Apparently the “bring your son to work” day at the JFK air traffic control tower was taken a bit too literally a few days ago.  While his son was on winter vacation, a father who works in one of the world’s busiest air traffic control centers, thought it would be entertaining to not only bring his son to work, but to encourage him to communicate directions.  “Jet Blue 171, clear for takeoff,” the young boy said, according to one of the audio recordings from LiveATC.net.  It’s a rather scary thought for anyone who regularly flies into or out of the airport.  Even if the child was being coached by his father, it only takes a minor slip to create a disaster.  As I learned of the report, I was expecting to hear “What’s your vector, Victor?” or “Roger, Roger”.

According to ABC News, “The FAA, which hasn’t released the names of the controllers involved, is not treating this as a joke. It is investigating the controller, as well as a supervising controller. Both have been relieved of their duties, the FAA said.”

In another exchange to a plane bound for Mexico, the child says “Adios, amigo.”

What’s your opinion… is this just innocent child’s play or something more serious?  Is social media magnifying the impact of this event?  Should Geico use this for their next ad?

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