Comments on: Asleep at the switch?

By: Stephen Arostegui

Stephen Arostegui — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:26:13 +0000

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By: IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society

IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 05:42:51 +0000

All together now, Dems:
=======================================
This is all REAGAN’S FAULT!!!
=======================================

😀

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:10:58 +0000

Got to save money for somebody’s money laundering union scheme I suppose. All kinds of little deals going on.

By: Capn Rusty

Capn Rusty — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:53:58 +0000

I’m with Geran on this one. There’s virtually no traffic into DCA after ten. Regional air traffic control handled the situation, the planes landed, there was no mishap. Pilots know what to do.

Oh sure, the guy who fell asleep should be reprimanded, but there’s really no need to hire another guy to sit there all night and do nothing but keep the first guy awake! Sounds like most gov’t jobs!

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:54:38 +0000

Can you hear me, Major Tom?

By: geran

geran — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:47:49 +0000

Call this the “cheap shot” post.

(Not usually of Neo’s level, must be a “stand-in”)

Art-t-f, Holmes, Roman, et al, you all fell for it. An unattended control tower is planned for in-flight training. The landing pilot announces his procedure, (indicated by numerous electronic aids), then lands. It’s all “by the books”.

And, Libby, ATC (Air Traffic Control) had nothing to do with handling your baggage.

If the controller on duty was MIA, she/he (notice the PC) will be promptly dismissed. The “union” will not be able to save her.

By: Parker

Parker — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 23:57:28 +0000

Asleep only 50% of the time is good enough for government work. Stop complaining and step before the scanners. If we tell you to drop trou. drop trou and stop whining. Accept you lot in life and shut up.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:29:00 +0000

It’s not mentioned in the NY Times article, but due to noise restrictions, there are very few flights in or out of Reagan National Airport (DCA) between 10 PM and 7 AM. DCA is the smallest of the three DC metropolitan airports, but it is very close and convenient to Washington DC/Virginia fliers.

Though it would seem to me that 2 would be a good minimum so potty breaks wouldn’t leave ATC uncovered.

By: Oldflyer

Oldflyer — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:19:51 +0000

The practice of one person in the tower after curfew has been in effect for some time. I forget when it was first implemented–as a cost-savings measure.

Believe it or not, airlines have approved procedures for landing after airport towers shut down for the night. That does occur at smaller airports. It used to be the case, for instance, at Sarasota, Fl, when our late night flight arrived.

I am not sure that those procedures are applicable when the tower is open, but the controller is asleep; because under the procedure the airline has to have trained people to take certain meteorological readings and relay them to the aircrew. The airline is also responsible for notifying ATC’s flight-following facilities when the airplane is safely on the ground–or not. Could be trouble for the airlines at DCA; but, not likely since in this case the FAA is already terribly embarrassed and just wants the story to go away.

By: Libby

Libby — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:35:28 +0000

I loved using this airport when I lived in Arlington, VA, but based on my experience with late-arriving flights into Reagan National, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone there is often asleep. More than once it took close to an hour after landing for the baggage to appear.