It went from bring your kid to work day, to have your kid do your work day, to you may not have a job to work at day.
I’m referring to the mega controversial incident involving air traffic controller, Glenn Duffy, who allowed his 9-year-old twins to direct planes at one of the nation’s busiest airports.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard the recordings of Duffy’s questionable stunt at Kennedy Airport. According to news reports, the 48-year-old dad allowed his two children to relay instructions to pilots on two separate days. Duffy brought his son to work on February 16th, while his daughter got her chance to talk to pilots preparing for takeoff the following day.
The recordings of the incident have been played and replayed ad nauseam. In one, Duffy’s daughter is heard telling a pilot: “JetBlue 57 contact departure.”
The pilot replies, “JetBlue 57. Thank you. Have a good day.”
Then, Duffy adds: “You bet. Just the next generation of air traffic control going here.”
The result of what has been categorized by some as a “lapse in judgment” has meant more time for Duffy to spend at home with the kids. Duffy and his supervisor have been suspended with pay as the Federal Aviation Administration completes its investigation.
Meanwhile, the father’s actions have created a firestorm that has swept the nation. It seems everyone has an opinion on the Daddy Duffy, including Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who ripped into Duffy at a recent Senate committee hearing.
“This is a stunning example of a lack of professionalism, not following the rules, not using common sense,” LaHood said.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also weighed in, saying he was dumbfounded by Duffy’s stunt.
“It was certainly inappropriate,” said Bloomberg, a licensed pilot and father of two.
Mary Schiavo, an aviation attorney, also chimed in, saying:
“Given the child was involved with actual air traffic it was a fireable offense…not only does it display a cavalier attitude, but it’s also a shirking of his responsibilities.”
But, not everyone agrees that the dad should be demoralized. One aviation expert had this to say:
“Safety wasn’t involved because we have a very exquisitely developed method of read back, and the controller was right there with this kid. If the kid had said something wrong and that had been read back incorrectly, he would have been able to catch it instantaneously.”
As parents, I’m sure we can all related to Duffy’s wish to share his passion for his profession with his kids. I’m sure the guy would have never allowed his twins to even pretend to direct air traffic if he knew it would result in him potentially getting fired.
One New York newspaper is reporting that Duffy’s kids are “emotional wrecks,” since the release of their guest stints as air traffic controllers.
“The kids are upset,” Glenn Duffy’s brother-in-law told the Daily News. “They feel it’s their fault … They’re thinking, ‘Daddy’s in trouble because of me.'”
Frankly, I feel worse for the kids than I do for the dad.
What’s your take on the brouhaha? Do you think the dad made a dumb move?
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