There are days, and then there are DAZE…

Posted on by March 16, 2014

And it was one of THOSE daze for JFK ground…

You have to remember they don’t have numbers painted on the airplanes, it’s all strips of paper and binoculars to figure out who’s who in the zoo…

And this was truly a zoo!!! One HOUR to get from the gate to number 1 for takeoff!!!

Feeling better about flying now??? 🙂

Comments

There are days, and then there are DAZE… — 18 Comments

  1. It’s amazing that it all (the whole ground and air traffic control systems) work nation – and worldwide.

    • JEEZ !! Long ago I operated a KC-135 Flight Simulator for a couple of years. I made all the radio calls..Tower..Departure Control..Approach Control..GCA..plus a myriad of other things. It was a piece of cake compared to what I just saw & heard.

  2. I haven’t been through JFK in years, and have no desire to begin again. That video only reinforces the intent to saturate that place with my absence. 🙂

  4. That’s pretty scary stuff, although one of my good friends out here in Arizona is a retired air traffic controller and has no end of the stories.

  7. I still have tears in my eyes from laughing. If you EVER have the opportunity over a holiday weekend, please see if you can copy Channel Island Coast Guard VHF in the clear.

    Thank you so very much!

  8. Some years ago someone who I knew had the attention span of a gnat started talking about getting a job with air traffic control. Fortunately for the potential plane accident victims she dropped the idea.

  10. LL- That it is…

    Woody- LOL, you had it easy!!!

    Rev- Good idea!

    BP- 🙂

    Euripides- Yep, tip of the iceberg… You should hear Center when weather moves in and you mix in/out to NYC plus all the north/south traffic! I’ve been bumped 200nm out to sea trying to clear NY in bad weather.

    SoCal- It’d work just about as well… 🙂

    Pissed- Thanks!

    Trisha- I can imagine, I’ve heard it or similar on the St. Johns channel in Jax when the big boys are moving on a weekend… it’s a CLUSTER!!!

    PH- Glad too! 🙂

    WSF- It’s NOT easy!!!

  11. Heh…

    Reminded me of an incident at ORD some years back.

    Sitting in cattle class on a United Boeing headed for the East coast and then on to Olde Blighty and listening to the chatter on the (then still free) headset.

    We we’re two or three back for the runway when I heard the tower give a Delta bird clearance to turn onto the runway and depart. Delta acknowledged and as soon as she let go of the mic I heard the tower screaming to abort and hold short.

    Seems somewhere along the line somebody had dropped the slip of paper for the TWA 747 the touched down a second later.

    Tower again cleared Delta.

    Delta asked if the tower was sure.

    Yes, Delta, cleared for runway XX.

    Are you reeeeeeally sure.

    New voice came on the channel and cleared Delta for departure and promised he was really really sure.

    Next plane and then ours also felt the need to ask the tower if they were really sure.

    Would have been funny if I hadn’t been a second away from watching surprise buttsex between Boeings.

    BGM

    • I instantly thought of ORD when listening to the “radio traffic”. With all the taxi’ing required up there I can just imagine how much effort it take to keep everything moving. No question that airport is operated by liberals.

  12. Back when I use to fly (pre-TSA days) I enjoyed listening to the ATC channel. Certain (Lufthansa) pilots usually had to be told twice before they’d change routes. THEY weren’t afraid of a little rain.

  14. BGM- Yep, stuff DOES happen…

    Stretch- Yep, and we used to get block altitudes to get through weather… sigh

    Dammit- Sorry… 😀