The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Milltown Row2]

Story being reported now is that the controller was covering the work of two people.

I wonder if ATC staff are among the multitude of federal workers who got the "fork in the road" i.e. the "we strongly suggest you retire" memo on Tuesday.

Per an article in Forbes 2:15 PM today citing The NY Times

"The tower at the airport has been understaffed for years"

Seemingly there's a serious shortage and has been for years

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/unions/2024/07/faa-short-staffed-on-air-traffic-controllers-technicians-during-peak-travel-season-union-warns/?readmore=1

So was Trump going to reduce it further?

No

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/01/30/plane-crash-tragedy-trump-freeze/78048726007/

 Plus, the order specifically states it "does not prohibit making reallocations to meet the highest priority needs, maintain essential services, and protect national security, homeland security, and public safety."

Air traffic controllers, who are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, fall under that category.


And there's this (signed on 1/25)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/keeping-americans-safe-in-aviation/


But hey-Orange Man Bad so he must be to blame

So he's not reducing staff in those areas

[theskull1]

See Trump has showed his hand early with his anti semite executive order.

Hope you hive minded folks starting to see the pattern yet? Just can't criticize the power structures regardless of their evil deeds

[Rois]

Very sorry to hear about your cousin, Shamrock. 

[Armagh18]

See Trump has showed his hand early with his anti semite executive order.

Hope you hive minded folks starting to see the pattern yet? Just can't criticize the power structures regardless of their evil deeds

what?

[J70]

Story being reported now is that the controller was covering the work of two people.

I wonder if ATC staff are among the multitude of federal workers who got the "fork in the road" i.e. the "we strongly suggest you retire" memo on Tuesday.

Per an article in Forbes 2:15 PM today citing The NY Times

"The tower at the airport has been understaffed for years"

Seemingly there's a serious shortage and has been for years

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/unions/2024/07/faa-short-staffed-on-air-traffic-controllers-technicians-during-peak-travel-season-union-warns/?readmore=1

So was Trump going to reduce it further?

No

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/01/30/plane-crash-tragedy-trump-freeze/78048726007/

 Plus, the order specifically states it "does not prohibit making reallocations to meet the highest priority needs, maintain essential services, and protect national security, homeland security, and public safety."

Air traffic controllers, who are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, fall under that category.


And there's this (signed on 1/25)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/keeping-americans-safe-in-aviation/


But hey-Orange Man Bad so he must be to blame

That's a disgusting piece of hysterical nonsense from Trump.

[Shamrock Shore]

Thanks all.

If there is a funeral I will head over (body not found yet afaik) to represent the Old Country.

I have no comment to make on the politics being discussed here. I am going to steer well clear.

[Jell 0 Biafra]

Sorry for your loss Shamrock.

[whitey]

Sorry for your loss Shamrock.

Thanks all.

If there is a funeral I will head over (body not found yet afaik) to represent the Old Country.

I have no comment to make on the politics being discussed here. I am going to steer well clear.

Condolences on your loss

A second either way and we'd have been reading about a near miss on page 7 of the newspaper

[J70]

Yes, the random contingency of life can be so cruel. 

Apparently, a plane had to do a go-around the previous day due to a similar incident, while the plane that actually crashed had been instructed to change landing runway on the way in.

[weareros]

There was an intelligent article by Gerry Byrne, Aviation journalist in the IT. This stood out.

****

Additional factors complicated this incident. Both the helicopter and the CRJ airliner were fitted with sophisticated anti-collision systems, known as automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast. This should have made the pilots in each of the two aircraft aware of each other's presence. Reports suggest the helicopter had its ADS-B system switched off. This suggests not only that it was electronically invisible to the pilots of the American Airlines jet but also that the helicopter pilots themselves were not electronically aware of the presence of the jet.

An additional factor was that the helicopters crew's radio broadcasts were on a different frequency from those of the American Airlines plane, so its pilots were unaware of the urgent voice traffic between air-traffic controllers and the Black Hawk helicopter.

This accident comes just two weeks after the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is in charge of US aviation safety, was in effect fired by Elon Musk. Although Musk is in charge of DOGE, a new body formed by President Donald Trump to reduce staffing in US federal agencies, he also had a personal beef with the FAA leader, who had placed restrictions on rocket launches by Musk's company SpaceX following a series of hazardous mid-air explosions at Musk's Texan spaceport.

[J70]

Apparently one of the DEI "catastrophes" Trump was abusing in his unhinged press conference yesterday, i.e. the one where the FAA encourages people with disabilities to progress in their careers (which sounds like a perfectly noble and normal programme), was launched in 2019 by Trump's own people!

[Milltown Row2]

Apparently one of the DEI "catastrophes" Trump was abusing in his unhinged press conference yesterday, i.e. the one where the FAA encourages people with disabilities to progress in their careers (which sounds like a perfectly noble and normal programme), was launched in 2019 by Trump's own people!

He's king of the verbal diarrhoea, speaking from one who's mastered that

[Eamonnca1]

A "LARGE NUMBER" of FBI agents who investigated the stolen classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and the level of involvement of Trump in the January 6th Insurrection were fired Friday and "escorted out" like criminals.

The firing of rank-and-file agents and the heads of 20 field offices was announced on Friday as those who were fired were 'escorted out.'

Among those was David Sundberg, who was appointed to head the Washington DC Field Office in 2022.  Officials in charge of the DC, Miami, Seattle, New Orleans and Las Vegas field offices were also removed, The Hill reported. 

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the move may have impacted 'dozens' of agents.

'It is deeply alarming that the Trump administration appears to be purging dozens of the most experienced agents who are our nation's first line of defense,' he said, reported The Hill.

[gallsman]

Does Trump have the slightest clue how a tariff actually works?

[whitey]

Does Trump have the slightest clue how a tariff actually works?

No

But the people advising him do