A thick bank of clouds hung low in the sky.
Air traffic controllers call this condition a low ceiling, and for Jenny Tudor, who was a controller — as well as a meteorologist and a certified pilot — her duties in the radar room at Kansas City International Airport were about to get especially complicated.
Tudor, who had been a controller for 29 years, was used to doing many things at once. The low ceiling meant that in addition to directing the planes that were landing and departing at KCI and the region's smaller airports, she also had to read coordinates to pilots who were flying blind, relying on their instruments for their final approaches.
When the weather is clear, controllers can tell a pilot to follow the plane just ahead of it in line for landing. But on a socked-in cloudy day like this one, planes might as well be flying inside a marshmallow. Controllers have to guide them verbally, making sure they maintain three miles of separation between one another as they come in.
Tudor sat in a windowless room, its lights dimmed to enhance the glow of green and white blips on circular radar scopes. The only noise was that of controllers' firm voices on separate radio frequencies, punctuated by the sporadic beeping of alarms when computers warned that two planes' trajectories could cross in the sky.
In addition to her other tasks, Tudor was sharing the final-approach position with another controller, feeding airplanes onto runways from the east as the other controller watched the west. In the past, when visibility was low and traffic was spiking, supervisors would call in someone from the break room to concentrate on planes on final approach.
Tudor glanced around for her supervisor. But they were so short-staffed that the supervisor was busy working two positions at once — and supervisors rarely pull on the headsets.
Everyone else on duty that day was already in the room. There was nobody in the break room.
She was on her own.
he head of the Federal Aviation Administration knew it would be a rough summer for air travelers.
Back in May, Marion Blakey told the Associated Press that a thunderstorm pattern was to blame. Blakey, who had been appointed to lead the FAA by President Bush in 2002, advised travelers to book morning or early-afternoon flights to avoid the summer's late-day storms.
She was right to predict a bad summer — it turned out to be one of the worst travel seasons in recent memory. Nightly news reports told stories of anguished passengers who'd spent hours on sun-scorched tarmacs, prevented from taking off for reasons the airlines never explained. Last month, MSNBC reported that more than 909,000 flights were late through this past June — twice the number of delayed flights for the same period in 2002.
Elizabeth Isham Cory, public-affairs contact for the FAA's Central Region (which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska), says flight delays this summer were caused by a combination of factors.
"A lot of bad weather, both in the Midwest, on the East Coast and in between. Also, I know we've had a lot of bad weather out west. Weather's going to account for a lot of delays."
Cory also cited airline scheduling and an increase in the number of people traveling.
Kevin Peterson laughs when he hears the FAA blaming the weather for traveler's woes.
The FAA's stormy relationship with controllers is a more likely explanation.
Peterson is the head union representative for controllers who work at KCI. His union and the FAA have been at odds since labor negotiations between the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA collapsed in March 2006. A few months later, on September 3, 2006 — Labor Day — the FAA instituted new rules, compiled in what union members call "the white book" because they don't acknowledge it as a contract.
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#19, excellent perspective.
So many high-paying jobs are paper-pushing, shmoozing, nothing "real" at stake jobs.
These people literally have our lives in their hands through their whole work shift, like surgeons.
I know it's hard to find people with good decision-making skills, analysis, judgement calls... people I would trust to do what they do.
They certainly should be highly valued.
And as a culture, we need to wake up to what is really valuable.
#19, excellent perspective. So many high-paying jobs are paper-pushing, shmoozing, nothing "real" at stake jobs. These people literally have our lives in their hands through their whole work shift, like surgeons. I know it's hard to find people with good decision-making skills, analysis, judgement calls... people I would trust to do what they do. They certainly should be highly valued. And as a culture, we need to wake up to what is really valuable.
This was very interesting to read and I'm glad that people have commented. My uncle walked in during the strike and worked for about 20 years at KCI. He was responsible for an "almost" oops and was put on medical leave so he could seek help. Needless to say he had to fight the government tooth and nail to get his benefits. I remember when I was a kid, he showed me a picture of what the flight lines in the sky used to look like (Mickey Mouse) and then when he was "let go" he showed me a completely different photo of a mess of flight lines. It is surprising to me that more accidents have not occurred. To the people who say they make to much money--sit for that many hours in front of a green screen and listen and be attentive. They don't get to surf the net like most of us and read these articles--they are actually working! You can not put a price on flight safety...pilots and controllers should be equal when it comes to pay.
This was very interesting to read and I'm glad that people have commented. My uncle walked in during the strike and worked for about 20 years at KCI. He was responsible for an "almost" oops and was put on medical leave so he could seek help. Needless to say he had to fight the government tooth and nail to get his benefits. I remember when I was a kid, he showed me a picture of what the flight lines in the sky used to look like (Mickey Mouse) and then when he was "let go" he showed me a completely different photo of a mess of flight lines. It is surprising to me that more accidents have not occurred. To the people who say they make to much money--sit for that many hours in front of a green screen and listen and be attentive. They don't get to surf the net like most of us and read these articles--they are actually working! You can not put a price on flight safety...pilots and controllers should be equal when it comes to pay.
