ATC: please pass the popcorn

Anyone reading the news the last couple of weeks knows that a handful of air traffic controllers have been either fired or suspended for fallling asleep on the job. It’s hard to be surprised considering most of of these people are overworked, highly stressed and close to retirement age.

But one controller and his manager have been suspended for watching a DVD movie while directing air traffic.

It happened last Sunday night after midnight at the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center. This center controls high altitude air traffic between the northeast  and the western part of the U.S. 

The FAA said “The incident came to light because pilots could hear the movie over the radio. For a little more than three minutes, the controller’s microphone was inadvertently activated, transmitting the soundtrack of the movie over the radio frequency for that airspace.”

No word on what they were watching but my guess was “Airplane II.” At least they could say it was work related.

(Frank II)