Posted on 04/14/2011 3:45:12 PM PDT by macquire
I guess that means each of them will get a FOUR HOUR nap instead of just the one guy getting cat naps. Seriously, we doubled the expense and now for sure one will be asleep half the shift...instead of firing the guys that broke the rules.
Typical government decision.
Jobs!
Distribute meth to ‘em.
I guess a dead man switch in the tower would have been too complicated.
Democrats, fake up all this crap, now we can add more democrats voters to the number of government employees. Every little airport in the country just doubled its over head.
A loud horn sounds if a reset switch isn’t flipped every 3 minutes or when a light comes on at random. I think trains use something like that for operators. Much cheaper system than more personnel. Or connect the horn to the radio as the lights at many airports are and have the pilot sound the horn by keying his radio if the tower radio hasn’t been keyed in 2 minutes.
The ATC Union probably did this intentionally.
Lmao.... I like the way you think.
I worked one mid shift per week for 35 years. I left Chicago Center in '82, no sleeping there, but I imagine that has changed as the union got stronger.
Spent 22 years in JAX, was always senior guy on my mids & never allowed sleeping, even though all other areas did. But it did allow guys who thought like me to bid as my mid-partner, it was not a popular bid-line with the union guys.
Much less expensive solution.
One can sleep half the time..
I think they need at least 3. One to do air traffic control. A second to make sure the first one stays awake. A third to make sure the second one stays awake. Hell, it’s a jobs program. We could employ all of America in the control towers!
Just have them wear those behind-the-ear nod-off devices drivers wear that beep or shriek when your head tilts forward.
Having one person in charge is irresponsible.
I actually LIKE that idea!
Right or wrong having two people in the tower does not bother me. I travel by air quite a lot and hearing all these mistakes due to complete laziness is a bit concerning.
This is all based on the theory that one will stay awake though.
I am all for hooking them up with “Pulse Monitors” to measure their pulse. Slows down when relaxed or sleeping. Sound an air-horn.
Or meth.
I don’t think so. Little airports or Municipal airports “typically” only have controllers during daylight hours (for the most part). After dusk, it’s the pilots job to see who is lined up to land. They key the mike twice to turn on the runway lights.
I worry about JFK, Newark, STL, etc.... These are the big ones that have been having the problem which is inexcusable. That and the fact that airliners have become so automated that you occasionally have a pilot that falls asleep at the “wheel”.
The Law of Unintended Consequences kicks in at 3-2-1....
So up until now smaller regional airports like Reno could afford to have a single ATC on at night. Big centers like LAX and DFW already have multiple on all shifts. So when the towers are REQUIRED to have 2 or more, how long until smaller airports just shot down altogether at night?
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