Opinion : Letter to the Editor: LaGuardia (LGA) is not my favorite airport

Editor:  (forgive the length)

Those that know me know that I was a jet pilot in the USAF and held all positions at Trans World Airlines, a great airline that could not survive FE,FO, and Captain. (First-Expiring, First-Out, refers to inventory management, while TWA's notable captain-led incidents.)

There were certain things the company empathized – ‘See and avoid,” regardless of Air Traffic Control instructions, and at the bottom of every Emergency page of our Flight Manual –“Nothing will prevent the use of good judgment on the firing line.” The mantle of responsibility is absolute. Some carried the mantle easily, others carried the responsibly heavily.  I was probably somewhere in the middle, as I would be on reserve at home and receive the call from scheduling, assigning me a trip the next day, when I would put on my “pilot face”, look up the route, weather forecast and pack my suitcase.  Nothing would interrupt my study. (To be forewarned is forearmed)  As to the LGA incident:  

Thus:

As an airline pilot, it can be just a series of ups and downs (PUN intended).  I had three furloughs or "interruptions of service."  One was in the eighties with Ronald Reagan as President, when the Air Traffic Controllers went on strike.  The president determined they did so illegally and fired those who would not return to work.  I learned to help fill their employment ranks, we needed the money. 

I called the tower chief in Des Moines to verify, and he did say they needed the help, but I was too far away to consider a position there. He directed me to Cedar Rapids where I was hired as a Flight Data Aid.  The on-the-job training was demanding and tough.  I learned early that I did not have the ability to be a controller, but I could give the weather NOTAMs and ATC IFR clearances just fine as I had received them for the previous 17 years.

Next was learning the computer and communication system FDEP, their rules and regulations.  They were absolutely hard on proper language to use in instruction to the pilots and were likely to harshly criticize if the language was not used correctly – one learns to be criticized.  I often felt that since most were former enlisted they were harder on me since I was a former Officer.  Anyway, eventually we learned to tolerate each other and offer whatever help to each other we could.

To the point:  LGA was not my favorite Airport to land at.  It was on restricted land and water and was designed for propeller-driven aircraft; jets required longer runways, and the taxiway was designed that way.  The tower operator, better known as “local control,” is the boss in the tower cab.  

Since traffic was light at that time of day he/she had authority to give the Ground Controller an “early shove” from his/her normal eight hour shift, which he did and is why he was alone at his position,  Two positions, two radio frequencies.  Nothing ever goes right. Airliners aborted takeoff, and later attempted another takeoff, aborting a second time. 

With fumes in the cabin, the fire department was activated.  The command was given to “cross runway at so and so intersection.  The Fire Component did not visually check the final approach to the runway to verify safe crossing.  Breaking rule one of safety.  The pilot having received landing clearance proceeded.  Bad things were about to happen.  The fire component proceeded to cross the runway thinking they had clearance,  The airliner was probably on the ground with no hope of a go-around,--- Thus the crash!  A miracle that those on board were not all killed.  Prayers to the two pilots who died, may they be received in heaven.   Fate is the hunter.

To the FAA and NSTB find out what went wrong and fix it.

Regards,

John Stiegelmeyer