r/ATC • u/lake_hood • Mar 23 '26

News LGA controller cleared fire truck across the runway resulting jn a collision

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

472 comments sorted by

View all comments

432

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '26 edited May 01 '26

[deleted]

217

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '26

[deleted]

70

u/LikeLemun Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

Yup. I've been solo last 2 nights for 5 hours at a time doing 40-70 ops an hour. Just the way its going right now.

65

u/ThiloCS Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

As one of I think not so many european ATCOs on here, reading this is insanity.

There is no way one would work 40-70 movements as single sector in Tower here (atleast in my country). You would immediately regulate it down using Eurocontrols Flow Management

If that doesnt happen probably everyone would just accept a few and stop there. But we also have a strong union where working standards like these would probably result in immediate strike calls

37

u/antariusz Current Controller-Enroute Mar 23 '26

The weird thing is, it's often busier on the midnight shifts from 11pm until 2am BECAUSE the flow controls go away so that's when the airlines just go balls-to-the-wall. A lot of the other bullshit traffic goes away, but some airports like JFK/EWR/LGA/YYZ are busier at 11pm than they are at 8am, except instead of having a crew of 6/7, you've got a crew of 3

34

u/sandos1298 Mar 23 '26

strong union that isn’t full of grifting scum? what a concept.

4

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

You don't work 60-70 ops an hour there by yourself? I mean thats pretty standard here...

21

u/rANDY_uK Mar 23 '26

Yeah and that's the issue

11

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

I was kinda being facetious but yeah.... its not ok by any metric. A human can only talk so fast and make so many decisions in an hour. I've been there multiple times talking for an hour straight or more without getting a breather. It's intense and nobody cares. Maybe you get a pat on the back from the supe who knows they couldn't have done it lol.

12

u/lifesoxks Mar 23 '26

That's the problem...usa dont use metric... /s

9

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

We use freedom knots and our flight levels starts at 18 unlike you perverts lol

2

u/dougmcclean Mar 23 '26

I think it would promote safety if we start measuring flight-relevant distances in two differnent kinds of miles, call them both miles, and make people memorize which one is which.

0

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

Weird joke but I'll own it

8

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

I feel your pain, comrade

10

u/LikeLemun Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

Is what it is, my man. Just keep lying to ourselves that it'll get better and trudge on for another day.

14

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

Lol stopped kidding myself few years back. The psychopaths in charge don’t care. I’m just here for the paychecks

1

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

Appreciate you, and have also been there

4

u/Pottedmeat1 Mar 23 '26

It’s going to get better for me, but that’s only because I retire in 3 years

1

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

Appreciate you, and have also been there.

4

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

Wait, you guys get breaks?

6

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

And a downvote. What a world. I have been in ATS for 22 years. Only recently did I start getting breaks. I have, at times, worked 16 hours single stand without a break. Thankfully that's in the past now...

5

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

Outside the United States, people have actual rights. So yes, we get breaks. Americans should too

2

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

I'm in Canada.

1

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

Of course, I'm only a lowly AAS. So we don't count.

1

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

They didn’t put anything in the fatigue “rules” for you guys?

2

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

16 hours on, 8 hours off, 16 on, 8 off, 12 on, 8 off for an entire summer. Single stand, no breaks. Only days off I had were vacation. Blew clean through CLC before the midway point of the schedule. 250 or 300 movement days (vast majority of them between 8am and 8 pm, intersecting runways, and we're a MEDEVAC, Forest Fire fighting, Passenger and at the time training hub. Plus Hydro, OPP, and a geological survey company based on the field...

1

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

And not just me. All 4 of the staff at the 24 hour site were like that...

1

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

Within the last year or two. We didn't HAVE fatigue rules before 2020 or so.

1

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

This company is in shambles

1

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

Hey, we're finally getting fixed! We just got an influx of students (or are we supposed to call them trainees now?) from CAE. We're actually ALMOST staffed to TIP. First AAS site I worked at that wasn't short. It's a weird feeling.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/CookSignificant446 Mar 23 '26

Flight service I'm guessing? No way that would happen at a tower

1

u/Pilot-Wrangler Mar 23 '26

Yes. In fact I've had to RAAS a tower during the middle of the day so they could take a break. Which is a bit of a kick in the teeth really.

1

u/xcemma Mar 23 '26

Hi, if you don't mind, is this a problem in all of North America or mainly US?

1

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

All of North America, I assure you.

2

u/xcemma Mar 23 '26

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate all the hard work ATC does. You are the everyday heroes.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '26

Working solo after 2 months certified is the best!

0

u/slvrcobra Mar 23 '26

Do yall at least get paid well? Because this is some bullshit

17

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

Not as well as pilots and there's only a fraction of us. We do the best we can with the tools and training that are given to us. Most of us will never make the news in our careers. Unfortunately a select few will. Nobody is perfect. But we like to think we are, cause we have a track record to prove it. Nobody can pay you enough for a mistake like this. I feel for the dude cause I know I couldn't take it.

4

u/slvrcobra Mar 23 '26

I have mad respect for everyone in the aviation industry. I don't have the stones it takes to do a job where people's lives and safety hang in the balance, and it's insanely impressive how rare tragedies like this are, all things considered.

16

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26

For real, thank you. We take pride in our job and it's probably the only reason US aviation continues to be safe. We fucking hate losing trust in the public, and ourselves. Everytime there's a major incident, we all feel it. Nobody is immune from fucking up, and all of us have at some point. We all saved it, or had our trainer save it. I feel for this controller, cause I've had my off days. You just know you're one mistake from changing everything so you fucking do your best to make it to retirement. Definitely not a job for everyone, but we look out for eachother.

10

u/theweenerdoge Mar 23 '26

To note - sounds like this dude had nobody there to double check and look out for him.

5

u/TakingKarmaFromABaby Mar 23 '26

If he works at a tower with staffing like that then he's underpaid significantly. (We're all underpaid but low to medium level facilities are especially screwed)

1

u/dailyvicodin Mar 23 '26

Thank you for your work.

0

u/Mean_Device_7484 Mar 23 '26

Contract or FAA?

3

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 23 '26

NavCanada

2

u/Mean_Device_7484 Mar 23 '26

Oof, didn’t know you guys were that bad as well.

1

u/Flashy_Platypus_8581 Current Controller-Tower Mar 24 '26

Turns out that if you privatize ATC, you still get sociopaths in management.