Air traffic control towers across the country closing due to sequestration
- 149 the number of air traffic control towers that the FAA is closing as a result of sequestration. The towers, whose closure could affect air travel, will start shutting down next month. Some airports won’t even have operational towers. “We will work with the airports and the operators to ensure the procedures are in place to maintain the high level of safety at non-towered airports,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. source
Aircraft Tower Communications
Tower: “Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o’clock, 6 miles!”
Delta 351: “Give us another hint! We have digital watches!”
Tower: “TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees.”
TWA 2341: “Centre, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?”
Tower: “Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?”
From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: “I’m f…ing bored!”
Ground Traffic Control: “Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!”
Unknown aircraft: “I said I was f…ing bored, not f…ing stupid!”
O’Hare Approach Control to a 747: “United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o’clock, three miles, Eastbound.”
United 329: “Approach, I’ve always wanted to say this… I’ve got the little Fokker in sight.”
A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked: “What was your last known position?”
Student: “When I was number one for takeoff.”
A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll out after touching down.
San Jose Tower noted: “American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the runway, if you are able. If you are not able, take the Guadeloupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to the airport.”
There’s a story about the military pilot calling for a priority landing because his single-engine jet fighter was running “a bit peaked”. Air Traffic Control told the fighter jock that he was number two, behind a B-52 that had one engine shut down. “Ah,” the fighter pilot remarked, “The dreaded seven-engine approach.”
A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich, overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): “Ground, what is our start clearance time?”
Ground (in English): “If you want an answer you must speak in English.”
Lufthansa (in English): “I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?”
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): “Because you lost the bloody war!”
Tower: “Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on frequency 124.7”
Eastern 702: “Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way, after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of the runway.”
Tower: “Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?”
BR Continental 635: “Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes, we copied Eastern… we’ve already notified our caterers.”
One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee.
Some quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio and said, “What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by yourself?”
The Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back with a real zinger:
“I made it out of DC-8 parts. Another landing like yours and I’ll have enough parts for another one.”The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one’s gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: “Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway.”
Ground: “Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven.” The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: “Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?”
Speedbird 206: “Stand by, Ground, I’m looking up our gate location now.”
Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): “Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?”
Speedbird 206 (coolly): “Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark, and I didn’t land.”
An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming: “US Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it’s difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!”
Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: “God! Now you’ve screwed everything up! It’ll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don’t move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the humbled crew responded.
Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind.
Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high.
Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking: “Wasn’t I married to you once?”
Air Traffic Control
Jets to BrazilAir Traffic Control - Jets To Brazil
“Air traffic control, it’s me,
Coach-class row thirteen,
I’ve got this sinking feeling,
Is everything alright?
Stare at the wing and think,
It’s later than I think,
Look at these passengers,
If there’s babies I’ll survive.
It’s hard to be,
A passenger for me,
You know I’m always looking down.
I will compose this note,
In case i don’t come home,
I’m thinking of you,
Before the plane goes down.
If I forgot to say,
I love you every day,
Know I’ve been keeping track,
In my quiet way,
It’s hard to fly,
If you don’t believe all the time,
I know I sometimes let you down.
It’s hard to see,
Something that’s so close to me,
But I’ll see you in my dreams.
I’m feeling turbulence,
No one else sees,
See you in my dreams,
See you in my dreams…”
Air Traffic Controller Reportedly Made Bed on Control Tower Floor
abcnewsradioonline.com
The Federal Aviation Administration said a controller in Knoxville, Tenn., deliberately went to sleep on the job during a midnight shift on Feb. 19. Sources told ABC News the sleeping controller didn’t simply nod off — he made a bed on the floor of the control tower, using couch pillows from the employee break room and a blanket.
The frightening tale once again played out on recordings of radio transmissions obtained exclusively by ABC News from the website liveatc.net.
“Yes sir, we’re trying to get a hold of Knoxville approach or Knoxville departure … and we cannot raise them,” said one pilot on approach.
“Poppa Charlie stand by,” said another controller at the same airport.
“We got our clearance, but we don’t have any radio contact with them,” the pilot responded.
The second controller in the tower, working on a different floor, fielded calls from pilots who had heard only radio silence.
The controller who was awake handled seven flights alone, including a Delta Connection arriving from LaGuardia and at least four “Lifeguard” flights. “Lifeguard” flights are planes with an urgent medical mission.
The snoozing controller did respond to one radio call but sounded groggy. The recording was unintelligible.
“Tower, Life Guard 1CW, same as the other guy, nobody home,” said one pilot after radio silence.
FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said they are trying to get the sleeping controller fired.
“It was unfortunately willful, and we are in the process of disciplinary proceedings which will terminate this employee,” Babbitt said Wednesday at a congressional hearing.
The revelation of this incident comes on the heels of another sleeping controller last month at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport.
The 9/11 Tapes: The Story in the Air
nytimes.comA selection of audio recordings from the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.), North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) and American Airlines from the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Air Traffic Control chatter on 9/11 is pretty chilling. Sure, we’ve heard reactions from regular people, and we’ve seen the news reports from that day. But this footage is relatively new, and it’s interesting to hear how these people reacted.
The audio clips from United 93 is especially chilling to hear. It actually gave me shivers when I heard the screaming.
