people are finally starting to die.
you may have heard about the private aircraft in the keys that flew into a warning area and cliped the cable of a blimp. it sliced through its wing and sent the plane spiraling into the ocean killing all 3 people aboard, screaming into the air traffic controllers head set all the way down.
what you didnt hear.....
that very aircraft contacted flight service to request assistance to go to key west. flight service told them they were closing shortly, blew them off and suggested they contant air traffic controll.
what flight service SHOULD have done is get the air crafts position, infor them about any hazards to flying in their area, like a WARNING AREA, given them the local weather and filed their flight plan information. that would have given the pilot an indication he was heading in the wrong direction BEFORE he hit the wire.
but, as it would have it, flight service was contracted out to lockheed martin a couple years ago, and well, there is just no profit in staffing the radios pasta certin hour, and they dont pay overtime just because some pilot needs assistance in the evening.
dead. screaming all the way down.
dead because this addministraition farmed out a safety orientated service to a for profit organization.
BTW, its not saving the government a single dime. we have to PAY lockheed martin to provide the service, and we have to still maintain the equipment. the only thing that has changed is now that most of the money that used to go to staff the stations 24/7 now goes into a middle mans pocket while they find ways to further redice service to increase their profit.
many many instances, this is just the first one that caused a death as this organization continues to spiral out of controll into total incompetance.
you will never hear a word of this anywhere. why? because lockheed martin did nothing wrong. the plane called right at closing, they went home and shut out the lights. not their problem. taking the money thatused to go to working professionals that used to monitor the skies 24/7 with them, and hiring people at half the pay, with half the training, and a whole lot of "dont give a sheit" attitude to replace them.
the moral majority working hard for you.......
by the way, the controller is off the boards, taking anti depressants, and seeing a shrink. she may never come back.