Jalopnik:
“It’s not my first day in New York. It’s not my first day in an aircraft. I did what I had to do. GOOD DAY.” So concluded a tiff between an Aer Lingus pilot caught in a jam and the New York City air traffic controller scolding him for said jam. It’s pretty hilarious.
There’s a lot of pilot-speak in this one, so if you haven’t watched it yet, I’ll help set it up a bit.
I don’t know if I’d call it an argument or hilarious but it is an at times testy exchange between the two and a little insight as to what all involved have to deal with in order to get us safely through the air.
I can’t imagine the stress either of those two were under. Especially considering that the video didn’t show all the other birds that were in that airspace, at that moment.
I can’t imagine the stress either of those two were under. Especially considering that the video didn’t show all the other birds that were in that airspace, at that moment.
Both pilot and controller were kind of dicks to each other. The conversation should have more professionally gone something like “Shamrock 104 Heavy, turn right” “New York, unable, weather” “Shamrock 104 Heavy, I can’t have you flying south into controlled airspace, enter a hold please” and then when there was a lull in traffic turning left on departure, they could have been moved out of the hold. Instead you get this pissing match between a pilot who wants to balance safety with expediency and a controller who wants to balance safety and his workload.
I’d love to have overheard the call between the FAA and Aer Lingus though … “your pilot was a dick!” “well your controller was a c…!”
To be fair, there’s a lot going on simultaneously that we didn’t see or hear during that exchange. I know someone who did ATC for a bunch of years, and finally quit to do something else because the pressure was so enormous.
I wouldn’t feel qualified to second-guess either him or a pilot for what sounded like a difficult day for both. I can well understand either losing patience under conditions that require constant, heightened alert.
The thing is that pilots and controllers alike go through extensive training so that “losing patience” should never, ever be a factor. It’s disappointing to hear either side lose the rag, moreso when it’s both at the same time.
Fair enough. Wouldn’t it be funny if the NY ATC guy was of Irish descent?