport tower .  I doubt that commercial pilots, i.e. a pilot and a copilot on a commercial flight, would really find that situation uncomfortable, despite their having to mingle with slower flying small planes.

The government, media and FAA are trumpeting that more controllers are needed (to keep each other awake?).  Not really.  Ask the airlines if they are willing to pay for that shift.

Your turn.

Hertfordkc

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  • Mike Ferguson

    The point is not the ability of the pilots, its the fact that for whatever reason you have someone who is responsible for people’s lives who are asleep at the wheel. I am not a pilot, but I do know that not every landing is a “routine” landing and during a non-routine landing the people in the tower is supposed to be there to support the pilot and crew if it is a non-routine landing. Because Murphy is always around.

    Your argument is like saying that I, as a nurse, could be asleep at my desk, just because I am working a low risk unit.

    The media will alway trumpet the most sensational aspect. I have absolutely no problem with the FAA doing its job to discipline these controllers and investigate. Strangely enough it would make the FAA one of the few government agencies that is actually doing its job.

    • http://www.practicalstate.com Bloggy Bayou

      In the navy, we used to “Dog the Watch” and rotate the sked. This way you are not on watch driving the ship only from midnight to four. Problem is it exhausts you. No regular sleep patterns…

      After months at sea, you would catch yourself falling asleep standing up..

      When I went Intel on a carrier, we had three intel officers. The senior guy stood the day watch, the most junior had the 4 to midnight and the second most senior had the watch at miidnight to 8 (he was alone on watch..hence he was incharge of everything while the rest of the intel geeks slept…)

      made life a lot easier than rotating.

    • nivlem

      They covet for each other. Need I say more?

      • nivlem

        I would hate to get that confused….

  • jstjoan

    at Atlanta ARTCC (a large en route radar facility) most of the people who worked midnights on a regular basis did so because it extends the weekend and also because they get night differential premium pay, The ones who don’t want to work mids can usually swap out of them.

    The ATC facilities that operate 24/7 have several crews which each share the same days off, for instance there may be 6 or 8 people on a crew that share Mondays and Tuesdays off. The first day back (Wednesday) they work an evening shift from 4-midnight. Thursday they work 2-10pm. Friday is either10am-6pm or 8am-4pm. then Saturday is 6am to 2pm with a quick turn around to come back at 10pm for the midnight shift on Saturday night. They get off the midnight shift at 6am Sunday morning and don’t have to be back until Wednesday at 4pm. This schedule is still in use at en route centers and most large airports and Tracons.

    I happen to believe that a controller in this scenario would try to steal a catnap on duty so they don’t have to spend the whole day Sunday sleeping because their weekend has already started. And, I believe this practice is likely much more common (up until now) than most might think.

    So, the problem isn’t really a need for an extra Controller on the midnight shift. The problem is that the one controller who does work it and decides to take a nap, either didn’t make an effort to get proper sleep during his quick turn around before the shift, or cares more about his weekend than doing his/her job.