Air Force II Almost Crashes

Have anyone heard this yet? Here's an article:

news.yahoo.com.../ap/20040827/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_plane_2

I hadn't seen that.

This is what struck me though. (As unfortunately nothing struck Cheney.)

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has been campaigning for the FAA to hire more controllers as a wave of retirements is expected to hit the agency in the next few years.

Aren't these the Reagen scabs about to retire? What's the plan here to handle this huge risk to air safety? More nothing? Perhaps a committee?

The FAA (news - web sites) said such an event ordinarily wouldn't require an investigation, but a report was written and sent to the Air Force because it involved the vice president.

Anytime a plane comes within a mile of another plane, it is considered a near-miss. It's kind of a technicality, as pointed out in the quote above.

Now I'm not normally one for a conspiracy...but what better way to get your point across to the powers that be than to give them a little scare. Send Cheney a little memo - oh, by the way your plane almost got taken out today, can we have more funding.

Here's a Seattle article on the air traffic controller problem:
Aging Air Traffic Controllers

Oh God he's still alive...I mean thank God he's still alive!

Having lived with a couple of guys that were in school to be ATC I've heard a lot about the FAA just being a bureaucratic mess. I've been told there are guys that have been controllers for a while that are scared to fly, and only do so after a stint in the airport bar or under sedation because they know whats really going on up there.

I don't think we'll run out of controllers, I know tons of kids that are sitting on a list, and have been for quite some time, waiting to get hired. There will be no shortage of people going to school for this position. It's virtually assured that you'll be making six figures by the time you retire, and with a big fat government pension to boot. I know that there are guys that have been in the business for a while that are make close to $200, 000 a year. This profession isn't that hard. Taxpayers would be upset if they knew more about it.

What's scariest about this, is that a lot of the people I know that went out for it really aren't that good at it, but got through the course. There's going to be a lot of incompetent people controlling our planes in the future.

Originally posted by PistolPeteI've been told there are guys that have been controllers for a while that are scared to fly, and only do so after a stint in the airport bar or under sedation because they know whats really going on up there.

Commercial flying is one of my least favorite activities, especially these days, but flying under the influence is really bad advice. If anything goes wrong, you really need to have your wits about you. If a plane loses pressure, the impact of alcohol doubles. I have never really understood why they allow people to drink either at airports or in the air--money, I guess.

Originally posted by RANT
Aren't these the Reagen scabs about to retire? What's the plan here to handle this huge risk to air safety? More nothing? Perhaps a committee?

There are actually plans to privatize ATC... which will just make things even worse. YAY United States Government!

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Anytime a plane comes within a mile of another plane, it is considered a near-miss. It's kind of a technicality, as pointed out in the quote above.

What? Where did you hear that? Here's a clue: Planes fly with less space than that between them in the traffic pattern.

Originally posted by PistolPete
This profession isn't that hard.

After that comment, I'm going to have to doubt you knowing any ATCs... Maybe you knew folks in school training for the job, but you definitely don't know any ACTUAL ATCs.

I know quite a few, at several airports around the Detroit area. None of them have EVER said it's anything remotely close to being an easy job.

I know quite a few, at several airports around the Detroit area. None of them have EVER said it's anything remotely close to being an easy job.

Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say it was easy, I said it wasn't 'that hard'. There's a difference. Basically the point I'm making is that if you look at the salary's a lot of these people are making they're inflated above what they should be. I visited a tower at a major eastern airport during the morning international bank. They were busy, but not 100k on my dollar busy. Air Traffic controllers don't just work in towers though. There are tracons and centers, neither of which are as stressful as being in a tower, yet they still make a huge salary. Too big of a salary to be federal employees.

I'm not making things up, I wouldn't bother to make something up about this subject. The guys I lived with have parents and relatives working in the business, and in much higher positions then in facilities around Detroit. They'll talk your ear off if you give them a chance.

As much as I'd like to see it, I don't think the FAA will ever be privatized. Those plans are that, just plans. We have plans to do a lot of things. I can tell you one thing, the equipment they're using in a lot of cases is really outdated. Something needs to be done. The state of the FAA is something really no one is concerned with. They should be, it's pretty bad.

Originally posted by Blackout
Oh God he's still alive...I mean thank God he's still alive!

Yeah, that's what I said

origally posted by cmdrkeenkid
There are actually plans to privatize ATC...

why would this be a bad plan.....donut eating government employees are not somehow magical, just by the nature of government employment.