A British airliner was among four deliberately diverted into a potentially dangerous thunderstorm area to test the skills of a trainee US air traffic controller, it was claimed. The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 and three others were rerouted at the direction of a supervisor at a control centre in Jacksonville, Florida, the controllers’ union said. Dave Cook of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the diversion increased the risk to the passengers and crews.
“In my 20 years as an air traffic controller, we had never done anything like what they just did,” he said. Mr Cook said the four planes – a Delta Boeing 757, the Virgin jumbo and two Southwest airlines Boeing 737s – were en route to Orlando International Airport in Florida last when they were moved on the orders of an air traffic control supervisor who wanted to test the trainee.
The planes were directed at least 60 to 70 miles out of their way into an area of airspace known as the “Alma sector,” where there were storms, Mr Cook said. The pilots would have had to “zigzag” to avoid the storms, adding extra miles to their trip, he said. The Federal Aviation Authority which is investigating the incident denied thunderstorms were in the area and said the flights were directed only 33 to 50 miles out of their way. “There was no compromise of safety by the rerouting,” an FAA spokeswoman said. Trainee controllers “must train on simulators, but they must receive on-the-job training under the supervision of another fully certified controller and a supervisor before they can check out,” she said.
I’m all for on the job training but this is nuts!
Reminds me of the Gimli Goose an Air Canada Airbus plane that had to land at the Gimli Manitoba airport as it had to run out of fuel and glided 200 km out of fuel to land in Gimli
Me thinks some of your public “servants” need a little alone time in a jail cell. Who do these frakkers think they are?
With all of the airlines adding costs to the passengers, like checking bags, I am wondering if the airlines have tried to bill the government for the extra fuel it took for this training.
Q: What is the difference between a simulator and the real thing?
A: Doing this via a simulator would risk no one harm.
Those who approved this “exercise” and those who did nothing to stop it (that goes right to the top, if I am being at all unclear) should be looking for work today.
Passengers pay to fly and are treated like criminals. Now their lives are seen as less valuable than the experience gained by the air traffic controller even though that experience can be gained in ways that do not threaten lives? Where was the fair warning? The passengers bought tickets on a legitimate commercial airline. Not the barber college equivilent of an airline.
this situation is bad but WOW that’s a cool picture!!!1!
#1 Actually it was a Boeing 767 that went on to fly for another 20 years.
So the FAA is run by nut cases. What are you going to do about it?
What’s the difference between a sim and real life??
The reset button. Tough to reset real life after you just killed 300 people.
McCullough, What is the source on the HDR photo you used in this story? I would like to see more.
What danger were they in? These planes could easily handle a t-storm, were they out of fuel?
That IS a cool picture. It looks like an HDR (High Dynamic Range) processed image. Nice
#9. Google, that’s it…..I dont remember the search words.
#12- You magnificent bastard u.
[I wouldn’t remember either.]
#10 Erik Blazynski said, “What danger were they in? These planes could easily handle a t-storm,”
Are you serious or just ignorant?
Well what do expect when you have to give up drinking and can’t take them to the lounge?
Why is it that we always assume that the union guy is telling it straight and the guys who are paid to ensure our safety are lying through their teeth? Don’t you think Mr. Cook might just have an axe to grind? Has anyone checked to see what the weather really was? Can we assume that the article’s author was unbiased? Is there an advantage to writing in a controversial style over one which dispassionately examines and reports the evidence? Until I see some real damning evidence, I’m reserving my opinion.
Q: Were the airlines given a chance to opt out of this?
Q: Were the airlines compensated for the extra fuel?
Q: Were the airlines compensated for additional time?
Q: Were passengers given a chance to opt out?
Q: Were passengers compensated for their time?
A: No.
I put this incident right up there with the military training exercises in NJ that resulted in a school being shot up, and the other one that started the massive forest fire in the Pine Barrens.
We are human beings…flesh & blood and have real lives. We are not characters in a Sims game and should not be treated by our government, as if we were.
I would like to see the next training exercise they decide to do like this, done with a plane full of high ranking government officials.