5 ms·

> When the plane didn’t land, she went to the runway manager. One of the fascinating dynamics of small towns is the casualness of interactions like this as eve

> When the plane didn’t land, she went to the runway manager. One of the fascinating dynamics of small towns is the casualness of interactions like this as everyone knows everyone and it is considered perfectly appropriate to try and talk to anyone. The plane didn't land, so she went to see the runway manager. She just did. I wonder how often this happens in big cities. Do people ever email the airport to ask why a plane missed an approach?

cl0ckt0wer 5y ago
Things like this don't scale. Imagine how much flight control would get done if anyone could walk in there and strike up a conversation.
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  Oh, no they do not, but is it a case of 100 people contacting the airport and being ignored or does awareness of it not scaling mean that a runway manager in NY is asked less than one in remote Alaska?
- nexuist 5y ago
  I mean...at a bigger airport the runway would just have built-in lighting, a situation like this one would never occur. Even at un-monitored (read: no ATC) airports the pilots themselves can turn on/off the lights via radio command, or the airport authorities just keep the lights on during night time or bad weather. Nobody would have to call up the airport manager because the problem would be dealt with. EDIT: I see now that the airport did have lights, but they happened to be out. Unfortunately the article gives no information as to why they were out, so I have no idea how that happened / was allowed.
- Grustaf 5y ago
  I don't think it is meant to scale to commercial airports.
peteretep 5y ago
I have some dealings with the Isle of Man. It is only a slight exageration to say I have conversations with my accountant there where he says "I don't know the answer to that, but my mate Paddy is Finance Minister this year, so I'll check with him later"
- natmaka 5y ago
  Leopold Kohr, the great decentralist economist, used to tell, about going to Lichtenstein and wanting to visit the Prime Minister of the country. He went to the castle, rang the bell, and the man who answered the door and ushered him in, whom he assumed to be a servant, turned out to be the Prime Minister himself. And when they were seated in his office, chatting, the phone rang and the minister answered, saying, “Government.” You see? with a tiny country like that government is always there, always responsive, always able to answer the phone and take care of your problem. Source: https://centerforneweconomics.org/publications/an-overview-of-decentralism/ https://centerforneweconomics.org/publications/an-overview-o... "Whenever something is wrong, something is too big" -- L. Kohr
  - goto11 5y ago
    > with a tiny country like that government is always there, always responsive, always able to answer the phone and take care of your problem. I doubt it. A government of a small country does not necessarily have more resources per citizen. But Lichtenstein is one of the richest countries in the world, so the service level might be higher than the average country. If Lichtenstein is like the typical small town, then it very much depend on who you are, if the government is going to take care of your problems when you call.
    - natmaka 5y ago
      A major benefit of a tiny social structure is that it just cannot be very oppressive AND keep its members. Unhappy? Just join a neighboring structure. This very option moderates local chiefs appetites. In the typical small town some local public servants chose to decide who they will take care of, and how, because they feel empowered by the huge central government. You cannot escape, they are your sole way towards your goal.
gumby 5y ago
Alan Kay once told me that there is a way to signal an unattended/closed airport by toggling the microphone three (?) times. I don’t believe he is a pilot; this was part of a story he was relating where a pilot of a small plane had done this and then explained what was going on. I don’t know if this is universal in the US (and even if so wouldn’t work if they were inoperative as in this case)
- schoen 5y ago
  Apparently this is true! See pages 121 through 124 of https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim_basic_w_chg_1_2_3_dtd_12-31-20.pdf https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim_basic...

cl0ckt0wer 5y ago

Things like this don't scale. Imagine how much flight control would get done if anyone could walk in there and strike up a conversation.

MattGaiser 5y ago
Oh, no they do not, but is it a case of 100 people contacting the airport and being ignored or does awareness of it not scaling mean that a runway manager in NY is asked less than one in remote Alaska?
nexuist 5y ago
I mean...at a bigger airport the runway would just have built-in lighting, a situation like this one would never occur. Even at un-monitored (read: no ATC) airports the pilots themselves can turn on/off the lights via radio command, or the airport authorities just keep the lights on during night time or bad weather. Nobody would have to call up the airport manager because the problem would be dealt with. EDIT: I see now that the airport did have lights, but they happened to be out. Unfortunately the article gives no information as to why they were out, so I have no idea how that happened / was allowed.
Grustaf 5y ago
I don't think it is meant to scale to commercial airports.

peteretep 5y ago

I have some dealings with the Isle of Man. It is only a slight exageration to say I have conversations with my accountant there where he says "I don't know the answer to that, but my mate Paddy is Finance Minister this year, so I'll check with him later"

natmaka 5y ago
Leopold Kohr, the great decentralist economist, used to tell, about going to Lichtenstein and wanting to visit the Prime Minister of the country. He went to the castle, rang the bell, and the man who answered the door and ushered him in, whom he assumed to be a servant, turned out to be the Prime Minister himself. And when they were seated in his office, chatting, the phone rang and the minister answered, saying, “Government.” You see? with a tiny country like that government is always there, always responsive, always able to answer the phone and take care of your problem. Source: https://centerforneweconomics.org/publications/an-overview-of-decentralism/ https://centerforneweconomics.org/publications/an-overview-o... "Whenever something is wrong, something is too big" -- L. Kohr
- goto11 5y ago
  > with a tiny country like that government is always there, always responsive, always able to answer the phone and take care of your problem. I doubt it. A government of a small country does not necessarily have more resources per citizen. But Lichtenstein is one of the richest countries in the world, so the service level might be higher than the average country. If Lichtenstein is like the typical small town, then it very much depend on who you are, if the government is going to take care of your problems when you call.
  - natmaka 5y ago
    A major benefit of a tiny social structure is that it just cannot be very oppressive AND keep its members. Unhappy? Just join a neighboring structure. This very option moderates local chiefs appetites. In the typical small town some local public servants chose to decide who they will take care of, and how, because they feel empowered by the huge central government. You cannot escape, they are your sole way towards your goal.

gumby 5y ago

Alan Kay once told me that there is a way to signal an unattended/closed airport by toggling the microphone three (?) times. I don’t believe he is a pilot; this was part of a story he was relating where a pilot of a small plane had done this and then explained what was going on. I don’t know if this is universal in the US (and even if so wouldn’t work if they were inoperative as in this case)

schoen 5y ago
Apparently this is true! See pages 121 through 124 of https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim_basic_w_chg_1_2_3_dtd_12-31-20.pdf https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim_basic...