Anonymous wrote:There needs to be deep look into qualifications of pilots. How is it that a pilot with only 450 hours flying and a couple yrs out of flight school gets tasked with flying around high profile government officials and is flying around DC air? This isn’t even enough experience to be hired as a commercial pilot.
Major airlines require 1500 hrs

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the second ATC who left early (because of staff shortages) would have been more specific re where the plane was. Some pilots say absolutely should be been more specific in that air space. Anyone know what is actually required?

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting to think most of the fault lies with FAA approving the helicopter flight path. Only 100 feet of vertical clearance with a landing plane is insane (and this is with everyone following directions exactly). And I didn't realize until I watched an expert video just how many blind spots there are on the BH and the fact that helicopters fly slightly tilted down, so that inhibits pilots ability to see upwards. This was really a disaster waiting to happen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who was the ATC who left their shift early? Who was the supervisor who let them?

Maybe they had explosive diarrhea. You have no idea the circumstances.

Shouldn't they have a backup?

Have you missed all the coverage everywhere about how understaffed the ENTIRE FAA is, and has been for a long time? Magical "backups" don't just appear, PP. Maybe they should, but they aren't a given like you seem to assume. Not in such an understaffed environment. Keep up with the coverage better. Even the increasingly problematic Post has covered this.

Why’d the supe let the tower go shortstaffed just because some ATC asked to leave early? When I hear such a reckless favor granted I think: 1) idiots 2) unqualified 3) maybe a creepy boss trying to sleep with a female ATC and/or boss easily taken advantage of by female underlings.

Those are your first thoughts?? Flu and norovirus are rampant in the DC area. That was MY first thought: they weren’t feeling well.

If the ATC was allowed to leave early for a legit health crisis we would have already learned of it. It was almost certainly a frivolous reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who was the ATC who left their shift early? Who was the supervisor who let them?

Maybe they had explosive diarrhea. You have no idea the circumstances.

Shouldn't they have a backup?

They'd just received an email asking them to resign. They are already understaffed. But maybe you can ask the Peter Thiel boy toys helping Elon Musk break into the government computer systems.

They have access to classified info already, so maybe the 19 yo who goes by "bigballs" can help you or maybe Luke Farritor can let you know why they didn't have backup.

After all, they are in charge at OPM now!

ATC is not allowed to resign. They aren't part of that deal that's being offered.

As someone else pointed out, they received an email suggesting they resign.

This crash is Trump’s fault.

The crash was not due to an ATC staffing issue (which has been short for YEARS). We already know several of the multiple errors that have led to the crash, and none of them are a problem with ATC. But you know that..

Not the PP to whom you're responding, but: An ATC in the DCA tower was handling both plane and helicopter traffic, earlier in the evening than was standard practice, apparently because another controller left work early. The two types of aircraft were supposed to be handled by separate ATCs until 9:30 p.m. But on that night, a solo ATC was handling both about an hour earlier than normal. This is according to reporting in the Post and many other outlets.

No one is saying yet whether this change caused or even affected the crash at all; that is for the investigators to decide. But it is foolish and extremely premature of you to insist at this time that ATC staffing and/or actions had nothing to do with events that night.

It can be done by two, but combining the roles to one person is also within the current safety standards of FAA. No safety protocols were broken

Just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it’s a best practice. If they’re consolidating roles due to existing staffing issues, then that needs to change and we need to figure out how to hire more ATCs. Unfortunately this administration is not making that easier. Not to mention we will lose people at FAA and NTSB making us even less safe.

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting to think most of the fault lies with FAA approving the helicopter flight path. Only 100 feet of vertical clearance with a landing plane is insane (and this is with everyone following directions exactly). And I didn't realize until I watched an expert video just how many blind spots there are on the BH and the fact that helicopters fly slightly tilted down, so that inhibits pilots ability to see upwards. This was really a disaster waiting to happen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who was the ATC who left their shift early? Who was the supervisor who let them?

Maybe they had explosive diarrhea. You have no idea the circumstances.

Shouldn't they have a backup?

They'd just received an email asking them to resign. They are already understaffed. But maybe you can ask the Peter Thiel boy toys helping Elon Musk break into the government computer systems.

They have access to classified info already, so maybe the 19 yo who goes by "bigballs" can help you or maybe Luke Farritor can let you know why they didn't have backup.

After all, they are in charge at OPM now!

ATC is not allowed to resign. They aren't part of that deal that's being offered.

As someone else pointed out, they received an email suggesting they resign.

This crash is Trump’s fault.

The crash was not due to an ATC staffing issue (which has been short for YEARS). We already know several of the multiple errors that have led to the crash, and none of them are a problem with ATC. But you know that..

Not the PP to whom you're responding, but: An ATC in the DCA tower was handling both plane and helicopter traffic, earlier in the evening than was standard practice, apparently because another controller left work early. The two types of aircraft were supposed to be handled by separate ATCs until 9:30 p.m. But on that night, a solo ATC was handling both about an hour earlier than normal. This is according to reporting in the Post and many other outlets.

No one is saying yet whether this change caused or even affected the crash at all; that is for the investigators to decide. But it is foolish and extremely premature of you to insist at this time that ATC staffing and/or actions had nothing to do with events that night.

It can be done by two, but combining the roles to one person is also within the current safety standards of FAA. No safety protocols were broken

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who was the ATC who left their shift early? Who was the supervisor who let them?

Maybe they had explosive diarrhea. You have no idea the circumstances.

Shouldn't they have a backup?

Have you missed all the coverage everywhere about how understaffed the ENTIRE FAA is, and has been for a long time? Magical "backups" don't just appear, PP. Maybe they should, but they aren't a given like you seem to assume. Not in such an understaffed environment. Keep up with the coverage better. Even the increasingly problematic Post has covered this.

This. It sounds like many of you people either never read the news or never travel. We recently flew into and out of Newark on our way out of the country and the flights had to circle for HOURS because they couldn't land all the planes they had up there safely with so few ATCs.

But ATC was still able to communicate this to the pilots had the skills and knowledge to listen for and follow instructions, and ultimately land their plane safely. That’s how it is supposed to work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who was the ATC who left their shift early? Who was the supervisor who let them?

Maybe they had explosive diarrhea. You have no idea the circumstances.

Shouldn't they have a backup?

Have you missed all the coverage everywhere about how understaffed the ENTIRE FAA is, and has been for a long time? Magical "backups" don't just appear, PP. Maybe they should, but they aren't a given like you seem to assume. Not in such an understaffed environment. Keep up with the coverage better. Even the increasingly problematic Post has covered this.

This. It sounds like many of you people either never read the news or never travel. We recently flew into and out of Newark on our way out of the country and the flights had to circle for HOURS because they couldn't land all the planes they had up there safely with so few ATCs.

That is strange as those planes should never have taken off if it was known about congestion during landing time. Perhaps weather happened? I am doubting the pilot announced there was not enough ATC.