Children love airplanes! It probably seemed like a perfectly good idea to an air traffic controller at Kennedy International Airport to bring his children to work last month — heck, this country has a whole day set aside for that sort of thing.
But one idea led to another — “Dad, can I help the nice planes take off?” — and a young boy was heard clearing three jets for departure on Feb. 16. The child spoke to five pilots in all, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The next day, officials said, the same employee let his daughter speak to two pilots over the air traffic radios. The recordings were released on Tuesday, and now a probably well-meaning father is in trouble.
There are still several weeks before Take Your Child to Work Day, on April 22, but it is never too soon for New Yorkers to heed this cautionary tale and plan ahead so as to not find themselves under federal investigation or writing a giant check for a big “oops” that day. There are plenty of places in New York, after all, where children acting their age can become a six-figure situation in no time.
The controller and his supervisor have been suspended and are the subject of an F.A.A. investigation.
On the recording, a young boy tells a pilot he’s “cleared for takeoff,” and the pilot tells him he has done an “awesome job.” Another man, presumably the child’s father, says, “That’s what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.”
Not surprisingly, the F.A.A. this week banned bringing children or anyone else into air traffic operational areas.
“This lapse in judgment not only violated F.A.A.’s own policies, but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable,” said Randy Babbitt, the administrator of the agency. “We have an incredible team of professionals who safely control our nation’s skies every single day. This kind of behavior does not reflect the true caliber of our work force.”
Consider other city occupations that could, in the unpredictable and innocent world of children, become the subject of a discussion that begins with the words, “In hindsight...”Children love dolls! But best to keep them away from the colorful dolls on display at the exhibition “Five Thousand Years of Japanese Art: Treasures from the Packard Collection” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Sackler Wing Galleries. Among the 180 pieces are three Kakiemon ware figures of valuable porcelain. To make matters worse, one of them is a cute little dog.
“You don’t really play with it,” said Naomi Takafuchi, a senior press officer at the museum. “If it’s broken, it’s very dangerous.” Not to mention expensive, although just how much was unclear Wednesday. “We don’t discuss the value,” Ms. Takafuchi said. “Kakiemon type is a very famous type of porcelain made in Japan,” she added.
Children love chocolate! But perhaps not a great idea: giving young ones unfettered access to large quantities of expensive chocolate.
There are at least 14 boutique Godiva chocolate shops in the city, according to Godiva’s Web site. Turning your back on a child in any one of them seems unwise. It is unclear how many of the shops carry the Milk Chocolate Pearls with Caffe Latte, but each cute little box of 18 pearls — in a shiny box, no less — costs $71.10. And now, freshly amped on caffeine, the children will be ready to seek out the chocolate holy grail, the “signature assortment of classic Belgian chocolates,” the Gold Ballotin.
Price: $150.
Children love fire trucks! Some even love fire, and who would not enjoy a turn at the business end of a fire hose? Sorry — not in this town.
“The Fire Department’s a big family,” and children are no strangers to firehouses, but that’s as far as it goes, said Frank Dwyer, a spokesman. “We’re not bringing them along on calls. They’re not going out on emergency situations. We have a no-ride-along policy.”Further questioning revealed that the policy goes for big kids — i.e., reporters — as well.
But one idea led to another — “Dad, can I help the nice planes take off?” — and a young boy was heard clearing three jets for departure on Feb. 16. The child spoke to five pilots in all, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The next day, officials said, the same employee let his daughter speak to two pilots over the air traffic radios. The recordings were released on Tuesday, and now a probably well-meaning father is in trouble.
There are still several weeks before Take Your Child to Work Day, on April 22, but it is never too soon for New Yorkers to heed this cautionary tale and plan ahead so as to not find themselves under federal investigation or writing a giant check for a big “oops” that day. There are plenty of places in New York, after all, where children acting their age can become a six-figure situation in no time.
The controller and his supervisor have been suspended and are the subject of an F.A.A. investigation.
On the recording, a young boy tells a pilot he’s “cleared for takeoff,” and the pilot tells him he has done an “awesome job.” Another man, presumably the child’s father, says, “That’s what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.”
Not surprisingly, the F.A.A. this week banned bringing children or anyone else into air traffic operational areas.
“This lapse in judgment not only violated F.A.A.’s own policies, but common sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable,” said Randy Babbitt, the administrator of the agency. “We have an incredible team of professionals who safely control our nation’s skies every single day. This kind of behavior does not reflect the true caliber of our work force.”
Consider other city occupations that could, in the unpredictable and innocent world of children, become the subject of a discussion that begins with the words, “In hindsight...”Children love dolls! But best to keep them away from the colorful dolls on display at the exhibition “Five Thousand Years of Japanese Art: Treasures from the Packard Collection” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Sackler Wing Galleries. Among the 180 pieces are three Kakiemon ware figures of valuable porcelain. To make matters worse, one of them is a cute little dog.
“You don’t really play with it,” said Naomi Takafuchi, a senior press officer at the museum. “If it’s broken, it’s very dangerous.” Not to mention expensive, although just how much was unclear Wednesday. “We don’t discuss the value,” Ms. Takafuchi said. “Kakiemon type is a very famous type of porcelain made in Japan,” she added.
Children love chocolate! But perhaps not a great idea: giving young ones unfettered access to large quantities of expensive chocolate.
There are at least 14 boutique Godiva chocolate shops in the city, according to Godiva’s Web site. Turning your back on a child in any one of them seems unwise. It is unclear how many of the shops carry the Milk Chocolate Pearls with Caffe Latte, but each cute little box of 18 pearls — in a shiny box, no less — costs $71.10. And now, freshly amped on caffeine, the children will be ready to seek out the chocolate holy grail, the “signature assortment of classic Belgian chocolates,” the Gold Ballotin.
Price: $150.
Children love fire trucks! Some even love fire, and who would not enjoy a turn at the business end of a fire hose? Sorry — not in this town.
“The Fire Department’s a big family,” and children are no strangers to firehouses, but that’s as far as it goes, said Frank Dwyer, a spokesman. “We’re not bringing them along on calls. They’re not going out on emergency situations. We have a no-ride-along policy.”Further questioning revealed that the policy goes for big kids — i.e., reporters — as well.
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