LA Daily News: Air traffic dicey, union says

[question everything]

Air traffic dicey, union says

FAA denies claim that controllers spread too thin
By Charles F. Bostwick, Staff Writer
LA Daily News

8/17/05

PALMDALE - Overworked air traffic controllers unwittingly let jetliners flying to and from Los Angeles International Airport get unacceptably close to other planes twice in the past four days, the controllers' union said Tuesday.

In stormy weather last Friday afternoon, a jet flying from Salt Lake City to LAX came within a mile of a plane bound from Palm Springs to Livermore, Calif., the union said. On Sunday night, a jet flying from LAX to Denver came within three miles of a Burbank-bound Learjet as planes were routed around powerful thunderstorms.

"There's only so much you can do at any given time. When you're overloaded, sometimes even we make mistakes. There's no room for these mistakes when one mistake could cost thousands of lives," said Hamid Ghaffari, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association representative at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center in Palmdale.

(snip)

Charles F. Bostwick, [phone] [e-mail]

http://www2.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_2947259

[gman16]

1. It's Union/FAA positioning

they are doing that in the NY area as well. Stories of "near misses" and the FAA claiming their is no problem. I would like to take bets as to which one will actually allow an accident to happen to prove their case.

[crikkett]

2. Hush your mouth.

Air traffic controllers have a very difficult job and the responsibility of it is crushing. I can't imagine anyone 'allowing' an accident to happen to prove a point. So your 'taking bets' comment isn't funny.

I thought life was hard when I tried to be a barmaid - my worst nightmare shifts (and worst nightmares about the shifts) were nothing compared to what these people go through. Talk about having 100s of things up in the air...

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Well stated!!!

My brother is an air traffic controller at a huge international airport and he is always called in for extra shifts. They even called and asked him to come in on the day of his WEDDING! They are a special breed of people, very laid-back and calm under the worst conditions! So, thanks for your response!!! :toast:

[hootinholler]

3. A good site to get a feel for what they do

Is this one.

-Hoot

[question everything]

4. Scary! Thank you for the link

of course, it was Reagan who first fired all the controllers and I guess Bush likes to follow in the footsteps of his hero