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FAA not amused as kid gives directions
to pilots in Kennedy Airport's air-traffic control tower
BY Kerry Burke and Leo Standora
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Originally Published:Wednesday, March 3rd 2010, 1:29 AM
Updated: Wednesday, March 3rd 2010, 1:32 AM

Although those involved in the potentially high-risk hijinks at one of the nation's busiest airports seemed to get a kick out of it, the FAA was not laughing.

Employees at the Kennedy Airport air-traffic control tower are under federal investigation for apparently allowing a school-age kid to give directions to pilots.

The youngster, seemingly under adult supervision, makes five transmissions to amused pilots on a tape obtained by Channel 26 in Boston and confirmed as genuine by the Federal Aviation Authority.

One exchange went like this:

JFK TOWER: JetBlue 171 contact departure

PILOT: Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job.

A male voice then comes on with a laugh.

JFK TOWER: That's what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.

Later, the kid clears another pilot for takeoff and says, "Adios, amigo." The pilot responds with the same wish.

Although those involved in the potentially high-risk hijinks at one of the nation's busiest airports seemed to get a kick out of it, the FAA was not laughing.

The control tower is a highly secure area, and the FAA says only licensed controllers are supposed to communicate with planes.

"Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic," the FAA said in a statement. "This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees."

The union that represents air-traffic controllers said the behavior in the tower "is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and every day in the advancement of aviation safety."

It was unclear when the incident occurred.

lstandora@nydailynews.com