Reno tower taking a cat nap

Fortunately the pilot was able to use the emergency backup system and land without killing too many people on the ground. The FAA has issued a new regulation requiring Archie League to be at all airports with flags in hand for similar situations in the future.
 
You would think with all the crap going on lately the tower guys would take notice. Fox news had a field day with it.

Oh no! Planes can't land without being told to!!! Lordy Lordy! Help us dumb pilots out!
 
this is the FFA reaping what it has been sowing, for years controllers have been screaming about one controller mids and they just dont give a crap. then when some one gets caught and makes them look like ass holes they try to put the blame on the employee, incredable just incredable. guess THEY forgot about LEX .
 
oh teh noes.

From the article: "At no time was safety compromised."

Not saying it's not a big deal, just...perspective.
 
boondr said:
Good God people stay awake! It's not easy doing mids but it isn't hard to stay awake.
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I don't know about controllers I'm guessing you are one. But seriously? It is very easy to fall asleep. Fatigue is a killer. However it seems like the general solution is to bury our heads in the sand or act like we are tougher than one another.

When I flew organs everyone acted like they were tough but I would catch them falling asleep. Now when I fly transcons on the backside of the clock everyone acts super tough and I catch them falling asleep.

When I was the watch leader on a sail training ship I would let the guys on my watch take naps. I only asked them to tell me when. When something happened I would wake them up. It was simple and it worked great. Pilots and I guess controllers are superhuman. When people stop dying because of the superhumans let me know...
 
Shoot man. If your in the airplane just turn the ATIS all the way up on comm 2 and when you start picking it up that will wake ya. Jk. Jk.
 
BigWaveDave said:
I don't know about controllers I'm guessing you are one. But seriously? It is very easy to fall asleep. Fatigue is a killer. However it seems like the general solution is to bury our heads in the sand or act like we are tougher than one another.

When I flew organs everyone acted like they were tough but I would catch them falling asleep. Now when I fly transcons on the backside of the clock everyone acts super tough and I catch them falling asleep.

When I was the watch leader on a sail training ship I would let the guys on my watch take naps. I only asked them to tell me when. When something happened I would wake them up. It was simple and it worked great. Pilots and I guess controllers are superhuman. When people stop dying because of the superhumans let me know...
Click to expand...

Believe me our situation is by no means ideal but staying awake is not that hard. This is coming from both countless mids as a controller and countless 24 hr "duty" assignments as a Marine. I think our schedules and staffing need vast improvement but staying awake when we need to is not a superhuman feat. This isn't people "micro-sleeping" we are hearing about this is people falling asleep so deep they can't hear numerous radio and phone calls. That takes a certain level of "Oh it be alright if I just rest my eyes and sleep for a bit" mentality. Sorry we (controllers) get paid a decent amount of money this is one of the reasons. I think the scheduling of single man mids is asinine but falling asleep is inexcusable unless medical reasons are involved.
 
boondr said:
Believe me our situation is by no means ideal but staying awake is not that hard. This is coming from both countless mids as a controller and countless 24 hr "duty" assignments as a Marine. I think our schedules and staffing need vast improvement but staying awake when we need to is not a superhuman feat. This isn't people "micro-sleeping" we are hearing about this is people falling asleep so deep they can't hear numerous radio and phone calls. That takes a certain level of "Oh it be alright if I just rest my eyes and sleep for a bit" mentality. Sorry we (controllers) get paid a decent amount of money this is one of the reasons. I think the scheduling of single man mids is asinine but falling asleep is inexcusable unless medical reasons are involved.
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Thank you! I completely agree. Staying awake for an 8 hour shift is NOT that hard. You need to rest when youre off duty and plan your sleep around your work schedule.
 
