An air traffic controller thought letting a child direct planes at John F. Kennedy Airport was such a good idea last month that he did it again the next day.
The Post has learned that on Feb. 17 a child was allowed to talk to two planes from the control tower. The kid on the second day is believed to be the child of the air-traffic controller.
On Feb. 16, a different child directed pilots, according to audio clips.
AUDIO: HEAR THE SECOND RECORDING
Today, a tower controller and his supervisor were suspended. Their names weren’t released.
“This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees,” the FAA said in a statement. The agency declined to comment beyond the statement.
In the Feb. 16 incident, the child was allowed to radio departing airplanes around 7 p.m., according to the time stamp of a recording of the incident on the Web site LiveATC.net.
The recordings from mid-February — during a weeklong winter break for many New York schoolchildren — were posted last month on the Web site for air traffic control-listening aficionados.
The child can be heard on the tape making five transmissions to pilots preparing for takeoff.
In one exchange, the child can be heard saying, “JetBlue 171 contact departure.” The pilot responds: “Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job.”
The child appears to be under an adult’s supervision, because a male voice then comes on and says with a laugh, “That’s what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.”
In another exchange, the youngster clears another plane for takeoff, and says, “Adios, amigo.” The pilot responds in kind.
The FAA said the control tower is a highly secure area for air traffic controllers, supervisory staff and airport employees with a need to be there. FAA spokesman Jim Peters said children of the tower’s employees are allowed to visit but would need to get approval from the FAA first.
The union representing air traffic controllers condemned the workers’ behavior.
“It is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and everyday in the advancement of aviation safety,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement.
–With The Associated Press, Bill Sanderson and Larry Celona