Child talks to pilots, gets dad in hot water

NEW YORK -- As planes waited to take off from Kennedy Airport,the jargon-packed radio chatter between controllers and pilots wasinterrupted by a young boy's voice: "JetBlue 171, cleared fortakeoff."

An air traffic controller who brought his son to work let theyoungster read a few routine messages to pilots -- and then broughtin another child the next day -- in an incident that amused pilotsbut not the Federal Aviation Administration.

Authorities suspended the controller and a supervisor Wednesdayafter a recording of the radio calls was posted on the Internet,then reported by a Boston television station.

"This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA's own policies, butcommon-sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds ofdistractions are totally unacceptable," FAA Administrator RandyBabbitt said in a statement. "This kind of behavior does not reflectthe true caliber of our work force."

During his visit, the boy got to squeak out a few moreinstructions to pilots before signing off, including telling thecrew aboard a departing Aero Mexico flight, "Adios, amigos."

On the recording, which lasts about a minute, the elementary-school-age boy appears to repeat instructions fed to him by hisfather. At no time does the child tell aircraft how to maneuver inflight.

At the time, pilots appeared delighted.

"I wish I could bring my kid to work," one said.

Nevertheless, the FAA said it has also barred unofficial visitsby friends or relatives to FAA air traffic operational areas whileit reviews its policies.