ATC resourcefulness, ASI incident video

ChasenSFO

hen teaser

ASI makes some good videos, but this one was especially interesting. A GA aircraft in IMC on an RNAV approach at night loses all electrical, but ATC never loses the aircraft as it goes off course and assumes there must be a communication issue. So they go into full private investigation mode, look up the tail number, find out the pilot is a doctor, call the hospital he works at, get his cell number, start texting him instructions, and then deviate an American Airlines flight to turn on the pilot controlled lighting at a nearby airport and get him down safely. This is where the difference between "trained monkeys" who keep the planes separated(like most ATC I know and a lot of pilot mill types) but don't fully understand flying\aviation\their jobs and true professionals becomes apparent. Damn impressive.

I'll add that the take away is to put your cellphone number in your flightplan remarks, I'll start making sure I do that myself just in case.
 
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LOL after doing some research, it seems credible that the controller in this video got chewed out by his supervisor immediately after the end of the emergency for quite a while. Yet in the video, the sup is just posing and smiling and acting all pleased now that no one is "in trouble". NOW it sounds like the FAA.
 
The last thing any pilot should ever want is a Supervisor plugged in, or anywhere near, a radar scope, haha.

Unlike the real world, you generally “get promoted” or become a sup in the FAA because you’re afraid to work traffic. There’s some exceptions,and some good people trying to make a difference, but for the most part it’s “Screw up, Move up”.
 
LOL after doing some research, it seems credible that the controller in this video got chewed out by his supervisor immediately after the end of the emergency for quite a while. Yet in the video, the sup is just posing and smiling and acting all pleased now that no one is "in trouble". NOW it sounds like the FAA.

That's government. Mediocre work gets praised. Great work gets you fired.
 
The last thing any pilot should ever want is a Supervisor plugged in, or anywhere near, a radar scope, haha.

Unlike the real world, you generally “get promoted” or become a sup in the FAA because you’re afraid to work traffic. There’s some exceptions,and some good people trying to make a difference, but for the most part it’s “Screw up, Move up”.
Clearly you’ve never worked in the real world if you believe this....
 
The last thing any pilot should ever want is a Supervisor plugged in, or anywhere near, a radar scope, haha.

Unlike the real world, you generally “get promoted” or become a sup in the FAA because you’re afraid to work traffic. There’s some exceptions,and some good people trying to make a difference, but for the most part it’s “Screw up, Move up”.

working next to sup. Watching him vector this dude all over the place because the runway is closed for snow removal.
“Why don’t you just give him holding instructions?”
“I don’t know how.”

Also don’t forget in most places supervisors only have to get checked out in one or two positions. They’re rarely checked out in the whole area. Yet they’re the ones who pass or fail people.
 
Clearly you’ve never worked in the real world if you believe this....
I never got to be a full supervisor and only an acting supervisor in ramp/CS in my airline days because "We need you out on the ramp\at the gate". They'd always select someone who did a worse job on purpose, openly telling the best candidates they need us doing a good job at the actual job out in the action rather than writing reports and scheduling workers. It taught me a lot about life.

Same was true in the ramp tower...though that also had to do with me fighting with the company like I was a union rep the whole time I was there haha.
 

ASI makes some good videos, but this one was especially interesting. A GA aircraft in IMC on an RNAV approach at night loses all electrical, but ATC never loses the aircraft as it goes off course and assumes there must be a communication issue. So they go into full private investigation mode, look up the tail number, find out the pilot is a doctor, call the hospital he works at, get his cell number, start texting him instructions, and then deviate an American Airlines flight to turn on the pilot controlled lighting at a nearby airport and get him down safely. This is where the difference between "trained monkeys" who keep the planes separated(like most ATC I know and a lot of pilot mill types) but don't fully understand flying\aviation\their jobs and true professionals becomes apparent. Damn impressive.

I'll add that the take away is to put your cellphone number in your flightplan remarks, I'll start making sure I do that myself just in case.
This incident shared the Archie League Medal of Safety in 2018. The other group of controllers who won worked a Cheyenne over Mississippi with runaway trim for several hours, going so far as to get the chief pilot from Piper on the phone to help him troubleshoot. I actually wasn't all that impressed with the texting compared to some of the others that year.

In 2019 the winner took action when a departing regional jet dialed in 010 instead of 100 on departure from 10R at ORD with another jet rolling 10L maybe a mile behind him.
 
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