FAA Gets It Right.....

Air Traffic Controllers have one of the most stressful jobs in the world. They are responsible for the movement of millions of people and shipments of goods. They have the task of scheduling all aircraft from the small Cessna to the massive Boeing 747 and everything in between. Last night, the ATCs at Washington's Dulles Airport were evacuated from the tower when a Tornado Warning was posted for the DC area. Thousands of spectators had to seek shelter around the capitol mall when the warning came out. Controllers had no warning of the approaching weather. You have to ask yourself, why would they not have the proper equipment to do the job right and do the job safely. The FAA BANNED all weather radios from control towers because the feds said they would be a distraction. Really ? How could a piece of life saving equipment be a distraction. Thats what I want to know. After the incident last night, the FAA says it is going to allow weather radioes back into the tower. WOW what an idea. I'm glad the government was able to act on a national holiday. It kinda restores hope in them.
As a passenger who flies a few times a year, I've flown in some bad weather. Most people know that planes fly around thunderstroms because they are just too dangerous to fly into. Most airports have a warning system in place for thunderstorms and don't allow the planes to land or take off. The danger of microbursts and downdrafts are so severe that airports close when a storm approaches. I have one question, if the FAA is spending millions on reducing aircraft incidents on the airfield with thunderstorms, wouldn't it make sense that they would provide a piece of equipment to let the controllers know what is coming toward them ? Maybe I'm making this a bigger deal than it is, but if I'm working to make sure everyone in the air is safe, am I asking too much that I have something around that looks after me ? Here is a video of the ATC pattern coming into Memphis during a thunderstorm. Watch the planes and what they do when the storm passes over the airport.


The planes fly around the weather and then divert when it comes over the airport. It is a classic example of controllers getting it right. Let the planes land and then wait for the storm to pass. If controllers had access to the weather radios in the tower, then its a good bet that they would of known that a severe thunderstorm was approacing. Yes they still would of been evacuated, but they could of know it was coming.