This was very interesting to read and I'm glad that people have commented. My uncle walked in during the strike and worked for about 20 years at KCI. He was responsible for an "almost" oops and was put on medical leave so he could seek help. Needless to say he had to fight the government tooth and nail to get his benefits. I remember when I was a kid, he showed me a picture of what the flight lines in the sky used to look like (Mickey Mouse) and then when he was "let go" he showed me a completely different photo of a mess of flight lines. It is surprising to me that more accidents have not occurred. To the people who say they make to much money--sit for that many hours in front of a green screen and listen and be attentive. They don't get to surf the net like most of us and read these articles--they are actually working! You can not put a price on flight safety...pilots and controllers should be equal when it comes to pay.
This was very interesting to read and I'm glad that people have commented. My uncle walked in during the strike and worked for about 20 years at KCI. He was responsible for an "almost" oops and was put on medical leave so he could seek help. Needless to say he had to fight the government tooth and nail to get his benefits. I remember when I was a kid, he showed me a picture of what the flight lines in the sky used to look like (Mickey Mouse) and then when he was "let go" he showed me a completely different photo of a mess of flight lines. It is surprising to me that more accidents have not occurred. To the people who say they make to much money--sit for that many hours in front of a green screen and listen and be attentive. They don't get to surf the net like most of us and read these articles--they are actually working! You can not put a price on flight safety...pilots and controllers should be equal when it comes to pay.
Here is a website to see the wages of ALL govt employees. Straight salary, no overtime, no premium pay, no benefits: http://php.app.com/feds06/sear...
Here is a website to see the wages of ALL govt employees. Straight salary, no overtime, no premium pay, no benefits: http://php.app.com/feds06/search.php
Bill, it is not the Union's fault that the FAA imposed work rules on us. We DO NOT have a new CONTRACT. The rules being used now are ones that the FAA forced on us after negotiations were halted by the FAA. There is a loop hole in the law that allowed the FAA to sent there last best offer to Congress and if Congress did not act within 60 days the FAA could implement. It just so happens the FAA did this act while Congress was in recess so there was no way anything was going to happen within the 60 days.
First let me respond to Paul. Paul I am the NATCA rep at KCI and I can assure you there is not a controller at KCI making 175K. If anyone even comes close to this it is because they are working overtime since the FAA has not properly staffed the facility and we are working 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. The average controller spends about 6-6 1/2 hours a day on position this does not include a 30 minute lunch and a couple of 15 minute breaks. Needless to say there is additional time spent which the FAA does not account for reading rule changes, procedure updates, etc.
Bill, it is not the Union's fault that the FAA imposed work rules on us. We DO NOT have a new CONTRACT. The rules being used now are ones that the FAA forced on us after negotiations were halted by the FAA. There is a loop hole in the law that allowed the FAA to sent there last best offer to Congress and if Congress did not act within 60 days the FAA could implement. It just so happens the FAA did this act while Congress was in recess so there was no way anything was going to happen within the 60 days.
First let me respond to Paul. Paul I am the NATCA rep at KCI and I can assure you there is not a controller at KCI making 175K. If anyone even comes close to this it is because they are working overtime since the FAA has not properly staffed the facility and we are working 6 days a week and 10 hours a day. The average controller spends about 6-6 1/2 hours a day on position this does not include a 30 minute lunch and a couple of 15 minute breaks. Needless to say there is additional time spent which the FAA does not account for reading rule changes, procedure updates, etc.
It sounds like your aggression should be taken out on your union rather than the flying public. Who negotiated the CONTRACT? NATCA? How did that happen? If you are creating situations that are delaying passengers because you are unhappy with your CONTRACT, I would guess that is bordering on criminal action.
It sounds like your aggression should be taken out on your union rather than the flying public. Who negotiated the CONTRACT? NATCA? How did that happen? If you are creating situations that are delaying passengers because you are unhappy with your CONTRACT, I would guess that is bordering on criminal action.
Hi Gary,
Your math is right, but I wanted to correct you in regards to Jenny Tudor: she started with the FAA in flight services (she was a meteorologist) in 1978, not air traffic control. She moved to air traffic control when they were hiring after the strike.
Hi Gary, Your math is right, but I wanted to correct you in regards to Jenny Tudor: she started with the FAA in flight services (she was a meteorologist) in 1978, not air traffic control. She moved to air traffic control when they were hiring after the strike.
Brad and Paul are most likely staff personnel, you know the type. Those that can't...yada yada yada. Nadia, thank you for putting in writing the true heartbreak of working for the Failed Aviation Administration! Three years and chomping at the bit to retire!
Brad and Paul are most likely staff personnel, you know the type. Those that can't...yada yada yada. Nadia, thank you for putting in writing the true heartbreak of working for the Failed Aviation Administration! Three years and chomping at the bit to retire!
Brad and Paul are most likely staff personnel, you know the type. Those that can't...yada yada yada. Nadia, thank you for putting in writing the true heartbreak of working for the Failed Aviation Administration! Three years and chomping at the bit to retire!
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