feathers
March 27th, 2004, 09:50 AM
A question to the general peanut gallery that has been on my mind for a number of months. Are you allowed (or even permitted?) to control aircraft that involve relatives or loved ones on board?
Example, if I got a job at a small local tower and (God willing) my spouse flew out of the same airport, would I be allowed to be her controller? Would it be a smart idea (regardless of what the laws say)?
Similarly, say someday in the future I managed to claw my way up to a TRACON position. If I knew that UAL2128 was coming through my airspace and that my parents were on that flight, would it be smart to work the sector when that flight passed through? Would the supervisor make sure I was somewhere else?
I would think in the latter case that no matter how much training you had or how professional you were, you couldn't help but give some kind of extra attention to the flight with your family on board. Possibly at the expense of watching other aircraft in the sector (a Bad Thing).
In the former case, suffice to say God forbid something go wrong and your spouse wrecks the aircraft after you cleared them to take off or land or even taxi. Granted, the guilt after being involved in an accident with people you didn't know would be bad, but with someone so close to you, I think it would destroy your life.
Or are these all issues we (as controllers) just have to deal with? I was told by a friend who has many years in S&R that the FAA has some of the best counsellors and therapists available for controllers in post-crash situations...
Happy note to start off a Saturday morning, isn't it?
James
Example, if I got a job at a small local tower and (God willing) my spouse flew out of the same airport, would I be allowed to be her controller? Would it be a smart idea (regardless of what the laws say)?
Similarly, say someday in the future I managed to claw my way up to a TRACON position. If I knew that UAL2128 was coming through my airspace and that my parents were on that flight, would it be smart to work the sector when that flight passed through? Would the supervisor make sure I was somewhere else?
I would think in the latter case that no matter how much training you had or how professional you were, you couldn't help but give some kind of extra attention to the flight with your family on board. Possibly at the expense of watching other aircraft in the sector (a Bad Thing).
In the former case, suffice to say God forbid something go wrong and your spouse wrecks the aircraft after you cleared them to take off or land or even taxi. Granted, the guilt after being involved in an accident with people you didn't know would be bad, but with someone so close to you, I think it would destroy your life.
Or are these all issues we (as controllers) just have to deal with? I was told by a friend who has many years in S&R that the FAA has some of the best counsellors and therapists available for controllers in post-crash situations...
Happy note to start off a Saturday morning, isn't it?
James