Posted on 05/16/2025 5:24:18 AM PDT by Red Badger
MALVERN, Pa.—Jonathan Stewart was into his fourth hour overseeing the planes flying near Newark, N.J., when he noticed two aircraft speeding nose-to-nose on his radar scope.
A business jet that had departed the Morristown airport was heading toward another small plane that had taken off from nearby Teterboro, a hub for corporate flying. A midair collision was potentially seconds away with planes flying at the same altitude.
The veteran air-traffic controller had been scribbling callsigns for the planes and flight information in a notebook, worried that radar and radio communication might fail as they had days earlier. After recognizing the unfolding conflict, he instructed the pilots to turn the planes away from each other, which they did.
But Stewart, 45 years old, was badly shaken. Hours after the May 4 incident, he fired off an email to Federal Aviation Administration managers, criticizing their leadership. “I take my job very seriously, as I do the safety of the flying public, and take pride in my performance,” he wrote.
For years, the FAA has struggled to fully staff air-traffic facilities and keep critical technology running. Frustrated with the current work situation and his own close call, Stewart took stress-related trauma leave, a benefit available for controllers.
“I don’t want to be responsible for killing 400 people,” he said in an interview.
Controllers rarely speak to the media publicly, especially without the supervision of public-affairs officials. Stewart said he wanted to set the record straight about controllers who he said had been demonized in news coverage.
Jonathan Stewart said the controllers who manage Newark airspace need more resources to effectively do their jobs.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Can’t read the entire article without installing an app some of us don’t want. Any discussion of DEI?
No, but antiquated equipment and lack of staffing.................
The technology is closer on self-driving vehicles. It would be wonderful to see it in action, particularly for people who can't drive or even shouldn't drive. When we get there, and not before, we can start thinking about AI for the far more complex air traffic control.
Too much flyin’ goin’ on.
See #18.............
If he has to commute to Newark, it’s not enough.
It would give new meaning to “the blue screen of death”
Do you have any idea how much money we are spending to maintain these antiquated systems?
Do you know where all of that money goes?
Do you know to what lengths the recipients of that money will go to keep receiving it?
Our government hates us.
They can’t find people because Obama changed the rules on hiring.
Duffy has been saying the air traffic issues were totally ignored during four years of democrats.
Where was this guy back then?
“... would be perfect for an AI. It can track and cover thousands of aircraft ever second and not lose any of them.”
I think the problem that the collision avoidance “brain” doesn’t always know the location and direction of all of the planes. It’s a data gathering problem.
A reliable system cannot require that all planes have equipment that broadcasts their location. But planes need a radio receiver so it could receive avoidance directions.
Totally reliable collision avoidance would require multiple ways of locating planes and talking to them. I suppose these sorts of things can’t ever be totally reliable.
There was a movie years ago “Pushing Tin” with Billy Bob Thornton and that whack job Lloyd Dobler/John Cusack. It was a decent movie, and while obviously a movie, did at least touch on the mental fatigue and stress involved in air traffic controllers.
At least, that’s what I remember of it, only saw it the once.
I just watched Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman.” He is an amazing actor.
Might make watching “Pushing Tin” worthwhile. I’d never heard of it.
But... but... DEI threw out all the wite ATC’s. Because equity.
AI isn’t where its cheerleaders say it is. It may well be the future, but it isn’t the present.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120797/
A feud develops between two air traffic controllers: one cocky and determined while the other is restrained and laidback, which inevitably affects their lives.
John Cusack
Nick Falzone
Billy Bob Thornton
Russell Bell
Cate Blanchett
Connie Falzone
Angelina Jolie
Mary Bell
Thanks. Wow, he was a youngster! (weren’t we all?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eijEPsSdqg8
“self-driving vehicles. It would be wonderful to see it in action,”
I agree. When/if the safety stats match, or are better than, current stats, I’ll be on board (so to speak). Every year on my birthday I realize that I’m closer to the time when it won’t be good for me to be behind the wheel.
It would be great for shopping, church, appointments, and other relatively local trips.
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