Letting a child direct air traffic:
I’ve been surprised at the number of comments I’ve seen that suggest this isn’t a big deal. Oh, just another tempest in a teapot, mountain out of a molehill, etc. Um, not to this flyer. What it shows is a flagrant disregard for the seriousness of the job. Sure, the father was right there, and if the kid had said something wrong it would’ve been immediately corrected. And no, the pilots didn’t mind. But, air traffic control isn’t something to screw around with, regardless. Was this “cute”, too?
Aeroflot Flight 593, was a “Russian Airlines”[1] Airbus A310 passenger airliner, registration F-OGQS, operating on behalf of Aeroflot, which crashed into a hillside in Kemerovo Oblast on 23 March 1994. All 75 passengers and crew were killed.
Voice and flight data recorders revealed that the pilot’s 15-year-old son Eldar Kudrinsky, while seated at the controls, had unknowingly disabled the A310’s autopilot’s control of the ailerons, which put the aircraft into a steep bank, and then an uncontrolled dive. The pilots were not aware of the partial disconnection of the autopilot, which occurred with no audible alarm, and did not regain control of the aircraft.
#1 by cargosquid on March 3rd, 2010
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Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye……
…..or an airplane…..
#2 by Christa on March 5th, 2010
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While it sounded all cute and the pilots thought it amusing, I think it was REALLY bad judgement on the part of the father. Yes, he was right there and I think it’s great he had his kids with him at work, but this was not a radio show….it was air traffic CONTROL. I found it a little bit scary. Am I being a prude???
#3 by Anon on March 5th, 2010
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Um no, you’re not being a prude. Common sense should dictate that a child has no business on the radio directing air traffic, period. I know if I’m on that plane and I find out they decided to play games about it, I’d be a little upset.