Jet Blue and the Boy Air Traffic Controller

Right now there is a huge controversy brewing at Jet Blue. A father who works as an air traffic controller took his young son to work with him. From what we can hear from the tapes, he allowed his son to "take over" for a few minutes and talk to some pilots as they were cleared for takeoff. Ok, it was not the brightest move on the planet, but from what we can hear, the pilots didn't sound upset, no one was injured, and I doubt that the child was actually looking at the radar and making these decisions on his own.

I am pretty darn sure his father was right there; ready to take over the second anything might happen out of the ordinary. He was probably whispering in his son's ear, the exact words to say. The child was not acting as the air traffic controller. He was simply repeating what his father was telling him to say.

The reports, so far, do not say how long he was allowed to "play" air traffic controller, but I highly doubt it was for very long. I do not, for a minute, think anyone's lives were put in danger because of this. While not a good idea and it should not happen again, by any means, the big hoopla being made about it seems unwarranted. Even if I were on that flight, and had the headphones on, listening to the exchange from the tower to the pilots, I don't think it would have upset me. I have total trust in the pilots who fly those huge things, or I would never be on one in the first place, and if they had no problem with it, then why should I? I also have to trust the air traffic controllers to get us safely into the air without crashing into another aircraft, and I am pretty sure that father was watching that screen very closely as his son was uttering those words.

Should he be disciplined? In my opinion, no. It just shouldn't happen again. There are places where it is appropriate to bring your child to work with you and places it is not. There is a difference in bringing your child to work, and letting him actually say a few sentences to departing aircraft. I highly doubt the father was off somewhere else while his son was saying what was said. I am pretty sure he was in control of the situation at all times.

But, now it has made the news, and people are in an uproar about it. In all likelihood, the father will lose his job over this. No one was hurt. There were no reported near hits or misses, however you want to put it. No lives were in danger. But, someone has to pay now, and it will be he and his family. Poor judgment? Yes. But to be fired for it? I just don't know.