SIUav8er said:
Thank you! I completely agree. Staying awake for an 8 hour shift is NOT that hard. You need to rest when youre off duty and plan your sleep around your work schedule.
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If you saw some of the schedules we run sleeping off duty isn't the easiest, but you are right staying awake isn't that hard. That said the FAA (or as queeno puts it "FFA") doesn't make it easy with rules banning any type of outside awareness facilitators (IE books, computers, etc.)
 
boondr said:
Believe me our situation is by no means ideal but staying awake is not that hard. This is coming from both countless mids as a controller and countless 24 hr "duty" assignments as a Marine. I think our schedules and staffing need vast improvement but staying awake when we need to is not a superhuman feat. This isn't people "micro-sleeping" we are hearing about this is people falling asleep so deep they can't hear numerous radio and phone calls. That takes a certain level of "Oh it be alright if I just rest my eyes and sleep for a bit" mentality. Sorry we (controllers) get paid a decent amount of money this is one of the reasons. I think the scheduling of single man mids is asinine but falling asleep is inexcusable unless medical reasons are involved.
Click to expand...

The last three days of a work week are something like this: 2PM - 10 PM, 7AM - 3PM, 11PM (same day) to 7 AM - the mid. Every week. Throw in a few kids, a dog, what have you and we all know that those 8/9 hours off between shifts aren't spent sleeping.

Controller A works at a large(r) facility, where even though it may be slow (for them) but there are at least a few planes constantly buzzing around.

Controller B works at a small(er) facility where the operations on a mid can be counted on one hand.

Dark room, sitting in a chair. No radio, television, computer, cell phone, book, magazine, crossword puzzle, etc - NOTHING except that controller and a window and/or scope.

Who is more likely to fall asleep while sitting in that chair?

I hear what you're saying, and I agree with you - just looking at it from a different perspective. It's easy for me to say, "how the hell can you fall asleep?" But I also know that if I worked 8 on, 8 off, 8 on, 8 off, and for my last 8 on I was told to go sit in the corner in the dark I'd have a hell of a time staying awake too - sheer boredom if nothing else.

We aren't the only people in this industry who have to battle fatigue, and it is a legitimate problem. Unfortunately, the solution(s) cost money, and so here we sit...
 
BigWaveDave said:
I don't know about controllers I'm guessing you are one. But seriously? It is very easy to fall asleep. Fatigue is a killer. However it seems like the general solution is to bury our heads in the sand or act like we are tougher than one another.

When I flew organs everyone acted like they were tough but I would catch them falling asleep. Now when I fly transcons on the backside of the clock everyone acts super tough and I catch them falling asleep.

When I was the watch leader on a sail training ship I would let the guys on my watch take naps. I only asked them to tell me when. When something happened I would wake them up. It was simple and it worked great. Pilots and I guess controllers are superhuman. When people stop dying because of the superhumans let me know...
Click to expand...

Falling asleep on redeye transcons? Sheesh, tell these nancies to man up. :)

I'm not a fancy-ass controller like boondr, but I do some pretty jacked up schedules too, and even manage to stay awake!
 
TripSix said:
The last three days of a work week are something like this: 2PM - 10 PM, 7AM - 3PM, 11PM (same day) to 7 AM - the mid. Every week. Throw in a few kids, a dog, what have you and we all know that those 8/9 hours off between shifts aren't spent sleeping.

Controller A works at a large(r) facility, where even though it may be slow (for them) but there are at least a few planes constantly buzzing around.

Controller B works at a small(er) facility where the operations on a mid can be counted on one hand.

Dark room, sitting in a chair. No radio, television, computer, cell phone, book, magazine, crossword puzzle, etc - NOTHING except that controller and a window and/or scope.

Who is more likely to fall asleep while sitting in that chair?

I hear what you're saying, and I agree with you - just looking at it from a different perspective. It's easy for me to say, "how the hell can you fall asleep?" But I also know that if I worked 8 on, 8 off, 8 on, 8 off, and for my last 8 on I was told to go sit in the corner in the dark I'd have a hell of a time staying awake too - sheer boredom if nothing else.

We aren't the only people in this industry who have to battle fatigue, and it is a legitimate problem. Unfortunately, the solution(s) cost money, and so here we sit...
Click to expand...

I work the same double quick-turn to mids ( mine has a 6-2 and 10-6 though), I didn't say it was easy and mids are mids. There have been quite a few times when I have been "shut out" for 2-3hrs at a time. I'll say again It isn't easy but it also isn't hard to stay awake.
 
I work the ramp some days 2pm-6am, and then have to be back at work at 2pm to work till 10pm. It is not easy staying awake, but with a little effort you can do it.
 
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