Air Traffic Controllers

[moreluck]

Your solution means:

No more UPS or FedEx overnight services. Far fewer internationlal PAX flights.

No shift differentials..real smart.

Planes don't use diesel fuel. They use Jet-A.

John Wayne (SNA) already has noise-abatement procedures.

Airlines routinely cancel flights that aren't full enough unless the aircraft is required somewhere for repositioning.

If you ran SWA, they'd be bankrupt by now.

It's obvious you don't know what you're talking about, which is typical.

Actually,I already did say that JWA has noise abatement procedures......that's why no flights after 10 or 11 (I forget which) Don't want to wake all those yacht owners in Newport Beach.

No more overnight service.....So? We all slow down a bit. If nobody has overnight service, then no competition. We have Fax for immediate signatures AND they are legal 'til the real papers arrive.

My plan is a good plan and no more traffic controllers falling asleep on the job.

 

[klein]

Actually,I already did say that JWA has noise abatement procedures......that's why no flights after 10 or 11 (I forget which) Don't want to wake all those yacht owners in Newport Beach.

No more overnight service.....So? We all slow down a bit. If nobody has overnight service, then no competition. We have Fax for immediate signatures AND they are legal 'til the real papers arrive.

My plan is a good plan and no more traffic controllers falling asleep on the job.

Just one question, where do you want all these planes in an already overcrowded US airspace to fly within day and evening times , only ?
Build sky parking spaces for them, too, since they couldn't land that many per minute ?

 

[trplnkl]

Do any of you think that this is something that has only been happening recently or has it been going on for some time but has only recently been brought to our attention?

I'm sure it has been going on for a long time, but not in the amount of incidents we have had lately.

That's part of the problem. The press is all over it, now.
Like this Maimi incident. Who really cares if someone dozes off for a few minutes in a work group of 12 people ?
So, they gave him a quick wake up shake, and normally that would have been it !

I don't know about you guys, but if I would have been the one, giving him/hre the wake-up shake, I would have kept it secret, and nobody would have ever known.
I don't rat on my co-workers !

And leaking it out to the press, is even worse !

(where are those flying porn monkees when you need them - to keep someone awake) ?

The problem isn't as critical in a 12 person operation as it is in a one person gig. At least there was someone available to wake them up. I don't know the break down on the specifics of each incident, but do know that at least two were one man operations. Don't blame the co-workers for leaking it to the press, this kind of thing has to be reported to "management" which goes into the reports, which is monitored by the press. When this happens in a one man op, there are hundreds of lives in danger, it is a big deal. I'm sure you would agree if you were in that plane.

A long-term problem that's finally getting some overdue attention. Pilots, truckers, and railroad employees also have severe fatigue issues. Let's say you're a railroad engineer. You start at 12pm and work your 12 hours maximum until 12am. At 0600, they can call you back to work, and you must report within 2 hours of being called. This goes on 24/7/365.

A lot of pilots have to fly the back of the clock, and commuter pilots really get abused. They are supposed to get 8 hrs off, but after post-flight paperwork, the trip to the hotel, they're lucky to get 4 to 5 hrs of sleep. Try sleeping in a hotel room with all of the noise surrounding an airport, or try sleeping days after being up all night can really destroy your ability to fly and adversely affect decision-making.

Truckers are often forced to fake logbook entries and drive well over their 10 hours to make tight schedules or deal with bad weather. We've all heard of drivers who take uppers so they can drive for 2 or 3 days straight without sleep. I drove nights for many years between 2 FedEx hubs, and there were many times where I'd just have to pull over for a few minutes a take a catnap or get out of the cab for some coffee. Most UPS Feeder Drivers work brutal overnight hours too. Ever try sleeping on a Saturday morning after getting home at 7am? Kids, lawnmowers, and everyday noise make it very hard to get proper rest. Nobody understands until they've done it themselves.

The decision to grant ATC employees a rest break is a good solution to a real problem.

I agree 99%, I'm not too sure the rest break is enough of a solution. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it isn't a dang good start, just that it isn't a complete solution. IMO, the FAA needs to take some serious looks at the times of service as opposed to the time off the job. As it was until a day or two ago a controller could work 8 hrs be off 8 hrs and then return for another 8 hr shift. That is no where near enough time off the job. Instead of having a nap time, they should add a few more hours to the "off the job" time. Work 8 hr shift, minimum of 12 hours off before returning to work. Most people require 8 hours of sleep to keep the body and mind in good working order. When someone is only off the job for 8 hrs, we're looking at less than 5-6 hours sleep max. Also, IMO, they need to do away with rotating shifts, it's hard for ones body to adapt to vastly changing sleep times. When the changes happen every week of two, the body and mind are just beginning to adapt to the new sleep patterns when it's time to change again. Sure, there are some people that can do this without a lot of problems, but they are few and far between.

Because we think that someone who fails to perform their job should be fired? Oh sure, we're heartless bastards.

Dumb liberals

If a person continually fails to preform their job, by all means get rid of them. There's more to this than someone not doing their job, it's a system that leads to this kind of failure.

 

[moreluck]

Now, they're awake, just watching movies with Samuel L.........

 

[moreluck]

 

[moreluck]