Air traffic controllers lost communication with Newark planes – leading to widespread delays after they took leave for trauma
I'm glad they get such extensive trauma leave. Driving an ambulance with one patient was so stressful that I can't stand driving with a passenger years later. Being responsible for 100+ lives per plane and not being able to see any of your planes has to be an absolutely catastrophic loss of control which would definitely fuck me up.
the outdated air traffic control system used by the airport contributed to the delays, pledging to implement a new system – one that could take three to four years to get working.
Why the hell would it take so long for this to be implemented? It's a major airport, with an urgent safety issue, I don't understand how it could possibly take so long. It's not like they need to invent a new technology.
The United States is incapable of doing anything as it relates to infrastructure.
There are 10 different grifts of contractors required for any given job, they source all their shit from China, and they subcontract the labor out later.
The US has hit a critical mass of public-private "partnership" devolution
Like anything aviation it's something I'd want to be implemented as cautiously as possible, but even then that's like a year for something so critical/nuanced.
Because if it were easy and quick to implement people would ask why it hasn't been already, but if it is too "costly" people won't ask why it's ok to keep this old system around even as it actively endangers lives.
Because that requires money and this country is allergic to spending money
Why do people voluntarily choose air traffic control as a profession? Sure, the compensation is lousy but at least you have the stressful work environment and the fact that you're taken for granted by your employer.
I dated one at one point. She went to school to become a pilot, but flight school is obscenely expensive and you need to fly a lot of hours to qualify as a commercial one. The commercial airlines are extremely exploitative and new pilots end up making about as much as they would from a fast food job. Her choice was between ATC, where she makes as much money as a senior commercial pilot, or being a flight instructor where she's also responsible for a human life but dies if they make a mistake. Flying became her hobby that she could afford with her $130k salary.
I get that compared to the median compensation in the US $130k is a lot, but I just think of how much doctors and surgeons bring in and ATC feels like a similar level of responsibility. Rad that she makes it work, though! I'd have probably chewed my fingernails off in the first week.
People who like planes but either can't/don't want to be a pilot I guess?
ATC is paid very well. It's a stressful job, but you get paid well and have mandatory retirement at 55. So if you can make it work for you, it's a sweet gig.
When they say "radar" here, do they really mean just radar. or are they talking about ADS-B?