Air Traffic Control (ATC) Q&A

[pawnman]

"Heavy" question. I have searched many resources including the pilot/controller glossary, FAAO 7110.65 and the AIM. Are military aircraft exempt from using the Heavy suffix on their callsign when talking to ATC? The reason I ask is because here at Dyess you never hear a BONE check in as Hawk 11 Heavy, although at Dyess it's pretty much assumed.

I don't think we've ever appended "heavy" ourselves, but ATC often appends "heavy" in their responses.

[Breckey]

11-202V3 section on flight violations (doesn't deal directly with noise complaints but noise should be more restrictive since it probably isn't a rules violation):

Thanks. Just what I was looking for.

[Skitzo]

I don't think we've ever appended "heavy" ourselves, but ATC often appends "heavy" in their responses.

Holy thread revival!

[Clayton Bigsby]

I don't think we've ever appended "heavy" ourselves, but ATC often appends "heavy" in their responses.

ATC guy here.

Any aircraft with a possible max gross takeoff weight of 300,000 lbs or more is considered a heavy regardless of payload. It's a wake turbulence thing, more separation has to be provided for smaller aircraft behind a heavy. For wake turbulence aircraft are broken into a couple categories, Small, Small Plus, Large, Heavy and Super (A380 and the An-225 are the only two in this category for now). It all depends on possible MGTW.

[slc]

I thought it was 255K for classification as a heavy.

[Clayton Bigsby]

I thought it was 255K for classification as a heavy.

Yeah I think it used to be different, that number definitely sounds familiar. I believe the classes were revised recently when the 'Super' category was created, previously A380 and An-225 aircraft were considered Larges. But it's plain as day in the 7110.65 aircraft specifications index at 300,000 lbs.

[Tonka]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officials-probe-why-las-vegas-airport-controller-slurred-words-went-n935081?fbclid=IwAR1PHwQs3zA3e4WE78gsUuwyPyN1I2CucVAN8YznfNlOu3lIEElqko7is5w

Air traffic controller became incapacitated and went silent while working a night shift alone in the tower at busy McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

Sounds like a stroke...

[ayz33]

Definitely a stroke hearing this...scary stuff

Edited November 12, 2018 by ayz33

[Tonka]

wow... she was struggling worse then other reports made it sound.  That's terrible... hope she is ok.  Not sure if I would follow some of those calls, but I guess I've heard worse... however, usually OCONUS.

[pilot]

5 hours ago, ayz33 said:

Definitely a stroke hearing this...scary stuff

Negative. I thought it was a stroke as well. Apparently it was a .32 BAC. She was terminated by the FAA already. 

 

Edit: here’s a link https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/incapacitated-las-vegas-air-traffic-controller-no-longer-with-faa-1525525/

a medical issue wouldn’t result in her not working there within 2 business days...

Edited November 13, 2018 by FlyArmy

[Clayton Bigsby]

We'll see if it's an actual termination.  Seems very very fast for that.  A resignation, maybe...and that's been rumored.

Lots of rumor out there and little factual info.

[ayz33]

.32?? How would that even happen considering there was another worker there who was just on break for a short while

[Guest]

.32?? How would that even happen considering there was another worker there who was just on break for a short while

Water bottle full of vodka would be my guess.


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[Yaweh]

11 hours ago, FlyArmy said:

Negative. I thought it was a stroke as well. Apparently it was a .32 BAC. She was terminated by the FAA already. 

 

Edit: here’s a link https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/incapacitated-las-vegas-air-traffic-controller-no-longer-with-faa-1525525/

a medical issue wouldn’t result in her not working there within 2 business days...

Where in that article did it say .32BAC? 

[Clayton Bigsby]

The 0.32 BAC is a rumored number floating around (I also read 0.34).  Again, rumors of termination, resignation, and suspension (which in reality would be administrative leave).  I believe the incident occurred last thursday, right?  I heard about it friday...and immediate administrative action is certainly unlikely over a 3-day weekend (which most admin stretches into a 4-day'er).  But I'm guessing we'll see it on all the national news media very soon.

[pilot]

An ATC guy who said he knows her said on a different forum that it was an alcohol issue. The other part of the rumor floating around is that she was on probation after a previous alcohol issue (DUI earlier in the year was the rumor). That would explain the quick departure. The FAA has said she no longer works there. A medical issue, or a non probational termination, would likely take longer than 2 business days I would think. Hopefully more facts are released.