Veteran air traffic controller lays out what is wrong with Newark airport: ‘Minimum staffing affects everything’

Controller is a calling

Retired air traffic controller Harvey Scolnick: “Newark Airport hasn’t enough controllers. Minimum staffing affects everything. Another issue? Infrastructure. Newark radar, now old, is actually controlled in Philadelphia.

“In my 38-year career I lost both — ONCE — at same time. I was working at Kennedy. Busy Friday evening. Our room went totally dark. Lights, radar scopes, technicians, plates, all frequencies, everything stopped. Understand, radar scopes used by Newark’s controllers are old.”

Lifelong pro

So who actually is Harvey Scolnick?

“Four years Air Force. Then LAN [Local Area Networks]. Then San Antonio, an aeronautical center. Then another in Oklahoma 20 weeks. Maybe 60% get through the process. There’s understanding weather and its effects on airplanes. Then Air Traffic Control school.

“There’s not enough 365-days-a-year qualified controllers. Newark lost five. Equipment’s old. Same airports we had 50 years ago. Runways, concrete still the same. But more airplanes require more airspace. The other issue? Infrastructure. Lines are old. Developed long back.”

No easy days 

“Each controller’s responsible for a geographical area. It’s make a plan. They’re coming at you from different directions. Decide who’s first, second, third. It’s like a big chess game because LaGuardia’s next to it. And Kennedy. And smaller private terminals. There’s Teterboro, White Plains, Morristown, Caldwell, Linden all overlapping in that airspace. You must slow that traffic down. 

“FAA standard between planes is at least 3 nautical miles by space or altitude. Important is weather.

“Data blocks on each aircraft tell controllers which flight number or serial number of each aircraft and identification number and where flight’s headed and if for a different airfield eventually.”

A chess game

“Your controller must provide 3 miles and 1,000 feet and who’s going to be first, second, third, in landing. You line them up one behind the other, headed for the runway approach, then turn them over to the tower who says, ‘clear the land’ and it’s like a moving chess game. Almost artistic.

“The training’s scary because you’re afraid of making a mistake. Hurricane, clouds, rain all figure into your decision. Each controller is responsible for a geographical area up to a certain altitude. And there’s worry about helicopters, drones, private planes including maybe some skywriter guy.

“An airplane creates a wake behind it just like a boat creates its wake behind it.

“It’s lots of stuff going on at once.”

So controllers need worry about that, too.

Fasten your seat belt.

Enjoy Memorial Day. I’ll see you again Wednesday.