Boise Tower fell asleep

Aaand everyone is talking about controllers smoking pot because the cops "smelled" it, even though:

Ian Gregor, an FAA public affairs officer in Los Angeles, on Saturday said drug tests came back clean.

“Both controllers were drug tested and both tests were negative,” Gregor said.


Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article120078138.html#storylink=cpy
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I've noticed several news outlets are carrying this story in its entirety, except for leaving off that last sentence.
 
Do you know what the FAA's "fix" was after the first couple guys fell asleep on a mid? They increased the amount of time between a shift on one day and the next day to a whole 9 hours.

Know what they didn't do? Increase the amount of hours between 2 shifts on the same day. For example, today I was scheduled to work from 6am-2pm, then back to work for the mid 11pm-7am. Somehow I'm supposed to get a plenty of rest during that time off for the mid. And let me tell you from like 1230-430am is the most bored I have ever been in my entire life. Try staring at this on a mid for several hours
radar-o.gif
 
NovemberEcho said:
today I was scheduled to work from 6am-2pm, then back to work for the mid 11pm-7am. Somehow I'm supposed to get a plenty of rest during that time off for the mid.
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how does your schedule work when you're on a shift? Time on scope/break time/rotations out of the chair?
Do they give you more frequent breaks during mids?
 
bimmerphile said:
how does your schedule work when you're on a shift? Time on scope/break time/rotations out of the chair?
Do they give you more frequent breaks during mids?
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Normal shift here is 45-90 min on, 45 off and hour lunch. Depending on how busy it is the first couple hours of the mid it is usually 1 guy works the first 4 hours and the second the last 4 hours (or until the 6am shift shows up). It varies facility to facility though.
 
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bimmerphile said:
how does your schedule work when you're on a shift? Time on scope/break time/rotations out of the chair?
Do they give you more frequent breaks during mids?
Click to expand...
I've been at two facilities now with mids.
Facility one was initially one in tower and one in radar for all eight hours from 10pm-5:30am.
Then we changed it some and switched to both controllers upstairs usually from 10pm-12:30am. Then one person working everything from 12:30am-3am while person two is on nap/break time. Then at 3am person two goes upstairs until 5:30am while person one goes on nap/break time.

Current facility we go three people on the mid with two positions open (and one person on break) from 10:30pm-6am.
One person on break at 10:30-1:30ish.
One person on break from 1:30ish-4ish.
One person on break from 4ish-6.
 
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It is my understanding from a friend's wife who is a center controller, that napping is not permitted during one's break?

i.e. you can leave the facility on your lunch break and go take a nap in your car and they wouldn't know but if you're on your break within the shift, you can't go somewhere quiet in the building and close your eyes for 10 minutes.

Is that true?
 
Nick said:
It is my understanding from a friend's wife who is a center controller, that napping is not permitted during one's break?

i.e. you can leave the facility on your lunch break and go take a nap in your car and they wouldn't know but if you're on your break within the shift, you can't go somewhere quiet in the building and close your eyes for 10 minutes.

Is that true?
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Def not true at any facility that I know of. We even have a dedicated nap room. It used to be like that during the Bush years but that CBA was tossed almost as soon as Obama got into office.
 
So an ATC "dude" was stoned, had officers in tow on his way up to the cab - stopped for some cold pizza in break room - and then brought them up to the cab?
"
On the way to the tower by an elevator, the officers and Gard reported smelling marijuana coming from the controller. In his report, Morlock described the man’s demeanor as “slow and confused as to what was going on.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article120100313.html#storylink=cpy

"Hey Man, if it's anything I can do, it's clear a guy to land when I'm F'd up man! The dudes abide!"
 
Itchy said:
So an ATC "dude" was stoned, had officers in tow on his way up to the cab - stopped for some cold pizza in break room - and then brought them up to the cab?
"
On the way to the tower by an elevator, the officers and Gard reported smelling marijuana coming from the controller. In his report, Morlock described the man’s demeanor as “slow and confused as to what was going on.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article120100313.html#storylink=cpy

"Hey Man, if it's anything I can do, it's clear a guy to land when I'm F'd up man! The dudes abide!"
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They left out the part about them passing the drug test.
 
Nick said:
It is my understanding from a friend's wife who is a center controller, that napping is not permitted during one's break?
Click to expand...

That changed with the implementation of "Recuperative breaks". Now it's expected that you're going to nap on the mid, and it's permitted on other shifts as well.
 
I was through Boise last week close to that time frame. I was surprised that the controller does approach, tower, ground, and clearance during those hours. I don't think I've been through a class C where there is less than two people working the area.
 
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